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PRESS/TPRB/316 
10 June 2009 
 
(09-2715) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: NEW ZEALAND 
Sustained growth depends on international competitiveness 
Since its previous Trade Policy review in 2003, New Zealand has remained among the more open 
economies in the world, with prudent macroeconomic policies together with liberalization and 
restructuring contributing to steady real GDP growth averaging 3.2% between 2003/04 and 
2007/08, according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of New Zealand. 
 
However, GDP growth is expected to slow down significantly in 2008/09 owing to a recession in the first three quarters of the current fiscal year. 
 
Although by and large New Zealand's economic fundamentals remain sound, sustained growth depends on the Government addressing macroeconomic imbalances such as the current account 
deficit and heavy reliance on foreign borrowing, as well as on boosting productivity growth.  The 
report notes New Zealand's high concentration of exports in the agriculture sector and the marginal increase in Foreign Direct Investment. 
 
Already low tariffs have been further reduced duri ng the period under review and the country has 
had limited recourse to non-tariff barriers exce pt for those maintained for health and safety 
reasons.  While maintaining its commitment to the strengthening and liberalization of the 
multilateral trading system, New Zealand pursues bilateral or plurilateral Preferential Trade Agreements to complement its wider trade strategy. 
 
The report, along with a policy statement by the Go vernment of New Zealand, will be the basis for 
the fourth Trade Policy Review (TPR) of New Zeal and by the Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO 
on 10 and 12 June 2009. 
 The following documents are available in MS Word  format on the WTO web-site.  They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp317_e.htm  PRESS/TPRB/316 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 
 
• Secretariat reports 
> Contents and summary observations  > Economic environment  
> Trade and investment regimes  
> Trade policies and practices by measure  > Trade policies by sector  
> Appendix tables  
• Report by the Government of New Zealand 
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). 
Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO Agreement, in which member 
countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents 
are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in  the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
 
Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at 
http://onlinebookshop.wto.org/shop/articles.asp?Id_Rayon=38
 
 or follow this path :  www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews  
 
The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan  Press, 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706-4346, United  
States. Please call 1-800-865-3457 or e-mail: customercare@bernan.com." 
Next reviews: 
Morocco: 24 and 26 June 2009 
Guyana: 8 and 10 July 2009 
Zambia: 27 and 29 July 2009 
 
For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews 
 
  
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