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 Canada |  New Zealand |
|---|---|
Canada andNew Zealand have a longstanding relationship fostered by a shared history and culture. The two countries are formerBritish Dominions and have a commonhead of state inKing Charles III (legally, the King is equally and separately thesovereign of both nations, asKing of Canada andKing of New Zealand). Both nations are members of theAsia-Pacific Economic Cooperation,Cairns Group,Commonwealth of Nations,Five Eyes,OECD and theUnited Nations.
Party politics in New Zealand are fought between the centre-leftLabour Party, the centre-rightNational Party and several smaller parties. In Canada, the main players are the centre-rightConservatives, the centre to centre-leftLiberals, the centre-left to left-wingNew Democratic Party and theseparatistBloc Québécois. Canada and New Zealand have been compared to one another for them "living in the shadow" of their much more prominent neighbour[citation needed] (theUnited States andAustralia, respectively).
New Zealand and Canada have fought together in theSecond Boer War,World War I,World War II, theKorean War, theGulf War and theAfghanistan War. Both countries refused to participate in theIraq War even though other majorAnglosphere countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia took part. After 2014, Canadian forces completely withdrew from Afghanistan while a small number of New Zealand forces remained there.
Historically their two armed forces have worked alongside each other in a number of international security operations. Recent defence operations include strategic actions inTimor Leste,Bosnia andAfghanistan,training exercises and staff exchanges.[citation needed]
These positive and longstanding defence links with Canada and New Zealand are enhanced by the regular purchase of new military equipment from either country; e.g. New Zealand's purchase of 105 Light Armoured vehicles (LAV IIIs) from Canada.[1]
As part of their ongoing participation in the British Commonwealth both countries were expected to aid Britain when it declared war on Germany. However, since theStatute of Westminster they had both won the power todeclare war independently of Britain. Politically, New Zealand had been a vocal opponent of Europeanfascism and theappeasement of those dictatorships. At the beginning of the war Canada was (for the most part) reluctant to return to war. Nonetheless, both countries entered the war asAllies: New Zealand declared war on Nazi Germany at 9.30 pm September 3, 1939 (NZT); Canada on September 10, 1939. However, the two countries' armies only occasionally fought together. Canada's main effort encompassed major campaigns in Italy[2] and Northern Europe[3] whereas the New Zealanders mainly fought in Greece, Crete and Italy.
New Zealand and Canada were among those states that responded to the United Nations call for help. New Zealand joined 15 other nations including Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States in the anti-communist war. The Korean War was also significant as it fastened New Zealand's military and diplomatic co-operation in supporting Canada and the United States in conflict.
TheBritish Commonwealth Forces Korea was a joint effort between allied Commonwealth forces: namelyBritain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.[4]
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New Zealand and Canada's heaviest joint military involvement in the Middle East in recent decades has been in Afghanistan following theUnited States-led invasion of that country after theSeptember 11 attacks. FiftySpecial Air Service of New Zealand (NZ SAS) units were dispatched and in March 2002 they took part inOperation Anaconda alongside Canadian forces against about 500 to 1,000al-Qaeda andTaliban forces in theShahi-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains southeast of Zorma, Afghanistan. New Zealand has also supplied two transport aircraft and a 122-strong tri-serviceProvincial Reconstruction Team which has been located inBamyan Province since 2003. Both New Zealand (NZ SAS) and Canadian (Joint Task Force 2) special forces have won the AmericanPresidential Unit Citation for operations in Afghanistan.
"Operation Anaconda" was an operation composed of elements of the United States 10th Mountain Division, 101st Airborne Division, the US special forces groups (TF 11, TF Bowie and TF Dagger), British Royal Marines, Canada's 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, the Afghan National Army, the German KSK and elements of both the Australian Special Air Service Regiment and the New Zealand Special Air Service.
This was one of the first major NZ-Canada joint operations of the War in Afghanistan and proved to be a very successful partnership between the two nations' military forces.[citation needed]
There is mass trade between Canada and New Zealand that has proven reliable to both countries making it an important and stable base for a long-lasting relationship. In 2011, bilateral trade levels totalled (CAD) $932 million. Canadian exports to New Zealand amounted to $382 million, with fertilizers, machinery, meat, books, electrical equipment and wood products being Canada's top exports. Meat and wine were New Zealand's top exports to Canada.[5]
Canada's main exports to New Zealand included aircraft, electrical equipment, machinery and fertilizers for 2006. Canada's leading imports from New Zealand include meat, dairy products, agricultural machinery and wine. New Zealand offers many opportunities for Canadian companies particularly in energy, extractive industries, telecommunications and food products.[6]
Canada was New Zealand's 12th largest export destination and 14th largest trading partner in the year ended December 2006 with exports of NZ$553 million. There are significant Canadian investments in New Zealand, particularlyMcCains and communications companyStratos Global Corporation. New Zealand companies in Canada includeTait Electronics,Michael Hill Jeweller,Fonterra, Peace Software andGlidepath.
There was some debate in theNew Zealand Government about theCanada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), the Crown corporation that manages assets on behalf of theCanada Pension Plan, trying to buy a 40% stake inAuckland Airport, a strategic asset for the New Zealand government, with theLabour Party trying to block the sale by passing new laws which prevent foreign acquisitions of New Zealand "strategic assets". It was announced on April 11, 2008, that the CPPIB had given up on its bid on Auckland Airport after many attempts by the New Zealand government to restrict foreign investment in New Zealand's infrastructure. The CPPIB said it was "disappointed in the outcome of its Overseas Investment Act application"[7][8]
TheCanada/New Zealand Air Transport Agreement was signed in 1985. Both countries' respective national airlines,Air Canada andAir New Zealand, are members of theStar Alliance. In November 2007, Air New Zealand began a non-stop service betweenAuckland andVancouver which operates three times a week.
New Zealand and Canada have had disputes over Canada's protectionist policies towards its dairy industries, which it regarded as a breach of free trade. On 29 December 1997, New Zealand lodged a complaint with theWorld Trade Organization, arguing that Canada's "special milk classes" scheme was inconsistent with Article XI of theGeneral Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) 1994, and Articles 3, 8, 9 and 10 of theAgreement on Agriculture. Following arbitration, the two countries reached a mutually agreed solution on 9 May 2003.[9]
On 12 May 2022, New Zealand initiated dispute settlement proceedings against Canada under theComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) challenging Canada's CPTPP dairy tariff rate quotas (TRQs).[10][11] The two governments held consultations in June 2022 but were unable to resolve the dispute. On 7 November, New Zealand requested the establishment of an arbitration panel. Several CPTPP members including Australia, Japan, Mexico, Peru and Singapore also participated as third parties. On 9 March 2023, a panel consisting of Jennifer Hillman, Petros Mavroidis and Colleen Swords was established.[10][12]
Following submissions by the New Zealand and Canadian sides, a dispute hearing was held inOttawa between 14 and 15 June 2023.[13][10] On 6 September 2023, the CPTPP panel ruled in favour of New Zealand, stating that Canada was not administering the dairy TRQs in a way that allowed importers to use them and that Canada's TRQ quota was favouring its domestic dairy processers. New Zealand'sTrade MinisterDamien O'Connor welcomed the CPTPP's ruling as a victory for New Zealand dairy exporters.[14] The Canadian Government also claimed that the arbitration panel ruled in their favour.[15] Under CPTPP rules, Canada and New Zealand reached an agreement for Canada to implement the Panel's findings by 1 May 2024.[10]
On 14 February 2024, theDairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) rejected new Canadian proposals to modify its dairy TRQ system, claiming it was still insufficient to allow New Zealand dairy exporters fair access to the Canadian market.[16] By 2 May 2024, Canada still had not implemented changes to its dairy tariff rate quotas. In response, New Zealand Trade MinisterTodd McClay slammed Canada's refusal to comply with the CPTPP ruling as "cynical" and said that NZ would not back down on the matter.[17]
On 18 October 2024, McClay confirmed that the New Zealand Government had notified the Canadian Government that it would be triggering mandatory negotiations in order to resolve the dairy dispute between the two countries. This marks the first time that a CPTPP member has used this type of negotiation to resolve a trade dispute. Per CPTPP rules, negotiations must start within 15 days. Should they fail, New Zealand could apply tariffs on Canadian goods entering the country.[15][18] McClay said that the Canadian dairy TRQ system had caused New Zealand to lose NZ$200 million worth in exports over several years and said that escalating the dispute was a matter of honouring free trade agreements.[18] In response, the CanadianMinister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic DevelopmentMary Ng andMinister of Agriculture and Agri-FoodLawrence MacAulay announced that the Canadian Government would defend its dairy industry and the dairy TRQ system.[19]
On 18 July, McClay confirmed that the Canadian government had agreed to amend its dairy quota to ease New Zealand dairy imports, which he estimated would deliver up to NZ$157 million to New Zealand dairy exporters.[20]
The 1987 Agreement on "Film and Video Relations" between the two countries has been successful with film and television co-operation growing.[citation needed] Particular interest has been shown inindigenous film linkages andco-productions. There is a recent but ongoing pattern of producers' missions between Canada, New Zealand and Australia.Whale Rider won the People's Choice Award at theToronto International Film Festival in 2002 and nine out of the ten top-grossing centres in North America for New Zealand'sLord of the Rings were in Canada.
One of New Zealand's leading television channelsTV3 was, until 2007, owned by Canadian Media ConglomerateCanWest.
| UKUSA Community |
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New Zealand and Canada are both exclusive members of a collection of five countries who participate in the highly secretiveECHELON program. New Zealand has two (known) listening posts run by theGovernment Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) as part of the ECHELON spy network. New Zealand has benefited from its role in the ECHELON communications interception network which also includes the United States, Australia, Britain and Canada and are known as theUKUSA Community. The partnership gives "a direct line into the inner circles of power in London and Washington".[21]New Zealand's role in the program is based at a listening post on theSouth Island of New Zealand atWaihopai Valley just south-west ofBlenheim. Its primary role is the interception of a large volume of satellite phone calls, telexes, faxes, e-mail and computer data communications.[22] It gathers this data from New Zealand's Asia/Pacific neighbours and forwards it on to the major partners in the UKUSA Agreement.[23][24]
The Waihopai station is a sister operation to a similar facility run atTangimoana.[25]
The UKUSA community allows member countries to cooperate in multilateral military exercises which have more recently focused on terrorism after 9/11.On March 10, 2008 (NZT) New Zealand,Canada,Australia, theUnited States and theUnited Kingdom took part in a multinationalwar game that simulated a terrorist attack on "strategic networks" such as power grids, financial centres and telecommunications focussing mainly oncyber-terrorism. The exercise was named Cyber Storm 2 and was co-ordinated by theUnited States Department of Homeland Security and the New ZealandGovernment Communications Security Bureau.[26] It will be used to identify policies & issues that affect cyber response & recovery by government agencies.[27]
After the exercise the NZ 'CCIP' (Centre for Critical Infrastructure Protection) said in a statement: "The New Zealand component of the exercise was successful in testing information sharing and response coordination across both public and private sectors and national and international cooperation,"
A report on the overall results will be published ahead of Cyber Storm III which is scheduled for 2010.[28]
TheStrategic Alliance Cyber Crime Working Group' is a new initiative by Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and headed by the United States as a "formal partnership between these nations dedicated to tackling larger global crime issues, particularly organized crime". The co–operation consists of "five countries from three continents banding together to fight cyber crime in a synergistic way by sharing intelligence, swapping tools and best practices, and strengthening and even synchronizing their respective laws." This means that there will be increased information sharing between theNew Zealand Police and theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on matters relating to serious fraud or cyber crime.[29]
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| Dates | Minister/Delegate | Cities visited | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2014 | Prime MinisterStephen Harper andLaureen Harper | Auckland | Invited by Prime Minister John Key |
| June 2014 | President of the Treasury Board,Tony Clement, | Auckland, Wellington | Prime Minister's Fellow |
| February 2014 | Minister of Foreign Affairs,John Baird, | Auckland,Wellington | Official Visit |
| May 2012 | Minister of International Trade,Ed Fast | Wellington | TPP Negotiations with Tim Groser |
| July/August 2005 | Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada,Peter Milliken | Wellington | Led a multi-party parliamentary delegation to New Zealand |
| Mid-January 2005 | Canadian Minister of National Revenue,John McCallum | ||
| March 2004 | Minister of State (Research, Science and Technology),Joseph Fontana | APEC Science Ministers' Meeting. | |
| August 2003 | Minister of State for Asia Pacific,David Kilgour | Pacific Islands Forum Post Forum Dialogue | |
| 2002 | Minister of State for Asia Pacific,David Kilgour | Wellington | Official visit |
In the year ending December 2013, 48,192 Canadian tourists visited New Zealand, making Canada the eighth largest source of tourists.[30] Canadians can visit New Zealand without a visa for up to three months and New Zealanders can visit Canada without a visa for up to six months, provided they meet financial, health and character requirements.
Both Canada and New Zealand offer "Working Holiday Schemes". These schemes allow young students to travel to New Zealand or Canada and to take temporary employment as needed to cover the expenses of their visit. Canadian participants receive the same treatment as New Zealand nationals in all matters concerning the application of laws, regulations and practices regarding health and working conditions. On November 14, 2014 Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Prime Minister John Key agreed to extend the Working Holiday Scheme from 12 months to 23 months. This new visa came into effect on April 1, 2015. This is the most generous working holiday scheme New Zealand has with any other country, including the United Kingdom.[31]
In the 2010s, there has been growing support for the idea of freedom of movement between the UK, Canada and Australia, New Zealand with citizens able to live and work in any of the four countries – similar to theTrans-Tasman Travel Arrangement between Australia and New Zealand.[32][33]
In mid July 2025, New Zealand dispatched 45 firefighters to assist with combating the2025 Canadian wildfires, which had affected parts ofManitoba.[34]
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