Gary Judd KC: The Sting in the India Trade Deal

A Constitutional Trojan Horse: advancing change through political stealth

Trade Minister Hon Todd McClay has announced that the New Zealand-India free trade agreement has been signed and that the formal parliamentary treaty scrutiny process is now under way. The full text of the agreement is now public and has been referred to Parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee for examination.

Mike's Minute: The free trade deal should be celebrated

The greatest sadness of the India Free Trade Deal, for me to this point, is that the rhetoric has not paid due respect to where free trade basically began.

New Zealand.

We are the pioneers. Well, the modern pioneers.

David Farrar: NZ and India agree an FTA

I was sceptical when Christopher Luxon said prior to the election that he thought they could do a free trade agreement with India within three years. India has been a notoriously challenging country to do FTAs with, and the relationship between governments was quite poor under Labour. The thought of a comprehensive FTA so quickly was somewhere between ambitious and unlikely.

But Todd McClay, and no doubt many MFAT staff, have delivered and an agreement has been reached – in just two years. I have little doubt that the PM’s personal commitment to the FTA, alongside his trips to India, made a critical difference also.

Key aspects are: