Hon Todd McClay
Minister of Agriculture
Minister for Trade and Investment

“Today the U.S. has announced a 10 per cent tariff on all imports of good, with many countries facing much higher tariffs on a reciprocal basis. New Zealand exporters will face a 10 per cent tariff rate from this weekend. While this is a significant development, New Zealand remains competitive against other exporters in the U.S. market.

New Zealand’s interests are best served in a world where trade flows freely. Tariffs have consequences for the global economy – impacting inflation, demand, currency stability, and economic growth.

While these tariffs create additional costs that will largely be passed on to consumers, New Zealand is in a stronger position than many other countries, some who are facing higher tariff barriers. This reinforces the importance of our work to create new trade opportunities and reduce barriers for our exporters in the EU, UK, UAE, GCC and most recently India.

New Zealand’s bilateral relationship with the U.S. remains strong. We will be talking with the Administration to get more information, and our exporters to better understand the impact this announcement will have.

We will continue to advocate for a rules-based trading system.”

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