Navigating uncertainty: New Zealand's Trade Strategy in a volatile global trade environment
Sara Meymand, Divisional Manager, Trade Policy and Negotiations, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Thursday, 21 May 2026 7:30pm
Wairarapa
Rosewood, 417 Queen Street, Kuripuni, Masterton
As members will be well aware, New Zealand is a geographically distant country that depends on its connections with the rest of the world. Trade plays a key role in lifting our ability to generate a higher quality and standard of living – it makes up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity and the export economy supports 1 in 4 Kiwi jobs.
The rules-based trading system has served New Zealand well – a global project of rules, predictability, deepening economic ties, and sustainable development through the progressive liberalisation of trade between all nations. Readers will be familiar with the World Trade Organisation and New Zealand’s long-standing network of free trade agreements; the new Free Trade Agreement with India and our one with Singapore are currently in the headlines.
Yet the world’s trading environment has been severely disrupted, not only by war, but also by unilateral trade action and increasing protectionism from major countries. We are trading in a landscape that once felt stable, but is now fluid, uneven, and reshaping itself. The environment is marked by heightened uncertainty and changing expectations. The reality we face is not temporary disruption, but a persistent shift that requires steady judgment, sharp awareness, and deliberate adaptation. So, for us, the question is what can New Zealand do?
In today’s increasingly turbulent international trade environment, New Zealand has adopted a pro-active trade strategy to respond to and navigate the headwinds. This is based around three central elements: shoring up the rules, building economic resilience, and growing trade relationships through innovative partnerships.
Our speaker is a career diplomat, specialising in trade policy. Sara has recently served as New Zealand’s Ambassador to Mexico (2021-2024), following previous postings to the New Zealand Mission to the EU in Brussels, and to the New Zealand Embassy in Washington DC. Sara has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) from Otago University and a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
The usual rules of public discourse apply. Coffee and tea are available from 7pm. Non-members are welcome, with a $5 koha. High school or UCOL students are welcome with free entry.
As members will be well aware, New Zealand is a geographically distant country that depends on its connections with the rest of the world. Trade plays a key role in lifting our ability to generate a higher quality and standard of living – it makes up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity and the export economy supports 1 in 4 Kiwi jobs.
The rules-based trading system has served New Zealand well – a global project of rules, predictability, deepening economic ties, and sustainable development through the progressive liberalisation of trade between all nations. Readers will be familiar with the World Trade Organisation and New Zealand’s long-standing network of free trade agreements; the new Free Trade Agreement with India and our one with Singapore are currently in the headlines.
Yet the world’s trading environment has been severely disrupted, not only by war, but also by unilateral trade action and increasing protectionism from major countries. We are trading in a landscape that once felt stable, but is now fluid, uneven, and reshaping itself. The environment is marked by heightened uncertainty and changing expectations. The reality we face is not temporary disruption, but a persistent shift that requires steady judgment, sharp awareness, and deliberate adaptation. So, for us, the question is what can New Zealand do?
In today’s increasingly turbulent international trade environment, New Zealand has adopted a pro-active trade strategy to respond to and navigate the headwinds. This is based around three central elements: shoring up the rules, building economic resilience, and growing trade relationships through innovative partnerships.
Our speaker is a career diplomat, specialising in trade policy. Sara has recently served as New Zealand’s Ambassador to Mexico (2021-2024), following previous postings to the New Zealand Mission to the EU in Brussels, and to the New Zealand Embassy in Washington DC. Sara has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) from Otago University and a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
The usual rules of public discourse apply. Coffee and tea are available from 7pm. Non-members are welcome, with a $5 koha. High school or UCOL students are welcome with free entry.
Membership
NZIIA membership is open to anyone interested in understanding the importance of global affairs to the political and economic well-being of New Zealand.