Minister Ng meets New Zealand ministerial counterparts Damien O’Connor and Rino Tirikatene

July 15, 2023 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, met with her New Zealander counterparts, Damien O’Connor, Minister for Trade and Export Growth, Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity, Minister for Land Information, and Minister for Rural Communities, and with Rino Tirikatene, Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth and Minister of Courts.

Minister Ng thanked Minister O’Connor for New Zealand’s leadership as Chair of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission for 2023, and for hosting the 7th CPTPP Commission meeting. The Ministers reiterated their support for the United Kingdom’s accession to the CPTPP and their shared view that the CPTPP stands to benefit from new members that are willing and able to meet the Agreement’s high standards and market access commitments.  

Minister Ng underlined the importance of Canada’s bilateral, commercial and people-to-people ties with New Zealand, and of the growing trade and economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

Minister Ng noted that promoting inclusive trade and ensuring that the benefits of trade are felt more widely is a priority for both Canada and New Zealand. Reflecting on her visit to the Matariki Festival, a celebration of the Māori new year, Minister Ng highlighted Canada and New Zealand’s shared commitment to Indigenous reconciliation and the leadership role New Zealand has taken.

Minister Ng looks forward to presenting the outcomes of Canada’s Inclusive Trade Action Group (ITAG) Three-Year Review, which examines the CPTPP’s effectiveness with respect to inclusive trade at the upcoming 7th CPTPP Commission Meeting.

Highlighting the importance of protecting Canada’s interests in cultural industries, the ministers discussed negotiations for Canada to continue promoting fairness in global trade and to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA).

Minister Ng thanked Minister O’Connor for New Zealand’s assistance and solidarity in fighting Canada’s recent wildfires, the worst so far this year.

Associated links

• Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy
• Canada-New Zealand relations
• Trade and Indigenous peoples
• Inclusive Trade Action Group
• Canada’s inclusive approach to trade
• Global Trade and Gender Arrangement
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
• Canada and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
• Overview: The Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement