- Hon Damien O'Connor
Next weekend, Auckland will play host to international Trade Ministers as New Zealand hosts the 7th Commission Meeting of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor said.
“Trade is a key priority for this Government, it drives success for our economy, our businesses, and our communities,” Damien O’Connor said.
“CPTPP spans 11 economies – Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Viet Nam – which represent $17.3 trillion of global trade.
“This will be the largest international meeting that the Government has hosted since the pandemic and I look forward to welcoming my Ministerial colleagues to New Zealand as the Chair for 2023.
New Zealand will also welcome United Kingdom Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch to take part in a signing ceremony to mark the United Kingdom’s formal accession to CPTPP.
“Having a G7 economy like the United Kingdom inside CPTPP brings the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific and boosts support for the rules-based trading system within the region,” Damien O’Connor said.
“The United Kingdom’s membership of CPTPP sits alongside our bilateral Free Trade Agreement to ensure that Kiwi exporters have unprecedented access to the sixth largest economy in the world.
“We know that when businesses start exporting, employment can grow up to 12 per cent faster.
That’s why this Government is focused on opening doors to new markets for our businesses, resulting in more jobs and higher incomes for Kiwis,” Damien O’Connor said.
More information about New Zealand’s Chair and Host year and the CPTPP Agreement can be found here
