NZPECC Focus – NZPECC

In keeping with PECC International’s purpose, NZPECC as a tripartite organisation is committed to:

• Promoting freer trade and investment
• Enhancing economic cooperation and coordination
• Supporting social cooperation across the region.

This reflects APEC Leaders’ recognition that regional growth should be inclusive and sustainable.
NZPECC this coming year will particularly focus on activity that supports New Zealand’s interest within the broader PECC agenda, including:

a. Participation and leadership in the PECC. FTAAP (Free Trade Area Asia Pacific) signature project to build on existing pathways to freer trade in goods and services
b. Participation in the Blue Water Management project
c. Promoting an understanding of the implications of its recent research projects on global value chains and global value networks across PECC and APEC.

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Current Projects

PECC Signature Project on the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific

29th January 2025

NZPECC is closely involved in the AusPECC led PECC Signature Project on the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific. The goal of the project is to keep the notion of an eventual free trade area across the region on the table by focusing on some key building blocks which will help inform the eventual achievement of an FTAPP. To this end PECC through its wider regional membership is engaging with its tripartite community – business, academics and policy machinery on discussion and cooperation priorities focused on some of the key drivers of future economic growth.

NZPECC is on the Project’s task force which is chaired by Dr. Craig Emerson, Director of the APEC Study Centre at RMIT University, Melbourne. Other members of the task force Canada (CANCPEC), Chile (ChilPECC), New Zealand (NZPECC) and Thailand.

Initial Phase of the Project and Policy papers

The initial phase of the Project focused on three topics – Trade and Climate Change, Professional Services and Mutual Recognition, and Services and Good Regulatory Practice. NZPECC is leading the work on trade and climate change.

Drawing on the AusPECC website linkages to the Policy Briefs on each topic which explore potential frameworks and outcomes to inform an eventual FTAAP over the longer term:

Policy Brief on Good Regulatory Practice for Services in APEC: Precedents, Principles and Challenges ahead for FTAAP

See below for discussion papers outlining the scope of work.

Discussion paper on Professional Services and Mutual Recognition | Presentation slides

The work on Trade and Climate change is being led by Rory McLeod, Vice Chair of NZPECC.

Another Board member, Dr. Mia Mikic, was a lead author (along with Dr. Sherry Stephenson) of the policy brief on Good Regulatory Practices and Services.

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PECC Signature Project on the Digital Economy

Primer on integration issues posed by the digital economy.

NZPECC led the PECC Signature Project to develop a Primer on Economic Integration Issues Posed by the Digital Economy. Digital technologies now contribute to nearly all domains of economic activity, public policyand citizens’ lives. The Primer seeks to identify and analyse the many cross cutting challenges associated with the digitialisation of the global, regional and domestic economies.

The Primer is informing APEC’s work programme across a number of issues.

Link to the Project Paper HERE:

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NZPECC Intellectual Property Primer

NZPECC is currently developing a Primer on Intellectual Property which it will promote to PECC and APEC. It will complement the PECC Signature Digital Primer. NZPECC is currently engaged in a domestic consultation programme and will engage with the wider PECC community and APEC communities in due course.

Intellectual property rights are one means by which societies can address the market failures that exist in markets for knowledge, creativity, ideas and innovation.They fulfil two main goals. First, by the creation of private property rights (initially for inventors and authors) in these markets, creators can appropriate a greater share of the social benefits associated with their creation, meaning that intellectual property rights can help support efficient investment.

The second goal is to promote widespread dissemination of new knowledge, creative outputs and inventions by encouraging (or requiring) rights holders to place their creations, inventions and the knowledge they embody on the market or otherwise publicly available.

The digitalisation of the global economy has raised a number of new opportunities and challenges for creation and management of intellectual property rights.