5 January 2010
The ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) will enter into force for (and between) the following countries on 1 January 2010: Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam.
Unfortunately the other key markets for New Zealand – Indonesia and Thailand – were unable to complete their pre-entry into force steps. In the New Year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade will work closely with Australia to help both those countries to complete the required steps for entry-into-force.
New Zealand exporters should keep an eye on the AANZFTA website (www.asean.fta.govt.nz) for further updates, and also the Customs website (www.customs.govt.nz) for a Fact Sheet on Rules of Origin and FAQs on AANZFTA.
The ASEAN Secretariat has published a couple of guides: a "Primer on Rules of Origin (ROO)" and "A Guide for ASEAN Business". See below for PDF versions of both publications. Although both are for ASEAN businesses, they provide some helpful information around key issues such as ROO and the certificate of origin, which complements the information that New Zealand Customs provides businesses.
The Malaysia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement is expected to enter into force in May 2010.
