United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill
New Zealand signed a trade deal with the United Arab Emirates in January 2025. This bill changes some New Zealand laws so the country can officially put that deal into effect. The main changes are: UAE investors who are not government-owned can spend up to $200 million in certain New Zealand businesses before needing government approval (the old limit was $100 million). Also, goods traded between the two countries can now get cheaper import taxes, and there are new rules about proving where goods come from.
What this affects
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The bill puts a new trade deal with the UAE into law, which changes investment rules and import taxes between the two countries.
The Bill amends New Zealand law as part of the implementation of the New Zealand–United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, signed in Abu Dhabi on 14 January 2025 (the UAE CEPA).
insert the preferential abbreviation for the United Arab Emirates into lists of preferential abbreviations in note 2 of the Tariff and the footnotes to the Tariff (which list countries whose produce or manufactured goods may enter New Zealand free of duty in defined circumstances).
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
This bill is open for public submissions to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. Anyone can tell the committee what they think, and you don’t need to be an expert. Submissions close 22 May 2025.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.