Speaking at the Irish Farmers Journal Navigating Global Trade conferencein Dublin on Friday, Sir Lockwood Smith said New Zealand will offer any support it can to the UK before and after the Brexit negotiations.

Smith said New Zealand’s pedigree of dealing in complex trade deals puts it at the forefront of being able to offer advice to other nations when it comes to trading.

“Where New Zealand has been quite useful is in developing a global trade strategy in terms of expanding our trading networks globally because we had to.

“When Britain joined the EEC back in 1973 we had to find a way to survive, so we’re probably more used to that than anyone else, developing a really effective trade strategy.

“We were the first country to sign China up to the WTO; between Australia and New Zealand we have one of the deepest common markets in the world, but it is not a Customs Union. Our experience in trading across a border is really useful to the UK as they see themselves leaving the Customs Union,” he said.

For Smith, who previously served as New Zealand’s agriculture minister as well as finance and trade minister before taking up his current role in London, the UK and the EU must do a trade which benefits them but also all other trading partners.

“For the UK, the first thing they need to look at is their trading relationship with the EU. The world needs that (a free trade agreement between the UK and the EU) to be good, then they have to work with the WTO.

“Again, I think we have been good at explaining pitfalls of where would arise there. Things like country-specific trade tariffs and the way they need to be handled to minimise the risk of any of the 160-odd WTO members to cause problem for the UK,” he said.

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