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This Joint Statement follows the meeting of the Minister for Trade and Investment of New Zealand and Secretary of State for Business and Trade of the United Kingdom onÌý1 JuneÌý2026.Ìý

At their meeting,Ìýthe Ministers opened theÌýthirdÌýJoint Committee of the New Zealand-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (FTA)ÌýandÌýreaffirmed the strength of the New Zealand–United Kingdom trade relationshipÌýwhich reached a recordÌý£4.0bn orÌýNZ$7.4bn of trade in goods and services in 2025.Ìý

TheyÌýnoted this reflectsÌýthe strength ofÌýtheÌýFTA,Ìýwhich celebratedÌýthree yearsÌýsinceÌýits entry into force on 31 MayÌý2023,ÌýandÌýits continued delivery ofÌýtangible benefits to businesses and consumers.Ìý

In 2025, £675.1mÌýorÌýNZ$1,529.6m of traded goods successfully used preferential tariffs; i.e. around 91.5% of goods traded between the UK and New Zealand made use of preferences where one was available.ÌýHigh utilisation of preferential tariffsÌýshows businesses areÌýtaking full advantage ofÌýthe benefits of the FTAÌý– reducing costs, improvingÌýmarketÌýcompetitivenessÌýandÌýsupporting trade growth.ÌýÌý

Between Jan and Dec 2025:Ìý

• 88.5%Ìýof goods imports into New Zealand from the UK used preferential tariffs.ÌýHadÌýthisÌýtradeÌýoccurred at standard Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariff rates,ÌýitÌýcould haveÌýencounteredÌýanÌýadditionalÌý£7.9mÌýorÌýNZ$17.9m in duties.Ìý

• 92.4%Ìýof goods imports into the UK from New Zealand used preferential tariffs. HadÌýthisÌýtradeÌýoccurred at standard MFN tariff rates,ÌýitÌýcould haveÌýencounteredÌýanÌýadditionalÌý£98.4mÌýorÌýNZ$222.9m inÌýduties.Ìý

MinistersÌýnoted continued progressÌýunder the FTAÌýandÌýongoing cooperation acrossÌýits breadth.Ìý

TheyÌýwelcomedÌýadvancementsÌýon a tariff rate quota data sharing arrangement between the New Zealand Meat Board and HM Revenue and CustomsÌýandÌýnoted the Joint Understanding reached by the UK and New ZealandÌýonÌýimprovingÌýthe terms of trade forÌýdealcoholisedÌýand partiallyÌýdealcoholisedÌýwinesÌýandÌýcommitting to make as much progress as possible towards a mutually satisfactory outcome over the next year.ÌýMinistersÌýalsoÌýwelcomedÌýsignificant progressÌýon the review of the digital chapterÌýandÌýlook forward toÌýconcludingÌýdiscussionsÌýandÌýagreeing an outcomeÌýthat supports shared ambitions for digital trade growth.ÌýÌý

TheyÌýagreedÌýthatÌýtheÌýComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)Ìýstrengthens connections between the UK, New Zealand, andÌýother Parties to the Agreement.ÌýMinistersÌýreaffirmed their commitment toÌýtheÌýCPTPP’sÌýexpansionÌývia the accessionÌýofÌýeconomiesÌýable to meet the Agreement’s high standards,ÌýtheÌýupgradingÌýofÌýthe Agreement to ensure it remainsÌýof a highÌýquality,ÌýandÌýexpanding the reach of theÌýAgreement throughÌýthe CPTPP-EU and CPTPP-ASEAN DialoguesÌýto facilitate trade and support the international trading system.Ìý

In an increasingly uncertain global environment, the Ministers underscored that open and rules-based trade is central to prosperity and economic security,Ìýand reaffirmed their commitment toÌýdefend, strengthen, and modernise the rules-based multilateral trading system.ÌýÌý

TheyÌýreaffirmed the importance of a strong and effective WorldÌýTradeÌýOrganization,Ìýat the core of the multilateral trading system,ÌýandÌýthe need toÌýworkÌýtogetherÌýwith urgencyÌýto progress,Ìýan inclusive andÌýtransparentÌýWTO ReformÌýagenda.Ìý

MinistersÌýnotedÌýthe importance of advancing gender equality through trade. The UK announced its intention to begin the formal process to join the Global Trade and Gender ArrangementÌý(GTAGA),Ìýunderscoring the UK’s commitment to ensuring that international trade works for everyone.Ìý

They welcomed the signing ofÌýa newÌýbilateralÌýDouble Tax Agreement toÌýbetterÌýpromote cross border trade and investmentÌýbetweenÌýthe UKÌýand New Zealand,ÌýbyÌýeliminatingÌýdouble taxationÌýand improving certainty for taxpayers.Ìý

Ministers committed to continued engagement to progress opportunities under the FTA andÌýidentifiedÌýenvironment, inclusive, digital and services trade as priorities for further cooperation in the year ahead.Ìý

Note to editors: Ìý

• Sources:  Trade data sourced fromÌýÌýÌý

• Sources: Goods and services trade data sourced from Statistics New Zealand, publicly accessible through the .Ìý

• Trade asymmetries exist between the UK and New Zealand official trade statistics, but this does not mean that either country is inaccurate in their estimation. Differences can be caused by a range of conceptual and measurement variations between the estimation practices of different countries.Ìý

• Based on data from New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Statistics New Zealand, Customs import utilisation data, April 2026.Ìý

• Estimated duty savings are based on exchanged country tariff schedules and preference utilisation data. We take imports entering using preferential tariff rates and apply the corresponding MFN tariff rates to estimate the duties that would have been charged underÌýMFN treatment. It is important to note that estimated duty savings assume full substitution from preferential to MFN tariff treatment, with import volumes unchanged.Ìý

• For UK imports, estimated duty savings are calculatedÌýusing the Ad Valorem, Specific, or Compound tariffs applied at the CN8 level.ÌýThe average annual Bank of England  for 2025Ìýwas used to convert from GBP to NZDÌý(availableÌý). For NewÌýZealandÌýimports, estimated duty savings use MFN rates applied at CN8 level.  The Reserve Bank of New Zealand daily exchange rates (June-December 2023, 2024, and 2025) were used to convert from NZD to GBP (series ID EXR.DS11.D04, availableÌý).Ìý

• The underlying data for the imports into the UK preference utilisation figures were sourced from  This data is provided on a country- of- origin basis.Ìý

• The methodology used to calculate UK preference utilisation rates can be found here: .