Groser to attend G20 Trade Ministers' Meeting

Trade Minister Tim Groser will attend a meeting of G20 Trade Ministers in Mexico this week. This will be the first time New Zealand has participated in a ministerial level meeting of the G20.

Mr Groser said he looked forward to engaging with Ministers of major economies on the international trade agenda.

“It is significant that New Zealand has been invited to participate in this important group and demonstrates the regard in which this country is held in international trade and economic fora,” Mr Groser said.

The meeting will focus on how trade liberalisation can best support economic growth in the context of a rapidly-changing global economy.

Ministers will discuss how economies are increasingly interconnected through global value chains, and what this means for trade and economic policies.  They will also focus on trade as a source of growth and jobs, and explore ways to keep markets open and to achieve further trade liberalisation- topics of real relevance to the Government’s strategic priorities for New Zealand, including building a competitive economy. 

Mr Groser will travel to Mexico from Indonesia, where he has been supporting a significant trade mission led by the Prime Minister.

Background Information:

The G20 is a grouping of 20 large and significant economies, which was established in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 as the “premier forum for international economic cooperation”.  The members of the G20 are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, the European Union.

Mexico is the current President of the G20.  The G20 Trade Ministers Meeting will be hosted and chaired by Mexican Secretary of the Economy, Bruno Ferrari, who visited New Zealand in February 2012.