The European Union and New Zealand are close, like-minded partners whose relationship is built on shared values: respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights. The European Union has had a permanent office in Wellington, New Zealand since 2004.
The European Union New Zealand Free Trade Agreement came into force on 1 May 2024. Since then New Zealand exports to Europe have grown by $2 billion. The FTA supports open rules-based trade and investment, green growth, and economic resilience.
The European Union and New Zealand also cooperate closely on science, research, and innovation. As the first global partner to Horizon Europe — the European Union’s flagship, and the world’s largest, research and innovation fund and ecosystem — New Zealand has had a first-mover advantage. This has a growing number of successful innovation partnerships between New Zealand and European organisations creating opportunity and tackling the biggest challenges of today.
Across trade, science, security and resilience, climate, culture, Antarctica, and the Pacific, the European Union and New Zealand continue to build a comprehensive, modern partnership that delivers real-world results for our people, economies, and planet.