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  • 22 Jun 2014 10:27 AM | Mike Hearn (Administrator)

    During a Whitehouse talk with Prime Minister John Key, US President Barak Obama pledged to visit New Zealand before his term wa up.

    "I would love to come to New Zealand because I hear it's really nice and I know the people are nice because I've had a chance to meet them," the President said.

    "We are going to be working with my schedulers to see what I can come up with, if not this year certainly before the end of my presidency [in Novemer 2016]."

    Mr Key earlier invited Mr Obama to visit New Zealand on the back of the G20 summit in Brisbane in November but it is not clear if Mr Obama's schedule will allow for a visit that soon.

    Mr Obama said ties between NZ and the US were now as strong as they ever have been.

    The president also referred to the US military's relaxation of its ban on New Zealand naval vessels berthing at American military facilities.

    Mr Obama also revealed he had personally intervened to ensure the New Zealand Navy to berth at the US naval base at Pearl Harbour instead of the civilian dock during an exercise this month.

    "I'm proud that my original home state of Hawaii is going to be welcoming a New Zealand ship coming into port for the first time in a couple of decades and we're very proud of that. I'm sure you will get a good welcome when they come," Mr Obama said.

    "And although obviously New Zealand is a small country with a small armed forces, the cooperation we have on intelligence issues, New Zealand's excellent efforts when it comes to training and participating in peacekeeping operations, makes it an invaluable partner."

    The two leaders also discussed China, North Korea, climate change and the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).

    Mr Key told reporters after the meeting, "Top of that list was the TPP and the capacity for the partners to reach an agreement; I feel very confident after the meeting that a high quality comprehensive deal can be achieved. There's a lot more work to be done and its never over till its over but I think there's a willingness on the part of the partners and the US and New Zealand have always been firmly of the view that the TPP was good for [our]countries and for the region."

    Asked about his commentsearlier this week that the TPP might best be resolved by leaving Japan out of the deal for now, Mr Key said New Zealand wanted a high quality comprehensive deal and that was the level every participant country should aiming for.

    Source: www.nbr.co.nz

  • 14 Jun 2014 11:46 AM | Mike Hearn (Administrator)

    Revenue Minister Todd McClay and United States Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Marie Damour, today signed an intergovernmental-agreement (IGA) which will minimise compliance costs to financial institutions in New Zealand while assist in the prevention of tax evasion.

    The IGA is in response to the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) information-reporting regime enacted by the United States which will take effect from 1 July 2014. It requires non-US financial institutions to provide certain information about their US customers to the United States. 

    US tax payers have a worldwide tax responsibility to the US government.

    “Under the IGA, rather than individually sending account information for US taxpayers to the US IRS, New Zealand financial institutions will instead provide this information to Inland Revenue, who will exchange it with the IRS,” Mr McClay says.

    Mr McClay says that the agreement will make it easier for New Zealand financial institutions to comply and thereby reduce additional costs being passed on to New Zealand customers.

    “The IGA is reciprocal, meaning that New Zealand will also receive information about certain accounts held by New Zealand residents with US financial institutions. This will help prevent tax evasion and enhance the integrity of both countries’ tax systems.”

    “This agreement is much the same as negotiated by a number of other nations including Denmark, Australia and the UK. The key difference is that we have managed to negotiate New Zealand-specific exemptions for entities and accounts that are considered low-risk from a US tax evasion and avoidance perspective. This includes Superannuation, KiwiSaver schemes, tax pooling accounts, registered charities, and Maori authorities as defined by tax legislation.”

    “It is not imposing extra taxes or changing taxing rights. It is also not about Inland Revenue collecting taxes on behalf of the US government.”

    “The IGA simply makes it easier for our financial institutions to comply with US law, while also helping stamp out tax evasion,” Mr McClay says.

    The text of the agreement and a related memorandum of understanding are available at www.taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz.

  • 20 May 2014 10:09 AM | Mike Hearn (Administrator)

    Prime Minister John Key has welcomed an invitation to meet the President of the United States during his upcoming visit to the US.

    The White House has announced President Obama will meet the Prime Minister in Washington DC on Friday, 20 June.

    “The invitation underlines the very close relationship between the United States and New Zealand,” Mr Key says.

    “I look forward to meeting with President Obama.  We are likely to discuss the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations, to take stock of our bilateral relationship, and to exchange views on current regional and international issues,” he says.

    The Prime Minister is travelling to the United States from June 16 to 20.

    While in Washington DC, the Prime Minister will also meet with a range of senior administration figures, Congressional representatives and business leaders. 

    The Prime Minister will also undertake a full programme in New York in support of New Zealand’s bid to win a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2015-16.

  • 23 Apr 2014 2:32 PM | Mike Hearn (Administrator)

    New award added to AmCham Awards – the Eric & Kathy Hertz Award for Citizen Diplomacy

    Entries open for US-NZ success & innovation awards

    The American Chamber of Commerce is delighted to announce the launch of the 2014 AmCham – DHL Express Success & Innovation Awards, held in conjunction with Hawaiian Airlines. The awards celebrate business achievement between New Zealand and the United States. 

    AmCham is also delighted to announce the launch a new award sponsored by 3M New Zealand which will be called the Eric & Kathy Hertz Award for Citizen Diplomacy in memory of our special friends who died so tragically a year ago. This award will be presented annually to a person, group of people or organization who have made significant contributions to strengthening the bonds between the people of Aotearoa and the United States. The contributions can be made in any field that complements the deep political and economic ties between these two great nations including education, science, research, culture, arts and sports.

    "The annual Success & Innovation Awards provide an opportunity to showcase those companies that have demonstrated imagination, innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as honour and celebrate their achievements."

    Awards categories are: 

    Exporter of the Year to the USA - with export revenues to the USA up to NZ $500,000

    Exporter of the Year to the USA - revenues from NZ $501,000 to NZ $5 million and

    Exporter of the Year to the USA - revenues over NZ $5 million

    Importer of the Year from the USA

    Investor of the Year for NZ companies investing in the US or US companies investing in NZ

    The Eric & Kathy Hertz Award for Citizen Diplomacy

    A Supreme Award winner is selected from winners of each of these awards.  AmCham also makes an award to the AmCham Supporter of the Year. 

    The winners of the importer and exporter awards receive a return economy Class ticket on Hawaiian Airlines from Auckland to either, Honolulu, Maui, The Big Island, Kauai, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Portland, Phoenix, Sacramento or New York.

    Award winners will be announced at a gala dinner at the Pullman Hotel Auckland on 7th August.

    Previous winners of the Supreme Award have included ZESPRI International, Peace Software, Airways Corporation, HumanWare, Tenon, Orion Systems International, Zeacom, Specialist Marine Interiors, Fonterra and Christchurch Engine Centre, Buckley Systems, Vista Entertainment and Greenshell New Zealand.

    In addition to AmCham, DHL Express and Hawaiian Airlines, the awards are supported by: ASB Bank, Baldwins, Fonterra Co-operative, Prescient Marketing & Communications, 3M New Zealand and the Pullman Hotel Auckland. Media Partner: The Business

    APPLICATION FORM

    If you have any questions contact

    Mike Hearn

    Tel 09-309-9140

    mike@amcham.co.nz


     

      2012 © American Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand Inc • Site prepared by Highland Creative

  • 22 Apr 2014 5:37 PM | Mike Hearn (Administrator)
    By

    The Commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear told TVNZ’s Q+A programme that the relationship between the United States and New Zealand is the best it’s been in thirty years.

    ‘It's the best it's been in 30 years. We've had a number of high level visitors come here and try to reiterate the importance of the relationship that we have and me coming here is just another indication of the importance that we place on this partnership.’

    But Admiral Locklear says we are not allies, ‘no, allies require us to have treaties. We don’t have a treaty but we are partners.’

    Admiral Locklear said we need look forward.

    ‘I think in general, we need to look ahead and not in the past.  We need to look at the future security environment that all the globe faces’ 

    When asked whether New Zealand would be well qualified to take up a UN Security Council seat, Admiral Locklear said, ‘of course’.

    ‘It's important to not only to have the perspective of the large nations, but of the smaller nations that often have a unique perspective of a part of the globe.  One of the things I value very much, even in our relationship, security relationship, with the Armed Forces of New Zealand, is that you all have a very unique view, a very valuable view of the South Pacific, and of this region, the Antarctic region.

    ‘If you extrapolate that view into the issues that the UN Security Council are dealing with, I couldn’t see why New Zealand wouldn’t be a great addition to that.’

    Admiral Locklear says climate change is the biggest long-term threat to the Asia Pacific region.

    ‘The increasing frequency of storms, the increasing likelihood that large tsunamis would impact as we’ve seen in Aceh and we’ve seen in Japan that it will impact large population areas which will put many many people at risk and disrupt the security environment. You add to that the fact that in my area of responsibility 70 per cent of all major disasters occur here.’

    He also says there will be a fight for global resources.

    ‘I don’t see a way out of that. The global community is going to have to figure out how to deal with regions that are becoming now arid and deserts that haven’t historically been and the fact that water supplies are becoming challenged.’

    When questioned about the rising influence of China in the Asia Pacific region, Admiral Locklear said, ‘the question for the world with China will be – what leadership role they take, other than in the economic realm.

    ‘What is their role in the security environment? How are they leading their neighbours to good solutions and a good security environment and I think if they make good choices on that and they become leaders and they demonstrate to their neighbours the ability to be trusted and to be transparent then -as they will say to me - there’s plenty of room for everyone to operate here in the Pacific.’

    Asked whether China can be trusted now, Admiral Locklear said, ‘I think trust is a word I wouldn’t apply too broadly.’

    ‘I would say that as far as our bilateral relationship, that we are based on the dialogue between our President and President Xi that we are in the process of developing an improved bilateral relationship, then that trust underlies that.’

    ‘Trust requires that we talk, that we work together, that we understand each other, that there’s a level of transparency and we’re not there yet but we’re working on it.’

  • 27 Feb 2014 10:21 AM | Mike Hearn (Administrator)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the bipartisan Encouraging Trade and Investment from New Zealand Act, legislation to extend eligibility for trade (E-1) and investor (E-2) temporary entry visas to New Zealand, to promote trade and investment in the United States. The bill is also supported by original cosponsors Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Patty Murray (D-WA). U.S. citizens are already eligible for similar visas in New Zealand. The bill’s introduction comes on the same day as an announcement by Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully that New Zealand will open a Consulate General at Bishop Square-Pauahi Tower in Honolulu to strengthen ties with northern Pacific nations.

    An E-1 trade visa allows for visiting, foreign nationals to come to the United States in order to engage in trade activities such as international banking, technology development or tourism. An E-2 investor visa allows visiting, foreign nationals to develop and direct the operations of an enterprise in which they have invested a substantial amount of capital. The applications for these visas are closely scrutinized by the U.S. Department of State to ensure the trade business or investment is substantial and real, not speculative.

    “New Zealand is one of our nation’s important economic partners, with total foreign direct investment from New Zealand to the United States valued at $6 billion in 2011 and New Zealand-owned firms supporting 10,900 jobs,” said Senator Hirono. “Hawaii has seen this firsthand, with businesses such as Hawaiian Airlines, the only North American airline in New Zealand, helping to spur a substantial increase in business and tourism from New Zealand to Hawaii in recent years. At the same time, New Zealand businesses have found that the lack of access to E-1 and E-2 visas has hampered their ability to increase trade and investment in the United States. By extending trade and investment visas, the Encouraging Trade and Investment from New Zealand Act not only directly promotes economic growth and job creation in Hawaii and across the United States, but also bolsters the bilateral relationship between our nations and strengthens Hawaii’s economic ties to the Asia-Pacific region.”

    “The Chamber of Commerce Hawaii supports legislation that would extend E-1 and E-2 temporary entry visas to New Zealand to promote trade and investment in the United States,” said Chamber of Commerce Hawaii President and CEO Sherry Menor-McNamara. “This legislation would increase investment and trade with New Zealand, creating a significant number of jobs in our country for our citizens and families. As importantly, this legislation would help pave the way for businesses in Hawaii, large and small, to compete in the global marketplace and strengthen our state’s economic ties and leverage our advantageous location to the Asia Pacific region.”

    “Hawaiian Airlines is extremely supportive of any initiative that promotes trade and investment between the United States and New Zealand, and the Hirono-Lee bill would further strengthen the bilateral relationship between our two countries. Hawaiian Airlines entry into New Zealand in 2013 has helped to foster trade between our two countries by connecting Honolulu and 11 mainland U.S. gateways with Auckland, providing improved accessibility for New Zealand and U.S. business travelers,” said Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Mark Dunkerley.

    “We support this legislation that would extend trade and investor visas to New Zealand, as it is in line with our efforts to diversify Hawai‘i’s tourism profile in one of our major market areas,” said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. “New Zealand is a vastly growing market for Hawai‘i’s visitor industry, welcoming a record 47,280 visitors in 2013. This legislation would be beneficial to Hawai‘i’s tourism economy by generating further interest in the Hawaiian Islands as both a visitor destination and a place to conduct business.”

    “On behalf of the New Zealand Government, I would like to express our gratitude to Senators Hirono and Lee for sponsoring this important piece of legislation which will assist New Zealand businesses to trade with and invest in the United States,” said New Zealand Ambassador to the United States Mike Moore. “I would also like to thank Senators McCain, Rubio, Schumer and Murray for co-sponsoring this bill. This bill is a very positive development for both the US and New Zealand. In 2010 alone, United States subsidiaries of New Zealand-owned firms were responsible for 10,900 American jobs and contributed $560 million to US export earnings, according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. But New Zealand businesses have told us they want to do more. These visas will help them grow in the US market and create US jobs. The US is also an important strategic partner for New Zealand and is seeking to increase its engagement in the Asia-Pacific region. Improved access to the US for New Zealand businesspeople and investors will continue to strengthen and modernise our bilateral relationship. We hope that Congress will recognise the benefits of this bill to both New Zealand and the US, and move to pass this legislation as quickly as possible.”

    “Americans and New Zealanders collaborate closely in business, technology, research, security and entertainment, yet the lack of access to trader and investor visas has been a serious impediment to increased economic growth and greater bilateral cooperation,” said United States | New Zealand Council President William Maroni. “The E-1 and E-2 visa categories were created expressly to benefit the U.S. economy by promoting capital infusion and job creation. The United States currently allows temporary entry for traders from more than 50 countries (under E-1 visas) and for investors from more than 80 countries (under E-2 visas). New Zealand – an important partner, supporter and friend to the United States and an influential thought leader throughout the world – should be offered the same eligibility. It’s in our shared best interests and it’s long overdue. Extending E-1 and E-2 visas to New Zealanders would significantly increase bilateral business activity, encourage greater investment and economic growth in the United States, create more American jobs and related benefits, and strengthen US-NZ bilateral relationship.”
  • 27 Feb 2014 10:20 AM | Mike Hearn (Administrator)

    Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today announced New Zealand will open a Consulate General in Honolulu to strengthen ties with northern Pacific nations.

    New Zealand’s Consul General in Honolulu will be cross-accredited to Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.
    “With the Pacific Islands Forum in the Marshall Islands last year and Palau this year, the region’s attention is focused on the northern Pacific and the unique issues these island nations face,” Mr McCully says.

    “We want to advance our relationship with the people and governments of the northern Pacific and opening a Consulate General in Honolulu is a practical way of demonstrating New Zealand’s commitment to these countries.

    “It will allow us to work more closely with US officials and experts on regional security and development issues. Honolulu is a natural focus for cooperation with the United States as it stands at the centre of US strategic, cultural and academic engagement in the Asia-Pacific.”

    The Consulate will also provide support to New Zealanders travelling to the northern Pacific as well as New Zealanders in transit to the mainland US and other destinations

  • 27 Feb 2014 10:19 AM | Mike Hearn (Administrator)

    We, the Ministers and Heads of Delegation for Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States, and Vietnam, have just completed a four-day Ministerial meeting in Singapore where we made further strides toward a final agreement.

    We have agreed on the majority of the landing zones identified at our last meeting. While some issues remain, we have charted a path forward to resolve them in the context of a comprehensive and balanced outcome. Through extensive bilateral meetings, we have also made progress on market access, which is an important part of our remaining work, and we will continue working toward completion of an ambitious package across all market access areas.

    Following this round of talks, we will return to our capitals to undertake consultations on the outstanding issues.

    We are committed to concluding as soon as possible an agreement that achieves the goals established in Honolulu in 2011, as instructed by our leaders in Bali last October. We will invest the considerable level of effort that is required to deliver such an agreement, which will create jobs for our citizens, opportunities for our businesses, and economic growth and development in each TPP country.
  • 12 Feb 2014 1:30 PM | Mike Hearn (Administrator)

    Ladies and Gentlemen

    I would first of all like to thank the NZ/China Council for providing this forum for business leaders here in Auckland for the APEC Business Advisory Council meetings. To our foreign guests, especially those who are making their first visit to New Zealand let me extend the warmest of welcomes.

    In terms of the climate - both literal and economic - you have come to New Zealand at the right time. We hope you will do more than talk about the APEC Business Advisory Agenda and actually do some business here. This is a country very much open for business.

    On this occasion, I want to take the liberty of looking through the direct ABAC agenda and comment more generally on trade agreements and the benefits they bring. After all, that is the reason you are here and there is an on-going debate on trade agreements in most ABAC member economies, as there is in NZ.

    The NZ and Global Economic Outlook

    Starting with the NZ outlook, we are well aware that there are challenges ahead of us in pursuit of our economic, social and political agenda. But we are very focused on what needs to be done, and we have a clear plan for this small but successful country. Looking at the economic data - we expect to be back in Budget surplus next year, we are among the fastest growing developed countries, inflation is within our agreed band, business confidence is at an all times high, all 14 regions of New Zealand are growing - 12 of them faster than any time in the last decade, and jobs and real wages are growing. Of course we want to improve on this performance. But all in all, you will find the mood here pretty optimistic.

    This is not some Pollyanna view and none of this has happened by chance. It has taken over five years of discipline and great effort by the Government, by NZ businesses and by NZ households to achieve these results - in the face of very negative international economic conditions.  And we are well aware that there remain risks out there that we need to be aware of. The world economy is in better shape than it was 3-4 years ago as it started to emerge from the most severe global crisis for 70 years. But if you were by nature a pessimist there are clear points of fragility you could focus on:

    • The recovery in the major developed economies, particularly Europe, whose combined GDP is even larger than the United States, could hardly be described as robust. Unemployment in the Eurozone is double what it is here. There are also obviously huge issues yet to be resolved if the authorities are to find lasting solutions to weak and unprofitable banks. People who are obsessed with profitable banks and financial institutions should reflect on what happens when you have unprofitable financial institutions. In our country, you would not have to go far: just ask any New Zealander who tragically lost their life savings in one of our largely NZ owned finance companies that could not pay its creditors. But some politicians just don’t get this and I don’t think they ever will.
    • With respect to the United States, it is reasonable to assume that the US economy will continue in the more positive direction of late, stimulated in part by massively accommodative monetary policy, known in a wonderful euphemism as ‘quantitative easing’. Richard Fischer, President of the Federal Reserve of Dallas, pointed out late last year that money was cheaper in the United States than at in any time in the last 237 years! However, there are all manner of uncertainties around how best to end quantitative easing since this cannot be maintained indefinitely. And on this, I read recently one senior US market player quip “there are certain things we all wish could be un-invented, starting with nuclear and chemical weapons and ending with boy bands. I confidently predict we shall add ‘quantitative easing’ to that list”.
    • With respect to the emerging economies, they too face challenges. Some face huge challenges in terms of their currency and monetary policy settings - starting with, but not limited to, Argentina.

    The most important of them is of course China. I am much more optimistic about China moving forward than many commentators. The Third Plenum has set out a clear agenda of reform to be pursued by China’s new political leadership. Our Prime Minister has met President Xi and Premier Li on a remarkable number of occasions recently - I have been present at several of these meetings. Yes, it will be a challenge to shift from an investment to a consumption focus. But I would not bet against the new political leadership achieving its strategic objectives.

    With respect to the slowdown in growth, personally I think it is over-hyped. First, some slow-down is all but inevitable. I only know of one exception - the City State of Singapore - which has maintained phenomenal rates of growth even after achieving high levels of income. All other countries which have achieved sustainable growth from the first countries to participate in the Industrial Revolution, through to Japan and Korea in the post-war era have experienced slower growth after earlier explosive growth.

    There are good conventional reasons for this, and I cannot see why China would be an exception. The only question is when, and my view is that it could be a long time. Is China becoming a ‘rich’ country? Well, on a per capita basis there are 92 countries richer than China, according to IMF and World Bank data. There is a lot of scope left for catch up with the current economic frontier represented by OECD levels of wealth.

    In any event, what matters to Chinese businesses, to Chinese people and to countries like ours trading with China is the additional increment of growth and thus new opportunities year by year. Well, engage in some simple mental arithmetic. If China in the next few years grows at ‘only’ 7%, the additional increment of growth the following year will be far larger than the increment of growth 10 years ago, when the Chinese economy was growing at 10% but was half its current size. 7% of US$10 trillion is far larger than 10% of US$5 trillion. Do the math.

    Coming back to New Zealand, one of the reasons I feel this country could indeed become a highly successful, albeit small cog in the global economy, provided we maintain our direction and focus, is about the unprecedented liberalisation of trade and investment in the Asia Pacific region. This has changed in a positive way the landscape for New Zealand.

    The Case For Trade Agreements

    Over the last 30-40 years, NZ has suffered grievously, perhaps more than any other developed economy, from lack of trading opportunities. This is the consequence of massive protectionism and subsidies on the products where we are internationally competitive.

    This was not an issue for NZ until 1973. That was the year when our dominant market, the UK, which had been completely open to us, joined the then EEC. From that date, protectionism became a huge constraint on our growth and incomes. I have no doubt this is one major reason why NZ was still the 6th richest country in the world in 1975 but then started to slip sideways in the last quarter of the 20th Century. As a consequence, Trade Policy has been a very large part of any sensible NZ economic policy over the past decades. And frankly, to anticipate what I am going to say, we did not need then (or need now) any econometric model to tell any responsible NZ Government that they needed to negotiate new trade agreements to provide our people with opportunities and space to compete.

    A simple way of looking at it is that NZ tends to sell what we do best to middle income and high-middle income consumers. In the past, by and large, they lived only in Europe and North America and there we faced historically huge barriers and massive unfair subsidisation, until successful trade negotiations in the last GATT Round, the Uruguay Round, started to chip away at these trade barriers. But NZ is no longer totally dependent on what happens in Europe and North America and thus access to their middle class customers. Today, the middle class of Asia is emerging. It is estimated today around 500 million and as soon as 2030 will be some 3.5 billion. This is simply a phenomenal opportunity and what is driving NZ Trade Policy.

    But economic opportunity is one thing. As an exporter you still need access to those consumers and this is about trade agreements.

    To the New Zealanders present, I will put it bluntly. We will never persuade certain people who are trying continually to foment opposition to NZ’s participation in these agreements in spite of New Zealand’s demonstrable need for trade opportunities and a fairer deal in world trade. They have been opposed to the GATT and WTO. They opposed the NZ/Singapore FTA, the origin of both TPP and the AANZFTA Agreement which is merging the contiguous FTAs of Australia/NZ with the ten countries of ASEAN. Some of them opposed the recent deal with Taiwan and most of all - because it involves the United States - they are opposed to TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. When they wake up and realise there is another TPP-like negotiation going on - RCEP, or Regional Closer Economic Partnership Agreement which involves 16 countries including crucially China - I am sure they will be opposed to that too.

    I am not going to talk about them directly, because they are not my concern. In fact, I can go further: I think they feel the same way about us - we are not their concern either. I don’t believe for a minute that either I, as Trade Minister, or the National-led Government of which I am a part, is their real audience. They are trying to influence other people, and other political constituencies. They are hoping that they would, if given the political opportunity, take NZ in a different direction on trade, when historically NZ has had a strong and highly successful bipartisan approach to trade for at least three decades.

    It is not that we, and people with the same pro-trade views, have not thought closely about the issues. Start, not with models, which try to look forward, but with empirical work done on the link between open trade policies and growth, which looks backward to measure practical results.

    The Gains from Trade: Empirical Work

    The most comprehensive survey of hundreds of scholarly articles over the last decade or two was put together in 2011 in a collective study by the world’s pre-eminent international economic institutions - the OECD, the World Bank, the WTO, the ILO, UNCTAD. It was called Policy Priorities for International Trade and Jobs’.

    I only have time to give you their overall conclusion. Their conclusion is dripping in irony, which is rare for such organisations:

    “Despite all the debate about whether openness [on trade] contributes to growth, if the issue were truly one warranting nothing but agnosticism, we should expect at least some of the estimates to be negative…The uniformly positive estimates suggest that the relevant terms of the debate by now should be about the size of the positive influence of openness on growth….rather than about whether increased levels of trade relative to GDP have a positive effect on productivity and growth”.
    Even that will not stop some outlier academic coming out with a different view. But such views are extreme views. The overwhelming majority of economists support open trade policies. As the OECD caustically said, the debate should be only about the size of the positive gains from trade.

    Econometric Modelling of Trade Agreements

    Econometric models provide a way to look ahead, rather than look backwards through empirical research. Personally, while I am indeed interested in what they show (particularly the direction of travel, rather than the precise number which will always either overshoot or undershoot), I recall advice I received at university decades ago from one of NZ’s most distinguished academic economists and teachers, Professor Gary Hawke. As I recall his advice, he said models were never ‘the answer’ to what policy makers should do, but an aid to judgement. Absolutely.  Models can be instructive, but that is all. Decisions involve a range of other considerations.

    Think about it. Any model has to input certain assumptions about the future. So the number they crank out at the end is a direct reflection of the assumptions they have inputted, as well as the technical excellence or otherwise of the model design. Trying to model trade negotiations still under negotiation, when not even those directly involved in the negotiation know the outcome, means judgement is required on what assumptions to use. Clearly, if you approaching modelling from a pre-conceived political starting point, you can input assumptions to give you whatever answer you want.

    Second, there is a huge problem with modelling trade agreements because they may change behaviour in ways that past stochastic relationships would fail to predict almost by definition. I remember the original modelling done in 1979 for the CER negotiators (I was one of them) by the IAC - the forerunner of today’s Productivity Commission in Canberra. I can’t remember the number they came up with, but I certainly remember the conclusion - neither NZ nor Australia should bother negotiating a real Free Trade Area because the gains from trade were neither here nor there.

    Well, had we followed that advice, how on earth would NZ have started a process of reform of crippling import licensing and high tariff policies, ridiculous subsidies and a whole range of policies that were associated with those policies? There was a dynamic involved. The trade agreement known as CER changed behaviour in NZ fundamentally. There would have been no political pathway for the decision taken a few years later in 1988 to abolish global import licensing. No econometric model could pick up these dynamic, often political economy, effects.

    The Singapore/NZ FTA, had it been subjected to the test of an econometric modelling exercise, would never have passed. In goods, it is only a slight exaggeration to say the model would have predicted near to zero gains, since neither NZ nor Singapore applied anything other than trivial tariffs against imports. But that was not the reason we initiated this exercise. It was strategic. It led to both TPP and AANZFTA and was consciously designed to do this. As the initial chief negotiator of this agreement, I did not need any model to tell me what was in NZ’s interest.

    TPP has been subject to a range of modelling. The NZ Sustainability Council has done an analysis and has come up with a figure about one quarter of the gains found in another set of models, carried out by the Petersen Institute in Washington, and led by Professor Petri of Brandeis University.

    There is a range of issues here. The Sustainability Council study believes the negotiations on financial services will undermine our ability (and Australia’s) for effective financial regulation. No it won’t, because our ability to maintain a prudent financial system trumps trade policy every time so we would never agree to such provisions and I do not believe the Australian Government, whose regulatory policies clearly have a huge impact on NZ-domiciled banks, would either.

    Equally, in this particular modelling study, there are - consistent with the most vocal TPP opponents - large negative statements made about Investor-State Dispute Settlement. We have made it clear on countless occasions we won’t agree to ISDS provisions that do not include proper policy space for key matters that any responsible NZ Government in the future will need for health, environment and monetary policy. We have sensibly designed ISDS provisions in a number of NZ FTAs. They have worked just fine.

    There are some legitimate and very technical points focusing on the link between trade liberalisation and investment. And here I would agree: this is very difficult to model. There should be a general assumption, I believe, that trade and investment integration agreements will stimulate investment but trying to put a number on it, is tough.

    The NZ/China FTA is a classic example. While I could never prove it, it is inconceivable that two of China’s largest dairy companies would be investing the thick end of half a billion dollars in new ‘greenfields’ dairy processing companies in NZ without the FTA, even though the investment could in theory have taken place had there been no FTA. One could say a similar thing about Fonterra’s decision to invest in 33 giant dairy farms in China - very hard to believe that would have happened without the huge expansion of trade in the FTA which has stimulated commercial players’ interest in investment.

    There is an old technical term in economic literature for this called ‘The Demonstration Effect’ of Trade Agreements. Very difficult to model, but deeply implausible to believe there is no relationship. NZ needs new investment and we will not generate sufficient on our own. I am sure TPP, if indeed we conclude it and the NZ Parliament passes the legislation necessary for any NZ Government to ratify it, would have a positive effect on inward and outward investment. But putting a figure on it is a bit of a challenge.

    The Peterson Institute is one of the most influential and most respected think tanks anywhere in the world when it comes to research on the international economy. I have been reading their material and attending the odd seminar at their headquarters in Washington for many years. The Peterson Institute modelling of TPP was reviewed at our request by the NZ Institute of Economic Research in 2012. The NZIER critique is very measured, professional and careful. It noted all the caveats you need to be aware of around modelling and uncertainty around assumptions. But I would challenge anyone to read the original NZIER critique and argue that the overall ‘take’ with respect to the Peterson Institute modelling is anything other than a positive one. The NZIER critique describes the Peterson Institute Modelling as ‘ambitious, but not unrealistic’.

    So we have drawn on some of the Peterson Institute’s modelling to buttress the argument to the NZ people that this is a negotiation that potentially could confer major benefits. Even I - maybe the biggest sceptic of econometric modelling among the New Zealanders who are deeply involved in trade policy - have quoted from the study. Again, I emphasise the word ‘potentially’. Our Government is not going to put before the NZ Parliament, and thus the NZ people, any agreement that we do not consider confers substantial net benefits to NZ. We are not yet in a position to make that judgement. We will make it only when and if the negotiation is complete.

    Going back to the Peterson Institute modelling, there is actually a whole range of estimates in that study and they measure different configurations of TPP (ie nine countries, through to even 16, since it is completely implausible to believe that if we do finally nail TPP with 12 or less members it would stop there with that membership). Further, the model measures a variety of different things - exports, trade, FDI and the more complex concept of ‘welfare’ which incorporates these elements. And the number I have focused on is growth of exports from a TPP that included Japan - by 2020 it suggests the export gains for NZ could be NZ$5.16 billion.

    Forget the precise figure - it is not going to be $5.16 billion to the nearest decimal point. In theory it could be, but in practice there is about as much chance of landing precisely on this figure in 2020 as the proverbial monkey, given infinite time, would type out the complete works of William Shakespeare. What matters is the direction of travel. It could be less and it could be substantially more.

    Past Estimates of Gains from Trade

    My experience is that in most cases econometric predictions of gains from trade have under-estimated, not over-estimated the benefits of good quality trade agreements and sometimes substantially. I will give you one example, very close to home: the NZ/China FTA.

    When the then Government presented the FTA to Parliament, it accompanied the complete FTA agreement with some modelling done objectively by highly competent modellers.  We have now had five years of operation of the FTA. So how did the model turn out?

    Well, armed with what the modellers did not have at their disposal - the benefit of hindsight and actual, not predicted, data - we know the answer. The predictions proved to be hopelessly wrong.  And I imagine that no-one would have been more pleased with this outcome than the authors of the original modelling.

    In terms of export growth, the model predicted annual NZ export gains of $180m - $280m. Last year NZ exports to China grew $3 billion, some 11 times higher than the upper bound prediction and an astonishing 17 times higher than the low end model prediction of export gains.

    When measured in percentage terms, the model prediction proved equally hopelessly inadequate. In reality 2013 NZ exports to China were a fraction under NZ$10 billion, up 293% from NZ$2,534m in 2008. Just to hammer the point home: the professional modelling massively under-estimated the growth.

    Of course there were other factors than the FTA behind the stupendous growth in NZ exports to China, including obviously faster Chinese economic growth sucking in imports. But China was enjoying very fast rates of economic growth between 2004 and 2008 too - ie before the FTA coming into effect. And in that four year period to 2008, NZ exports to China grew at a compound annual growth rate of 2.3%; in the subsequent post-FTA four year period to 2012, NZ exports grew at a compound growth rate of 28.6%, in crude terms ten times as fast.

    By the way, I am expecting exactly the same thing from the agreement we started to implement from 1 December 2013 with Taiwan. The figures I have been quoting as gains, will, I think, prove substantially wrong - but in a positive direction that will please whoever is NZ’s future Trade Minister and, more importantly, NZ exporters and the people who work for NZ export companies.

    And What Do Exporters Tell Us?

    Yet another way to make sensible judgements about the benefits of trade agreements is to listen to the people we depend on to use them - our exporters.

    A year or two ago, the Government surveyed 854 NZ export companies to get their views on whether trade agreements, particularly FTAs, have benefited them. The result was extremely positive. Over 75% of our export companies saw positive increases (some substantial) in their business profitability from the removal of these barriers in several of our trade agreements.

    Conclusion

    Given the recent debate, I thought it might be useful to look at a variety of different ways to help any Government, and stakeholders, assess the benefits of trade and thus participation in international trade agreements, whether in the WTO, bilateral FTAs such as the NZ/China FTA or the new complex regional mega-deals like TPP.

    There is a variety of different ways of looking at this, and econometric modelling is only one of them. Each is worthwhile and each has got something to tell us on the matter. You could start with economic theory, where the consensus among professional economists around the gains from trade and the costs of protectionism is about as solid as you would find on any major tenet of economic theory. You can look at the vast body of empirical work that has been done - as did the OECD, the ILO, the WTO and other major international institutions in the recent study I referenced earlier. You can, and should, look at the results of modelling, as long as you do not get seduced by their deep sophistication and the false precision of a number which they churn out that in the real world will never be correct. You can look at far less sophisticated measures which I have not described here such as tariff revenue saved. They all agree on the direction of travel - trade agreements, as long as they are well designed, bring benefits.

    Equally, you do not have to be a researcher to understand that growth in incomes is about specialisation, which leads to higher productivity. This is the essential basis to the higher real wages that we all want to see. The idea that a tiny economy like NZ - fearful of entering into any agreement which would infringe on our ‘sovereignty’ - would be better served by cutting itself off from this global movement towards trade and investment integration, is to my mind literally absurd.

    Paradoxically, many of those on the far left of NZ who talk endlessly about avoiding anything that might infringe on ‘sovereignty’ are vehemently in favour of legally binding international agreements in other policy areas that would stop, for example, certain countries exploiting their ‘sovereign right’ to destroy whales and fish stocks, or put international limits around countries’ ‘sovereign right’ to put whatever carbon emissions they want into the atmosphere. By the way, I am in favour too of well-designed international negotiated agreements to achieve exactly these limitations on sovereignty but I try to maintain a minimum and credible level of consistency.

    Trade is vital to jobs, to a growing economy that can provide New Zealanders with a range of good choices. NZ is a country which has suffered grievously from the sovereign right of other countries to cut us out of their markets, to subsidise relentlessly their companies and competitive sectors not just in their domestic markets but in other markets through export subsidies, and to refuse to recognise our technical or quarantine standards as legitimate for sale to their consumers.

    Protectionism has been a disaster for NZ over the past 30-40 years. Thanks in part to these pretty well designed trade agreements I am very optimistic about this country’s long term future. We are in a much better space today and I see every reason to believe it will get better still.

    Thank you.




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