McClay urges patience on KiwiSaver for first-time farmers
We're working through it, and we'll get to it.
A trade deal with the United Arab Emirates has moved a step close following a meeting between NZ's Trade Minister Todd McClay and UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.
The pair met at the recent WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi where McClay launched a public consultation for a trade agreement between the two countries. Exploratory discussions on what is called a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) - or effectively an FTA - began last September with two virtual discussions between officials held in December and February.
McClay says the UAE is a top-20 export market for NZ and our largest market in the Middle East, with exports increasing 17% to $1.2 billion in the last year. He says an FTA with the UAE could bring opportunities to enhance our bilateral cooperation and grow our trading relationship.
The UAE is one of the wealthiest countries in the world on a per-capita basis, with an increasingly diversified economy built on financial services, logistics, transport and petroleum. The UAE has started pursuing bilateral CEPAs since 2021, five of which have entered into force. That country is an important hub for NZ and a key component of our connectivity to the region and beyond, particularly in the aviation and maritime sectors.
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HortNZ's CEO, Kate Scott says they are starting to see the substantial cumulative effects on their members of the two disastrous flood events in the Nelson Tasman region.
In an ever-changing world, things never stay completely the same. Tropical jungles can turn into concrete ones criss-crossed by motorways, or shining cities collapse into ghost towns.
Labour's agriculture spokesperson Jo Luxton says while New Zealand needs more housing, sacrificing our best farmland to get there is not the answer.
Profitability issues facing arable farmers are the same across the world, says New Zealand's special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr.
Over 85% of Fonterra farmer suppliers will be eligible for customer funding up to $1,500 for solutions designed to drive on-farm efficiency gains and reduce emissions intensity.
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