Farmers say a free-trade deal involving New Zealand, Australia and 10 Southeast Asian nations holds the key to the country's economic recovery.
The agreement, signed in Thailand on Friday night, will remove the tariffs on 99% of New Zealand's exports to Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam by 2020.
It will give similar rights to imports from countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), although many such imports are already duty-free.
Last year, exports to all the countries in the deal were worth $4.6 billion to the economy.
Federated Farmers president Don Nicolson says that, while it will take some time for the gains to filter through, it's great news for the country.
Freeing up trade is essential to creating jobs in New Zealand, he says, so the deal will help pull the country out of recession sooner.
The chairman of Meat and Wool New Zealand, Mike Petersen, also says it will improve opportunities in the region, which currently takes $330 million worth of New Zealand meat and wool products each year.
Dairy exporters among big winners too
Trade Minister Tim Groser, who signed the agreement for New Zealand, says dairy exporters will be among the big winners too.
He says the deal, which supplements existing free-trade agreements with individual Asean states like Thailand and Singapore, has significant longterm benefits for dairy exports, $2.5 billion worth of which already go to Asia each year.
The new agreement covers investment and services as well as goods. It also covers temporary migration, allowing in 100 nurses from the Philippines and 200 professionals from Vietnam.
Business groups generally support the deal, but Council of Trade Unions secretary Peter Conway has reservations over the commitment to migration and wants to see safeguards so it won't have a negative impact on workers in New Zealand.
Largest Australian agreement
The deal is Australia's largest free-trade agreement. Officials in Canberra say it covers a broader range of goods and tariffs than similar deals with China, Japan and South Korea.
"This is an extremely strong signal to the rest of the world that the Asian region remains committed to pursuing economic growth, exports and jobs to help drive the economic recovery," says Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean.
ASEAN comprises Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei and the Philippines.
