19 Oct 2018

David Parker heads to US on trade mission

From Morning Report, 6:17 am on 19 October 2018

The Trade Minister, David Parker, says he will be pushing for an exemption for New Zealand exporters from the US tariffs on steel and aluminium when he meets his American counterpart next week. Mr Parker flies to Washington on Sunday for meetings with trade officials, including the US Trade representative Robert Lighthizer. He says they will be discussing US concerns about the World Trade Organisation. The US is currently blocking the appointment of judges to the appellate body of the WTO, and New Zealand would like to help break that deadlock.But David Parker told RNZ political reporter Gia Garrick that New Zealand simply can't do that alone.