Here’s a breakdown of what New Zealand is getting out of the India FTA,based on the provided text:
* Broad Economic Collaboration: The agreement aims to reduce trade barriers and foster economic collaboration between New Zealand and India.
* Wins for Several Industries: The government highlights wins for several industries (tho specifics aren’t detailed in this excerpt).
* Long-Term Partnerships: Damien O’Connor (Labor’s trade spokesperson) believes the long-term value lies in building partnerships within the agreement, rather than immediate, substantial access for dairy. He acknowledges significant dairy access was unrealistic.
* Leveraging Competitiveness: Prime Minister Luxon emphasizes New Zealand’s “relative competitiveness” as a benefit of the deal.
Though, there are downsides and points of contention:
* Limited Dairy Access: Dairy farmers are disappointed with the limited access to the Indian market. This was a key area where expectations weren’t met.
* Political Opposition: NZ First strongly opposes the deal, calling it “low-quality” and vowing to vote against it.They used a “disagree” provision within the coalition to express their opposition.
* Labour’s Caution: The Labour Party is not automatically supporting the deal and wants to carefully review the details.
In essence, the deal is presented as a step towards broader economic ties, with benefits for some industries, but it falls short of significant gains for the crucial dairy sector and faces political hurdles. The long-term value is believed to be in building relationships, rather than immediate market access.