The talking is done, the negotiations are done, the European and United Kingdom Free Trade Agreements have been signed…but now the hard mahi really begins.
That was the overwhelming message across Te Taumata Regional Trade Hui at Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Marae in Tāmaki Makaurau last week.
Attended by Māori businesses, global ambassadors, Government representatives and dozens of other organisations, the Regional Trade Hui is the seventh in a series of hui that have been held across the motu in recent years.
But while the focus for previous hui has been on providing Māori input to those developing Free Trade Agreements, yesterday’s priority was about making the new trade opportunities a reality.
Te Taumata Chair, Chris Karamea Insley, says the opportunity cost of not implementing the Free Trade Agreements effectively is in the billions of dollars.
“A huge number of people have worked tirelessly to get these FTAs across the line – we held them accountable for getting the deals done, but now the responsibility is on us to leverage them for maximum outcomes for whānau.
“We heard directly from the EU Ambassador to New Zealand, along with the Chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, about how ground-breaking the EU FTA is.
“It is the first EU trade agreement that incorporates a specific indigenous chapter, and it puts us on a level playing field with our global competitors.”
Te Taumata will be rolling out a series of news stories over the coming days and weeks relating to the different speakers at the Regional Trade Hui. Stay up to date with the latest news and information here, and check out two of the other themes – Creativity and Innovation, and Climate Change.
