Employer Bulletin | 1 September
- Sep 1, 2025
- 2 min read
The New Zealand–United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has officially entered into force, opening the door to one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, Agriculture, Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay announced.
“The NZ–UAE CEPA delivers up to an estimated $42 million in tariff savings per year for Kiwi exporters and the wider economy,” Mr McClay says.
“From today, 98.5 percent of New Zealand’s exports to the UAE will enter duty-free, rising to 99 percent by the start of 2027. This is one of the best goods market access packages we have ever secured.”
Key goods, such as dairy ($766m), red meat ($52.5m), apples ($34.9m), kiwifruit ($7.8m), seafood ($15.5m), forestry products ($9.4m), and honey ($5.2m) will all enter duty free from today.
The UAE is one of New Zealand’s largest markets in the Middle East, and a gateway into a US$500 billion economy that is growing and diversifying rapidly. With two-way trade already worth $1.44 billion a year the CEPA creates a platform to go much further.
In today’s Bulletin:
Employment Court pitches in on tangled employer identity
No take-backs on mutually agreed exit
Consequences for jumping to conclusions of misconduct
Pushing employee off work found to be constructive dismissal
Employee’s complaints do not equal raising personal grievances
Eight news updates of interest for employers including:
Tax bill to grow the economy and ease cost of living;
Reserve Bank capital review welcomed;
Retail activity up in the June 2025 quarter;
New Business Investor Visa to support growth;
Infrastructure Pipeline continues to grow;
NZ–UAE Trade Agreement enters into force, unlocking billions in new opportunities;
Express lane for new supermarkets; and
Gender pay gap narrows to lowest on record.
Eleven bills open for submission
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