I’m thrilled that the New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement was formally signed on 27 April 2026. This historic agreement gives our exporters unprecedented access to 1.4 billion people and an economy set to become the third-largest in the world.
As a trading nation, which relies on exporting our goods around the world, this is positive news for those working in our primary sector, such as aquaculture, agriculture and horticulture. The free trade agreement will see tariffs eliminated or reduced on 95 percent of our exports, with duty-free access on almost 57 percent of New Zealand’s exports from day one.
This free trade agreement is a huge win for New Zealand and New Zealanders, both now and into the future. It’s an opportunity to grow our economy and gives our exporters the conditions they need to compete on the global stage. The benefits will flow through to local economies by creating jobs, lifting wages, and putting more money in your back pockets.
I’m excited that there will be direct benefits to our region, with amount of kiwifruit that we can export duty-free within a quota increasing by nearly four times current export volumes. There will also be tariff eliminations over time for avocados, which will be welcome news to growers in the Western Bay of Plenty.
Just a few years ago, there were plenty of people who didn’t think it was possible to get a free trade agreement with India but Trade Minister Todd McClay has worked hard on behalf of the Government to get this deal across the line. The signing of the New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement activates the standard parliamentary process, allowing Parliament and the public to scrutinise the agreement through the Select Committee.
