6. Question No. 6—Trade and Export GrowthINGRID LEARY (Labour—Taieri) to the Minister for Trade and Export GrowthQuestion No. 6—Trade and Export Growth6. INGRID LEARY (Labour—Taieri) to the Minister for Trade and Export Growth: What recent progress has been made on the NZ-UK free-trade agreement?Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister of Foreign Affairs) on behalf of the Minister for Trade and Export Growth: I'm pleased to announce recent progress that has been made on the New Zealand free-trade agreement (FTA) that will contribute to the wider work the Government is undertaking to support our economic recovery from COVID-19. As the first ministerial trade delegation since COVID-19 closed our borders last week Minister O'Connor met with UK Trade Secretary Truss in London to push along our bilateral FTA negotiation. Ministers agreed that our negotiating teams will spend the coming weeks finalising details of our FTA with the aim of reaching agreement in principle in August. New Zealand will be working to achieve a high quality comprehensive trade deal. Our priority is a deal that delivers benefits for all New Zealanders. That includes seeking elimination on all tariffs over commercially meaningful time frames and that takes account of our ambition across the agricultural sector.Ingrid Leary: Why was the Minister's visit to the UK so timely?Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: On behalf of the Minister after five rounds of virtual engagement there was real value in the Minister visiting London in person. Minister O'Connor's visit shows how serious we are about the deal. It enabled him to engage in-person on our key issues and progress the negotiations at good pace. It also allowed him to speak to farm leaders face to face about how both of our agricultural sectors stand to benefit from the agreement. Moving towards an agreement in principle with the UK in August will confirm the parameters of the FTA and represent a significant step towards conclusion. We're committed to making swift progress but our number one priority is to secure an agreement that delivers benefits for all New Zealanders.Ingrid Leary: Why is it so important that we get this deal right and in a way that supports New Zealand interests?Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: There's some significant barriers that New Zealand exporters currently face in the UK and which make it hard for us to compete with other exporters—for example restrictive quotas that apply to our dairy and meat exports and tariffs that make other New Zealand products like wine apples and honey more expensive for consumers in the UK. Removing these and other barriers will enable New Zealand exporters to compete on a level playing field with our competitors in the UK market. That is why it's important for Minister O'Connor to front our ambition. This agreement will deepen New Zealand's economic ties with the UK and benefit New Zealand as we build back from the economic impacts of COVID. Finally we're seeking to secure ambitious and inclusive outcomes in the coming months including through New Zealand's proposed chapter dedicated to advancing Māori interests. The FTA will help address this. It is also an opportunity to lead on sustainable trade and put our Trade for All Agenda into action.