Source: New Zealand Government
Minister of State for Trade and Investment Nicola Grigg will travel to Fiji this week to attend the Pacific Island Forum’s Trade Ministers Meeting (FTMM).
“Trade plays a critical role in getting more money into your back pocket, helping you and your family to thrive. It drives employment, economic growth, and lifts the standard of living in New Zealand and across the Pacific,” Ms Grigg says.
The Pacific Island Forum’s (PIF) biennial Trade Ministers Meeting will be held in Suva on 18 July. It is a key regional event, bringing together Pacific trade ministers to discuss and shape the future of trade and economic integration.
“The Government is strongly committed to supporting Pacific Island countries to grow the positive impacts of trade. New Zealand’s attendance at the FTMM signals our continued commitment to regional cooperation, resilience, and leadership in advancing Pacific trade priorities under the 2050 Strategy for the Pacific Blue Continent,” Ms Grigg says.
“This key regional meeting provides a timely platform to discuss the critical importance of the rules-based trading system, with the World Trade Organisation at its core. This structure is particularly vital for small countries like New Zealand and PIF members. We are best served by a world in which trade flows freely governed by rules.
“I will attend a Fiji New Zealand Business Council event where the Council will launch its strategy to help reach the joint New Zealand and Fiji goal of lifting two-way trade to NZ$2 billion by 2030.
“I also look forward to engaging with my PACER Plus Ministerial counterparts. PACER Plus is the largest and most comprehensive trade agreement in our region. It is helping both large and small businesses — including women-led businesses — to grow; reduce costs through e-commerce and enhance regulatory cooperation between governments, streamline customs processes, paperless trade, and provisions on investment that protect investors; and to promote cross-border investment flows.
“While PACER Plus is a trade agreement, with currently 10 parties, that also speaks to the bonds between our nations, as neighbours, partners, and family, whose interests, prosperity, and well-being are intertwined.”
