New Zealand’s Labour Party has pledged to lower foreign tariffs on the nation’s kiwifruit exports, in attempt to improve industry returns.
Rachel Jones, Labour’s candidate for the seat of Tauranga, said it was concerning that New Zealand growers and exporters are still forced to pay excessive tariffs to access some markets, including a 45 per cent duty on fruit shipped to South Korea.
“This is especially galling when a rival grower like Chile is not paying any tariff at all,” Jones said in a statement. “Clearly someone needs to be negotiating harder for a fairer deal for New Zealand growers.”
Jones and Labour’s Bay of Plenty candidate Clare Wilson met with single-desk marketer Zespri and industry representatives in Tauranga last week. She accused the current New Zealand government of “falling asleep at the wheel” when it came to improving trade conditions for the kiwifruit industry.
“Labour will be working hard to break down these kinds of barriers,” Jones explained. “Kiwifruit makes an enormous contribution to the regional economy and is one of New Zealand's primary produce success stories. Labour wants to make sure it stays that way.”
