New Zealand Dairy Industry Leader Calls
India FTA ‘Neither Fair Nor Fair’
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Foreign Minister at Odds with Prime Minister
The New Zealand Foreign Minister
criticised the deal for not being "free or fair" and warning that his
party will oppose the deal when it comes up in the Parliament.
New
Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters sharply criticised the newly announced
India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA), calling it “neither free nor
fair” and warning that his party, New Zealand First, will oppose it in
Parliament. His objections centre on three main issues:
1. Exclusion of Dairy Interests
Peters argued the agreement fails New Zealand’s core export sector by excluding
major dairy products such as milk, cheese and butter. Dairy accounts for about $24
billion—nearly 30% of New Zealand’s total goods exports (year to November
2025). He described this as unprecedented for a New Zealand trade deal and said
farmers gain little in return.
2. Immigration Concessions
He criticised what he termed “far-reaching immigration concessions”,
particularly provisions facilitating employment visas for Indian migrants.
Peters said New Zealand has already offered India more labour market access
than countries like Australia or the UK, despite domestic economic pressures.
3. Rushed and Imbalanced Deal
Peters said his party had urged the government not to rush into a “low-quality”
agreement and to use the full parliamentary term to negotiate a better outcome.
He also warned it was unwise to sign an FTA without certainty of a
parliamentary majority, arguing the deal “gives too much away” while delivering
insufficient benefits for New Zealand citizens.
Despite
his opposition, Peters said that his criticism was policy-based, not personal. He
said New Zealand First had conveyed its concerns directly to India’s External
Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, for whom he expressed
respect, while making clear his party’s firm stance against the agreement.
New
Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters has called the newly announced free
trade agreement (FTA) with India a “bad deal”, criticising it for not being
“free or fair” and warning that his party will oppose the deal when it comes up
in Parliament.
Posting
on social media platform X, Peters said, “New Zealand First is regrettably
opposed to the India Free Trade Agreement announced today. We consider the
India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement to be neither free nor fair.”
He
said the deal is bad for New Zealand, as it “gives too much away”, especially
on the immigration front. He said the deal does not get enough in return for
the citizens of New Zealand, including on dairy.
“New
Zealand First urged its coalition partner not to rush into concluding a
low-quality deal with India, and to use all three years of this Parliamentary
cycle in order to get the best possible deal. We also indicated we felt it
would be unwise for National to sign up to a deal with India when a
Parliamentary majority for that deal was uncertain,” Peters said in his statement.
He
argued that the deal is not catered towards New Zealand farmers, saying that
this is the first trade deal for the country to exclude major dairy products,
including milk, cheese and butter. In the year to November 2025, New Zealand
exports of these products were worth around $24 billion, or 30% of the total
goods exports, he said.
Speaking
of concerns beyond trade, Peters said that India FTA includes far-reaching
immigration concessions, focused on creating employment visas for Indian
migrants. He argued that New Zealand has always offered India greater access to
its labour market as compared to Australia or the UK despite the ongoing
economic pressures in the country.
Peters
further said that these concerns have been raised with his Indian counterpart,
EAM S Jaishankar, making New Zealand’s position clear
on the matter.
“We
have known S Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs
Minister, for a long time, and have the utmost respect for him as an
international statesman and champion of New Zealand-India relations. We have
communicated to Minister Jaishankar New Zealand
First’s position on this matter,” he said.