WELLINGTON, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand and Canada will establish an annual trade and investment dialogue to boost bilateral trade and exports, New Zealand's Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay said Tuesday.
The dialogue will provide a regular place for the two countries to "work through challenging international and domestic trade issues," McClay said in a statement.
Two-way trade between New Zealand and Canada totaled 3.46 billion NZ dollars (about 1.96 billion U.S. dollars) in the year ending June 2026, with New Zealand exports to Canada worth 2.18 billion NZ dollars and Canadian exports to New Zealand totaling 1.28 billion NZ dollars, official data showed.
New Zealand's key exports to Canada include meat, travel services, beverages, fruit and dairy products, while Canadian exports to New Zealand include machinery, fertilizers, travel services, other business services and mineral substances, the statement said.
The dialogue will be held annually at senior officials' level, followed by an annual meeting of trade ministers, it said, adding that New Zealand and Canada have worked together through the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the World Trade Organization. Canada is New Zealand's 10th-largest export market.
The initiative supports New Zealand's goal of doubling the value of its exports by 2034, McClay said, noting that New Zealand exporters were already performing well in the Canadian market. ■