Konrad Adenauer Stiftung - Regional Programme Australia and the Pacific (KAS Australia) had the pleasure to observe the 1st EU-NZ Business Summit held on 23/24 October 2025 in Auckland. The high level gathering (by invitation only) saw more than 450 top business leaders and political decision makers convene with the aim to unlock new partnerships and accelerate market expansion. Keynote speakers included the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Hon Todd McClay, Minister for Trade and Investment, and the EU Commissioner for Trade, Maroš Šefčovič. They emphasized inter alia the extraordinary success of the EU-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in its first full year of operation and the benefits of New Zealand's inclusion with the Horizon Europe programme, the world's largest research and innovation project.
Following his recent meeting with the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, PM Luxon continued his advocacy for closer cooperation between the EU, the members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), saying it would cover close to 40% of global trade. In response, the EU Commissioner for Trade announced he would attend the CPTPP's Trade Ministers' meeting in Australia next month in order to explore greater cooperation in safeguarding free trade. There were also panels on "clean tech and renewable innovation", "investment and infrastructure", "advanced tech[nologies]" and "aerospace and defence", featuring various business representatives from the EU and New Zealand, including Airbus, Maersk, Ericsson, Zespri, and Rocket Lab. The Summit was complemented by numerous side events including a seminar by the French Embassy on "decarbonising transportation" and by the New Zealand Europe Business Council (NZEBC) as a platform for Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries to showcase their economies. The EU Commissioner for Trade announced the continuation of the event in Brussels next year - an invitation that the New Zealand Minister for Trade was quick to accept.
