NZ Leads FIT Partnership to Strengthen Global Supply Chain Resilience Amid Middle East Conflict

Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay raised the impact of the Middle East conflict on supply chains with fellow members of the Future of Investment and Trade (FIT) Partnership last night.

This meeting was an opportunity for New Zealand to discuss the risks of global supply disruption and raise issues like fuel supply chain challenges, with other small and medium trade-dependent countries, Mr McClay says.

Measures like export restrictions and stockpiling on a large-scale basis can unnecessarily worsen the economic impacts.

It is in our mutual interest to ensure that trade lines remain open, including via air and sea freight, to facilitate the flow of fuel and other essential goods.

We see an opportunity for FIT partners to signal a joint commitment to maintaining open and resilient supply chains, working together to share real-time information and co-ordinating joint responses when supply chains are disrupted.

The Partnership is a grouping of 16 small and mid-sized trade dependent countries. It issued a declaration on supply chain resilience in November 2025.

New Zealand hosts the next FIT Partnership Ministerial Meeting in Auckland in July 2026.

Note for editors: The FIT Partnership was established in September 2025. It provides a strategic platform for small and medium-sized economies to work together to shape the future of global trade and investment.

The Partnership brings together Brunei, Chile, Costa Rica, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Rwanda, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay.