Trading Partners: Lessons for bipartisan policymaking from New Zealand’s trade policy

With only a few exceptions, New Zealand governments have shown strong alignment in their approach to international trade over several decades. Successive administrations have pursued policies based on upholding international trade rules, pushing for progress at the WTO, and negotiating high-quality free trade agreements with partners who are willing to go beyond WTO commitments. While opposition parties have inevitably disagreed with the government of the day on certain details, there has been strong bipartisan agreement on the goal of opening up new markets and creating certainty for exporters, and on most of the policy tools for achieving that. In this webinar, moderated by business leader Rachel Taulelei, Minister for Trade and Investment Hon Todd McClay and Labour Spokesperson for Trade and Economic Growth Damien O’Connor will reflect on the conditions that enable bipartisan approach, the experience of implementing it, what happens when bipartisanship reaches its limits, and what lessons we could draw for equally important areas of New Zealand policy where a long-term, consistent approach will be essential to meet our future needs.