National proposes opening trade negotiations with seven new economies over five years, extending the essential-supplies agreement signed with Singapore to other partners, cutting border paperwork through paperless trade and digital customs, and giving New Zealand Trade and Enterprise a mandate to seek out opportunities rather than wait to be asked. It restates a target of doubling export value by 2034.
The document groups them into three categories and gives the figures for each: high-income European economies, large South American ones, and emerging Asian and African markets. Together it puts them at almost 700 million people and over US$5 trillion of GDP, against current New Zealand exports of $1.8 billion.
New Zealand and Singapore signed an Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies on 4 May 2026, which the document describes as guaranteeing that food, medicines, medical supplies and critical inputs keep moving between the two during a disruption, committing both to avoid export restrictions on each other, and creating a framework for information sharing when supply chains come under pressure. National would use it as a template with other partners.
The vehicle is the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership, a network of 16 economies New Zealand helped convene with Singapore, Switzerland and the UAE, which the document expects to pass 20 members. The aim is real-time digital trade documentation, fewer non-tariff barriers, and automated customs and origin systems so goods clear borders faster.
NZTE works with around 1,000 companies. The document says it has largely responded to companies that ask for help, and proposes shifting it to what it calls a “lead and follow” model — identifying which exporters stand to gain when a new agreement opens a tariff window and approaching them, and building forward-looking sector opportunity maps.
It sets the agenda against results it attributes to the current term, which are the party’s own figures rather than independently sourced here.
“These seven markets combined represent almost 700 million people and a GDP of more than US$5 trillion, similar to the size of the German and Japanese economies today, and growing rapidly.”
“A re-elected National Government will ask NZTE to do more: to actively lead companies to new opportunities and markets, not just follow where they point.”
Points the document defers or leaves undefined. These are gaps in the document, not criticisms of the policy.
Which party holds a published position on which topic.
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