Second round of FTA talks with India start in Delhi
Photo:
RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
New Zealand has commenced a second round of free trade negotiations with India in New Delhi.
"We have been advancing discussions with India since the launch of FTA (free trade agreement) negotiations in March, including in-person talks in Delhi in May, a series of virtual engagements and a second round of negotiations taking place this week," Trade Minister Todd McClay said.
"There has been good engagement from both sides, and we're making meaningful progress.
"While there's still significant work ahead, both countries are committed to securing a high-quality, commercially meaningful agreement."
The negotiations follow Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's trip to India in March, with both countries agreeing to restart free trade negotiations a decade after earlier talks stalled.
The previous negotiations, which took place between 2011 and 2015, were hindered by obstacles, particularly around New Zealand's dairy exports.
Talks ended after India joined the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which the South Asian nation exited in 2019.
India is New Zealand's 12th two-way trading partner, with total trade value reaching $3.14 billion in 2024.
India is New Zealand's 25th largest goods export market - valued at $718 million - mainly in forestry and agricultural products, including wool, timber and apples.
"The New Zealand-India FTA will create valuable opportunities for both New Zealand and Indian exporters to diversify their export destination and expand two-way trade between our two countries," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in an overview of the two nations' relationship on its website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
13 hours ago
- RNZ News
Australian Prime Minister says easing of curbs on US beef not prompted by Trump
By Sam McKeith , Reuters The review had been in the works for 10 years, Albanese said (file image). Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says a decision to ease rules on US beef imports was not prompted by US President Donald Trump. This week, Trump said the US would sell "so much" beef to Australia , after Canberra announced the relaxation of restrictions, potentially smoothing trade talks with Washington. In place since 2003, the curbs were due to concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy - or mad cow disease - which could kill cattle, as well as people who eat infected beef. When asked if the easing had anything to do with Trump, Albanese said: "No, this has been a process that has been there for 10 years, the review process." "This wasn't a political decision," Albanese said to Australian Broadcasting Corp television, adding that Trump had not raised the issue with him in a phone call. The comments come after US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins called the easing a win for Trump. In April, Trump singled out the beef trade disparity with Australia, after Australia's beef exports to the US surged last year, reaching AU$4 billion (NZ$4.36b) amid a slump in US beef production. By contrast, Australia's agriculture minister said the rules were relaxed, after a "rigourous science and risk-based assessment" concluded US measures to monitor and control cattle movement were effectively managing biosecurity risks. News of Australia changing its policy was first reported by the Australian Financial Review . The report said Australia would use the easing of rules to argue its case for the US to wind back 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminium, and Trump's threat to impose a 200 percent tariff on pharmaceuticals. The National Party - part of Australia's conservative opposition coalition - said "biosecurity should not be political" and called for an independent scientific panel to review the decision. A loosening of beef import rules is not expected to boost US shipments significantly, because Australia is a major beef producer and exporter, whose prices are much lower, according to analysts. Last year, Australia shipped almost 400,000 metric tons of beef worth US$2.9b (NZ$4.82b) to the United States, with just 269 tons of US product moving the other way. - Reuters
RNZ News
14 hours ago
- RNZ News
Calendar Girls strip clubs forced to take down posts about women involved in employment dispute
By Ric Stevens, Open Justice reporter of The owners of the Calendar Girls strip clubs have been forced to take down posts identifying dancers suing the firm. Seven women are currently pursuing an application in the Employment Court for a declaration of their employment status. A non-publication order was issued in May, suppressing their identities, after they raised concerns about their safety and damage to their reputations, due to the stigma attached to the work they had been doing. One of the women has now returned to court, alleging breaches of the order by Calendar Girls NZ Ltd, the company named as the defendant in their case. Chief Employment Court Judge Christina Inglis hastily scheduled a hearing this week to hear the woman. "I accorded urgency to the application, given the nature of the alleged breaches and the concerns that had underpinned the making of the orders of non-publication in the first place," the judge said in a recent judgement. The urgent hearing was set down for Thursday, but was cancelled, after lawyers for both sides agreed non-publication orders should be respected. "The defendants confirm that they have removed all offending posts," Judge Inglis said. However, her judgement did not detail what was in the posts. The seven women are seeking a declaration that they were employees of Calendar Girls NZ Ltd under the Employment Relations Act 2000. Being an employee, rather than a contractor, gives entitlement to a wider range of legal protections, including minimum conditions, protection from discrimination, health and safety, and the ability to bargain collectively. In 2023, dancers from the Wellington Calendar Girls club attempted to bargain collectively, after being offered a contract that they said was "manipulative". Nineteen were told to clear out their lockers and not come back to work through a Facebook post, after asking for changes to the way they were paid. In seeking non-publication orders in the current case, filed in the Wellington Employment Court, the seven women raised several concerns about having their identities made public. Women in the clubs use a professional name while working there and are instructed not to give their real names to customers. Chief Employment Court Judge Christina Inglis. Photo: NZ Herald / George Heard However, their case in the Employment Court has been taken using their real names. The women involved in the case feared publication of their identities would "severely impact" their employment and housing prospects, and their ability to travel. They said the stigma attached to their work at Calendar Girls had already led to judgements about their morality and respectability. The women are all young, and fear damage to their reputations and the impact on their families. They also said they had safety concerns about former clients and members of the public. One of the women is a member of a church and worries about others in the congregation finding out. Others have had tenancy applications declined and another woman said she was dismissed from a government agency, when it became known she had worked in the sex industry. Judge Inglis has now ordered Calendar Girls not to disclose the names, identifying particulars or photographs of the seven women who have taken the case. She said this applied to "all forms of communication, including oral, written, electronic and any other medium". The substantive case has been scheduled for a five-day fixture in February 2026. Calendar Girls NZ Ltd is a Christchurch-based company that operates clubs in Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown. This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
RNZ News
15 hours ago
- RNZ News
European Union parliamentarians in antipodes
Delegation Chair Seán Kelly represents the Ireland South constituency at the European Parliament. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins New Zealand is a crucial partner despite being on the opposite side of the globe, a visiting Member of the European Parliament said while in New Zealand this week. Six members of the multinational legislature, which has recently signed a Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand, were in Wellington to strengthen inter-parliamentary ties, and relay information about our society and the economy back to Brussels. Parliamentary diplomacy, which is distinct from government-led foreign affairs, is something that New Zealand's Parliament values highly. Connecting with counterparts through both inward and outward engagements gives MPs a platform to foster bilateral and multilateral relationships and exchange knowledge. Delegation chair Seán Kelly represents the Ireland South constituency. He says the European Union is keen to grow its relationship with New Zealand, which is culturally connected despite the distance. "New Zealand is the furthest away from Europe, but at the same time, in all other respects, it's very close to Europe, both in terms of language, in attitude, in democracy, culture, and even listening to the parliament there today, it was very similar to the Parliaments across the European Union." Fostering these relationships with like-minded nation states is even more crucial these days, Kelly said. "There are a lot of challenges globally, and working together with like-minded partners in particular is hugely important now for Europe, especially because of what has happened geopolitically in the world in the last number of years." Coming from New Zealand, with our comparatively small, Westminster-derived legislature, the European Union seems like a bit of a distant and unusual entity - akin to a scenario in which New Zealand, Australia and Pacific Island Nations sharing a common currency, lawmaking body and soft borders. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen gives a press conference on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia at the EU headquarters in Brussels. Photo: AFP /NICOLAS TUCAT Kelly gave The House a brief rundown of how the EU Parliament works, noting its trajectory from being branded as a "Mickey Mouse Parliament" to now being a highly respected lawmaking body. "Over time, the European Parliament evolved from having almost no powers to becoming a true co-legislator," Kelly said. "[Nowadays] some would say that we have too much power, because if you look at what's happening in national parliaments, it's estimated that around 60 percent of the legislation that's going through national parliaments is now actually transposing what has been decided or voted on in the European Parliament." "Now, that's in the sense that every single country, the 27 members of the European Union, have representation in the Parliament, and the smallest countries like Malta and Luxembourg, they are guaranteed a minimum of six [seats], the biggest country, Germany has 96. So it's very democratic - there is no government there, so everything is done by majority." New Zealand and Ireland are two countries that are often compared due to their similar populations, and rankings on the human development index. The two societies also have the commonality of pursuing language revitalisation efforts - Irish (Gaelic) in Ireland, and Te Reo Māori in New Zealand. Kelly, a keen proponent of the Irish language says the European Parliament's mantra of "unity in diversity" has been conducive to the legitimisation of indigenous languages being used in administrative and legislative contexts. "So I speak Gaelic, I can speak it in the European parliament - you often do - and that's then interpreted into all the other languages. [It's] the same here. You're preserving your languages [in Parliament] here, which is very important for the Maōri. "We have 200 plus Irish people employed in Brussels, either as interpreters or translating documents. Every single document is translated into the 23 official languages, and, Irish, became a working document language just two years ago, and I put down the first ever amendment to a resolution in our native language. So there's a lot of support there for it and [it's] something we appreciate." You can listen to the audio version of this story, along with other coverage from Parliament this week by clicking the link at the top of the page. *RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
