McClay leads delegation to India for FTA signing

Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay departs for New Delhi today to sign the New Zealand - India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), leading a cross-party delegation including MPs and more than 30 Kiwi business representatives.

"This landmark agreement provides huge opportunities for New Zealand exporters in one of the world's largest and fastest growing economies," Mr McClay says.

"The signing of this FTA is the latest example of the Government delivering on its promise to strengthen our relationship with India and supports New Zealand's ambitious goal of doubling the value of exports in 10 years."

Negotiations concluded in December 2025.

In India, Mr McClay will mark Anzac Day in a dawn service where he will recognise New Zealanders, Australians and Indians who fought for their country.

He will also host a joint New Zealand-India business summit with Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal.

Mr McClay will also stop in Singapore where he will undertake trade and investment promotion activities.

"A trade agreement with India has been a long ambition for New Zealand. The signature of the NZ-India FTA is an occasion to celebrate."

Note to editor:

Key outcomes for New Zealand include: 

• Tariff elimination or reduction on 95 per cent of our exports.
• Duty-free access on almost 57 per cent of New Zealand's exports from day one, increasing to 82 per cent when fully implemented, with the remaining 13 per cent being subject to sharp tariff cuts.
• Immediate tariff elimination on sheep meat, wool, coal and over 95 per cent of forestry and wood exports.
• Duty-free access on most seafood exports, including mussels and salmon, over seven years. 
• Duty-free access on most iron, steel and scrap aluminium, over 10 years or less. 
• Duty-free access for most industrial products, over five to 10 years 
• 50 per cent tariff cut for large quota of apples - nearly double recent average exports.
• Duty-free access for kiwifruit within a quota almost four times our recent average exports, and tariff halved for exports outside of quota. 
• Duty-free access for cherries, avocados, persimmons and blueberries, over 10 years. 
• Tariffs on wine reduced from 150 per cent to either 25 or 50 per cent (depending on the value of the wine) over 10 years plus a Most Favoured Nation (MFN) commitment. 
• Tariffs on mānuka honey cut from 66 per cent to 16.5 per cent over five years. 
• MFN status and liberalisation across services exports. 
• Duty-free access for dairy and other food ingredients for re-export from day one. 
• Duty-free access for bulk infant formula and other high-value dairy preparations over seven years.
• 50 per cent tariff cut for high value milk albumins within a NZ-specific quota equal to current export volumes.