Trade

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• Ensure all international treaty texts are open to public scrutiny
• Stop the transfer of decision-making about food standards and safety and health products to unaccountable trans-national agencies (e.g. Food Standards Australian New Zealand).
• Work towards replacing the World Trade Organisation's Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) system with a fairer system, including guaranteed access to essential medicines and protection of indigenous knowledge and biodiversity.
• Restrict or prohibit the importation of goods and services that do not meet quality and environmental certification standards in production, lifecycle analysis, and eco-labelling.
• Oppose trade de-regulation in public goods, services and utilities (e.g. health, education, water, electricity, telecommunications) and, where desirable, roll back GATS (General Agreement on Trade and Services) commitments. (more here)

• New Zealand must not sacrifice cheaper medicines through Pharmac, or give up our sovereign right to regulate and legislate for our health, protection of our environment, in ICT and online security and privacy, or in areas including gambling, tobacco and alcohol.  We must preserve our democratic rights to regulate overseas corporations that operate here.
• It is clear we can’t decide whether the TPPA will hinder or help our economic wellbeing until we know what is in the final agreement.Therefore we have called on the National Government to release the full text of the TPPA, at least two weeks before they intend to sign it.
• New Zealanders should be allowed to have an informed and mature public debate about what is in our people’s interests. (more here)

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• National will work to conclude a high quality TPP agreement that is in the best interest of New Zealand. The goal of the TPP is to negotiate an Asia-Pacific regional deal that will reduce trade barriers, & improve regional competitiveness. Early estimates suggest TPP could be worth up to $5 billion in increased New Zealand exports. Any deal must be in NZ’s best interests.
• National will continue with its successful strategy of promoting New Zealand companies in foreign markets by presenting a compelling New Zealand story to the world.
• National will boost in New Zealand Trade and Enterprise companies by expanding the number of businesses the agency works with.
• National will increase exports from 30 per cent to 40 per cent of GDP by 2025. That means doubling the value of our exports by 2025. We will also boost two-way trade with China to $30 billion by 2020.
• National will continue its successful trade mission campaign with at least 30 high-quality trade missions by sector ministers over the next three years. (more here)

• Give priority to New Zealand industries and communities in setting any programme on tariffs. Future tariff removal will be consistent with the policies and progress of our trading partners. We aim to win the export and employment stakes, not some artificial tariff removal race.
• Support and develop the ‘buy New Zealand-made’ campaign and, where practicable place ‘buy New Zealand’ purchasing requirements on taxpayer and ratepayer owned businesses and State Owned Enterprises.
• Review all current and future bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), including the Closer Economic Relations (CER) process, to improve transparency and accountability and to ensure they are in New Zealand's interest. We will support FTAs that are demonstrably in New Zealand's interests.
• Aim to treble exports, in real terms, by 2025 and will set goals to reach that target building on the achievements of the party's innovative Export Year 2007.
• Follow up the reduction in company taxation with the implementation of tax abatement and concession policies to ensure that viable exporting opportunities and innovation are not lost (20 per cent tax rate on 'new export' net income). (more here)

• Support free and fair trade and embrace free trade agreements and pacts where there is a reasonable opportunity for New Zealand to benefit, and where New Zealand's unique comparative advantages are preserved.
• Pursue Free Trade Agreements with key trading partners, with a particular focus on India, Japan, the US and Korea.
• Lobby for a better deal for NZ businesses and exporters, including the agricultural sector, with the expanded European Union.
• Fully support regular international and regional meetings (e.g. APEC and CHOGM) and support a bid for New Zealand to host the World Trade Expo within the next ten years.
• Emphasise our developing relationships with Asia and the Pacific Rim, while recognising historical links with the Commonwealth and other parts of the world. (more here)