26 Oct 2011

NZ heads WTO committee again

12:16 pm on 26 October 2011

New Zealand's hold on the leadership of a World Trade Organisation negotiating committee is to continue.

This country's Ambassador to the WTO, John Adank, has been appointed as chairman of the agriculture negotiating committee.

Mr Adank, a lawyer, is the fourth consecutive New Zealander to chair the committee which oversees the technical work on negotiating text in world trade talks.

He is preceded by previous New Zealand Ambassador David Walker and Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade deputy secretary, Crawford Falconer.

Trade Minister Tim Groser was the first New Zealander appointed to chair the Geneva-based committee.

He says agriculture has historically been the most contentious aspect of world trade talks.

Trade ministers will meet again in early December to attempt to breathe life into the Doha round of talks.