The government's refresh of its trade policy will include an increased focus on free trade agreements (FTAs) concluded or expected to be concluded, and on resolving non-tariff barriers (NTBs), Trade Minister and Rotorua MP Todd McClay told the DANA NZ Forest - Wood Products conference in Rotorua today.
"As we shift the balance of effort from the negotiation of further agreements to making the most of those we have in place, there will naturally be increased attention paid to the resolution of the NTBs that prevent our exporters from maximising the benefits of these hard won agreements," he said in an address prepared for delivery to the conference, which drew high profile Russian, Chinese and North American speakers, as well as several New Zealand experts.
The government was well aware of the concerns from industry and was committed to addressing non-tariff barriers, he said.
"This is a complex area as NTBs are often not directly visible and can be hard to quantify.
Further, some non-tariff measures are justifiable. We're a strong supporter of rigorous and scientifically justifiable measures to protect plant, animal, and human health.