ZB ZB
Live now
Start time
Playing for
End time
Listen live
Listen to NAME OF STATION
Up next
Listen live on
ZB

Lockwood Smith lending trade expertise to Brexit planners

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Tue, 17 Sep 2019, 8:04PM
Our trade deal with Australia is the key focus of the discussions. (Photo / NZ Herald)

Lockwood Smith lending trade expertise to Brexit planners

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Tue, 17 Sep 2019, 8:04PM

While Boris Johnson says a Brexit deal is beginning to emerge, the European Union says the British Prime Minister has offered nothing to break the impasse.

While the two sides attempt to broker a divorce deal, plenty of hard work is going on behind the scenes, to solve the problem of the Irish border when the UK leaves the EU.

Experts are looking to New Zealand’s CER trade with Australia as an example of how to make trade across the Irish border as seamless as possible.

Former New Zealand High Commissioner to the UK Sir Lockwood Smith is among those lending his expertise.

He told Heather du Plessis-Allan that our agreement with Australia is not a customs union so it has a border, but it is one that is basically frictionless.

"The key elements out of our arrangement with CER is how we handle a single food safety between our two countries, and our trans-Tasman mutual recognition agreement."

Sir Lockwood says that New Zealand is a world leader when it comes to trade, and says our agreement with Australia is one of the best.

"The world looks on New Zealand as being really innovative." 

The Brexit planners are also looking at the border between the United States of America and Canada, Sir Lockwood says.

 

Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you