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5.18. New Zealand is an active participant in the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment Committee and related groupings at the WTO, including Friends of Advancing Sustainable Trade (FAST) and the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Dialogue (TESSD). Until its suspension in 2016, New Zealand was an active participant in negotiations for the Environmental Goods Agreement at the WTO.

5.19. New Zealand used its APEC 2021 host year to drive regional trade and environment outcomes to support its multilateral ambitions. New Zealand led APEC to achieve consensus on work towards operationalizing a voluntary standstill on inefficient fossil fuel subsidies from the end of 2022; reinvigorating APEC's work on environmental goods; and agreeing the first ever multilateral reference list of environmental and environmentally related services.

5.20. In regional agreements, Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) raised the standard for trade and environment policy settings. It includes new fisheries subsidy disciplines, obligations on the illegal take and trade in wildlife, and subjects the environment chapter to Dispute Settlement chapter provisions. Bilaterally, New Zealand is working with partners to develop comprehensive trade and sustainable development chapters. The New Zealand-China FTA Upgrade added a chapter on environment and trade that includes enforcement of environmental laws, non-derogation and non-discrimination commitments, as well as a consultation mechanism. A trade and environment chapter, including fossil fuel subsidy reform, prohibition on fishing subsidies that lead to overfishing and overcapacity and a comprehensive environmental goods list, is included in the NZ-UK FTA. A trade and sustainable development chapter is expected in the NZ-EU FTA.

5.21. New Zealand is leading the first-of-its-kind Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) trade initiative in a group of six likeminded countries. It seeks to liberalize trade in environmental goods and services, develop binding disciplines to eliminate harmful fossil fuel subsidies, and develop best-practice guidance for voluntary eco-labelling schemes. ACCTS is an open plurilateral initiative, that aims for multilateral outcomes over time and, once concluded, will be open to WTO Members that meet the established standard.

6.1. (...). In 2021, New Zealand as host of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) led the region during the COVID‑19 health and economic crisis. Consistent with New Zealand's host year theme of 'Join, Work, Grow. Together. Haumi ē, Hui ē, Tāiki ē', all APEC economies took tangible steps to collectively respond to the health and economic impacts of COVID‑19, and build the foundation for more sustainable, inclusive and innovative economic growth and recovery.

6.2. Throughout 2021, New Zealand helped to build consensus among the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) economies to deliver concrete and meaningful results such as:
• (...);
• establishing a voluntary standstill on fossil fuel subsides;
• agreeing a reference list of environmental and environmentally related services;
• reinvigorating APEC's work on trade in environmental goods; and
• (...).

6.3. As a result, at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in November 2021, the Aotearoa Plan of Action (APA) was agreed. (...) The APA sets out ambitious objectives across a holistic trade and economic agenda, both regionally and domestically. Trade and investment, such as APEC's support for the WTO, remains an important focus. New Zealand has also expanded APEC's agenda into other drivers of growth to ensure APEC remains responsive and relevant, such as innovation and digitization, inclusion, and sustainability, including climate action.

7.4. (...). In 2016, New Zealand and China agreed to launch negotiations to upgrade and modernize the FTA, amending it to improve existing commitments and add new areas. Negotiations covered TBT, customs procedures, cooperation and trade facilitation; Rules of origin; Services; Competition policy; E-commerce; Agricultural cooperation; Environment; and Government procurement. The Upgrade was signed in January 2021 and will enter into force on 7 April 2022, resulting in an expansion of provisions improving market access and new chapters on competition policy, e-commerce, government procurement and environment and trade.

7.8. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Agreement is called progressive because it goes beyond reducing costs for businesses, by including commitments to safeguard high labour and environmental standards. (...)

7.12. Under Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus, New Zealand agreed to set a target of spending 20% of total Official Development Assistance (ODA) on aid for trade activities in the Pacific. (...). Aid for Trade projects include the rollout of new customs software for six of the smaller Pacific Island Countries, supporting the establishment of robust biosecurity export and import systems, and building a regional and bilateral approach to qualifications recognition.