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International Trade and Environment

New Zealand’s environment is affected not only by what we do within our borders but increasingly by what other countries do within and beyond their borders. We already work with other countries through multilateral environmental agreements and bilateral partnerships on specific issues. Examples include climate change, the ozone layer, hazardous substances and biodiversity loss. New Zealand’s aim, both domestically and internationally, is to develop sound trade and environment policies that mutually support the goal of sustainable development. 

Environment Cooperation Agreements in the context of Free Trade Agreements are a part of New Zealand’s commitment to sustainable development and also provide another platform for international cooperation. Much of the work under these agreements focuses on improving knowledge, strengthening environmental policies, and building capacity and capability to implement such measures.

Bilateral and Regional Free Trade Agreements

Bilateral and regional free trade agreements play an increasingly important role in international trade.New Zealand’s free trade agreements seek to maintain high standards for environmental protection, support and promote sustainable development and build capacity to more effectively address environmental issues.

The Government seeks to ensure that free trade agreements provide support for sustainable development and environmental principles.

The 2001 Framework for Integrating Environment Standards and Trade Agreements provides guidance for the negotiation of environmental issues in the context of New Zealand’s overall free trade negotiations.

Further information is provided below:

Our role in negotiating free trade agreements

New Zealand has sought to promote its trading interests, particularly in the Asia–Pacific region, by negotiating free trade agreements. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is the lead agency responsible for negotiating free trade agreements with other countries.

The Ministry for the Environment’s role is to support the negotiation of environment–related provisions associated with those agreements and to encourage our bilateral partners to improve market access for environmental goods and services.

New Zealand has recently concluded free trade agreements with:

New Zealand is currently in free trade negotiations with:

  • The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia
  • Malaysia
  • Gulf Cooperation Council
  • Hong Kong

For more information on current trade negotiations, go to the following Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade webpage:

What’s in the environment agreements?

New Zealand currently has Environment Agreements or Arrangements with:

  • Thailand linked to the New Zealand Thailand Closer Economic Partnership
  • Chile, Singapore and Brunei linked to the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, and;
  • China linked to the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement.

In these agreements each country affirms their commitment to enforce environmental laws and regulations, and their sovereign right to set environmental policies and standards.

New Zealand seeks to ensure that an Environment Agreement is of formal treaty status negotiated and signed within the framework of a of a free trade agreement. The Ministry for the Environment is the lead agency for the implementation of the agreement with each partner country.

Under the agreements, each country undertakes:

  • to ensure that their environmental laws, regulations, policies and practices are in harmony with international environmental obligations
  • not to seek to gain trade or investment advantage by weakening or detracting from their environmental laws and regulations
  • not to use their environment laws, regulations, policies and practices for trade protectionist purposes
  • to promote public awareness of their environmental laws, regulations, policies and practices domestically, and to ensure the processes for the operation and enforcement of their environment laws are fair, equitable and transparent.

For more information on the Environment Agreements see:

Implementing the environment agreements

The Ministry for the Environment must implement the environment agreements once they come into force. Our key work priority is to implement the environment agreements in a practical and meaningful way by:

  • ensuring that our obligations under the agreements are met
  • setting up mechanisms for cooperation and exchanges on environmental issues
  • working with our bilateral partners to create opportunities for the exchange of environmental technologies, services and expertise.

The Ministry has undertaken a range of cooperation projects with Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and Chile including projects involving other departments, Crown Research Institutes and private sector organisations.
Examples of activities completed under the Environment Agreements include:

  • A collaborative vehicle emissions and transport management study visit between Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand.
  • Water allocation study visit by Thai Officials to New Zealand.
  • Environment cooperation workshop hosted in New Zealand with Chilean officials, topics included: environmental governance, wastewater management, marine conservation, and geothermal energy.
  • New Zealand hosted study tour for Chilean officials on developing geothermal resources for renewable energy development in Chile.

Further information about environmental cooperation activities is available by contacting the Ministry for the Environment.

International Engagement

At the Ministry for the Environment we also work within international environmental forums to:

  • engage with and contribute to the work of relevant international organisations on environmental issues including the OECD, WTO, EAS, UNEP, and UNCSD, and facilitate the provision of information to meet New Zealand’s international reporting obligations
  • engage with and contribute to debate in the development of international protocols and other agreements, and implement aspects of these agreements in line with domestic policy
  • provide advice and support in relation to attendance by our Ministers and senior officials at international environmental meetings, visits to other countries, and visits by foreign dignitaries and officials.

Our key priorities for International Trade and Environment 2008-09

China Environment Cooperation Agreement                

The Environment Agreement is expected to become operative in October 2008.

  • Preparation and attendance for the First Meeting of the Parties expected to be held in 2009. 

Trans-Pacific SEP Environment Cooperation Agreement

  •  Preparation and attendance for the Second Meeting of the Parties scheduled for October 2008.
  • Continue to develop and undertake environment cooperation activities with Chile, Singapore, and Brunei.

Thailand

  • Undertake environment cooperation activities leading up to the 3rd meeting of the Parties in early 2009.

Negotiations AANZFTA

  • Conclude negotiations for Environment Cooperation Agreements in the context of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement with member countries committed to working with New Zealand.

Negotiations GCC

  •  Conclude negotiations for Environment Cooperation Agreements in the context of the New Zealand-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement.

Contact

Under the agreements we are required to name a national contact person. They are the first port of call for any queries relating to the agreement and liaise with the national contact people of the other parties to the agreements on matters of implementation.

The contact people for concluded agreements are:

For general information on the negotiation of environment–related provisions associated with trade agreements contact:

  • Brett Longley
    Negotiation of environment–related provisions                     
    +64 4 439 7603
    information@mfe.govt.nz