February 3, 2025 • 5 mins
One expert believes the US could potentially establish a Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand.
Donald Trump is set to meet with the leaders of Canada and Mexico after both nations revealed they planned to impose their own tariffs in response to the President's newest scheme.
Former US ambassador to New Zealand Scott Brown says he hasn't heard any plans to impose tariffs on New Zealand.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bright iron Bridge.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Rich Trump has well. He is set to speak with
leaders of Canada and Mexico in just a few hours.
It comes as both of those countries announced they will
impose tariffs and retaliation. China, which has also been in
the news and hit by the tariffs, has said it'll
take the case to the World Trade Organization. Scott Brown
is a former US Ambassador to New Zealand. Scott, good evening, Well,
(00:23):
good evening to you, Scott. Great to have you on
the show. As always, is this phone call? Are these
phone calls going to change anything?
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Well, yeah, of course, it's part of the process. I mean,
we have already been seeing success. Obviously, we saw it
with some of the people that were here illegally being
returned to a country and the President said that he
would impose tariffs and other things in the President reversed
his course. I think it was Columbia, if I'm not mistaken.
That being said, we have a poorest border, not only
(00:53):
in Mexico but in Canada as well, and the fentanyl's
coming through. People who are not supposed to be there
are coming through. And the President's been asking for quite
a while to, you know, close the border and allow
for the stay in Mexico policy and a whole host
of other things. And the reason that tariffs are a tool,
one of the tools in the toolbox is that you know,
(01:15):
there's there's some of these products that are in other countries.
We're being taxed to death, and yet they're coming into
our countries at a much lesser rate. So it's a mechanism,
it's a tool. You know. I'm sure that they'll ultimately
work it out.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Are you guys happy, I mean, are Republicans happy to
pay more for goods and services if it means if
it allows Trump to do this, because that's the outcome, right.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Well, it could be sure. Yeah, if we're talking about
national security and we got to pay a little bit
more from milk or cheese or butter, yeah, of course
we're okay with that, because you know, we have to
secure a border, we have to stop the flow of
sent and all. It's killing you know, the next generation
of people, and they're not listening. So well we're going
to make them listen. And I think it's important to
(02:00):
get those two issues especially resolve.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Do you reckon that the Mexicans actually have the capability
to stop the flow of migrants infentional.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Well, they certainly have a mechanism they did before to
keep them. Seeing Mexico policy right now, the cartels are
obviously controlling way more than they did during President Trump's
previous term. That's why he's designated them, designated them a
terrorist organization, so they can actually be more aggressive in
stopping the cartels. I would argue and suggest, as in
(02:31):
the year's path, it would be a joint effort, not
only would the US but with Mexico, you know, on
both sides of the border to secure it. Yeah. I
believe they have the tools and resources to do so.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Sure, this is at the moment seems to be very
much about fentanal. I mean, regardless of whether Trump has
wider reasons for doing this, at the moment, the stated
reasons are fentional and migration. Does that mean that we
should not worry because you know, we're not big on
exporting finel from New Zealand. It's more you know, shade
(03:02):
and beef products, dairy products.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Yeah. Yeah, Well, first of all, hello to everybody. I've
been actually speaking with your new ambassador elect and now
listen to sixteen billion dollars of trade. That's relatively even.
I have not heard anything to say that, oh, what,
We're going to impose tariffs on New Zealand. Obviously we
have the milk and dairy and that issue that's always
(03:26):
been there. You know. I'm hopeful that the new ambassador
will pursue a free trade agreement with New Zealand as
has been since the late eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds.
Presidents past have said, yeah, we need to do it,
and I know Winston Peters is working in a hrclean
way to get that done. He did with me and
we were able to do the Kiwi Act and then
(03:48):
he's done other things with the ambassador. You'd all as well,
And it's really important to get a free trade agreement
with New Zealand and I'm one hundred percent behind it.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Yeah, but doesn't that not far on the fights? Because
I agree with you, it'll be fantastic. But doesn't that
fly in the face of Trump's I mean, he's called
himself missed tariff, you know, and if TI in New
Zealand would seem to fly on the fight of that,
wouldn't it No?
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Because you know, when you're talking about the tariff issue itself,
it's because we're not getting fair access to to other countries.
And we are with New Zealand, it's a pretty balanced trade.
But with China, you know, they you know, the free
speech issues for example. I mean they have, for example, TikTok.
They don't even allow it in their own country, but
it's in our country. A lot of the goods that
(04:32):
we want to have, whether it's cars or any type
of manufacturing, you know, it's it's they don't allow it
without massive terraces. And you know, we just want a
more free access to these markets that we allow in return.
And you know, it could be any country. There's motorcycles,
I believe in India or you know, there's all different
types of things that you need to just make it fair.
(04:54):
Let's compare and a let's let's battle on a on
a fair basis. I think that's really the key.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Scott, Thank you for the Scott Brown, former US Ambassador
to New Zealand's For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,
listen live to news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Bright iron Bridge.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Rich Trump has well. He is set to speak with
leaders of Canada and Mexico in just a few hours.
It comes as both of those countries announced they will
impose tariffs and retaliation. China, which has also been in
the news and hit by the tariffs, has said it'll
take the case to the World Trade Organization. Scott Brown
is a former US Ambassador to New Zealand. Scott, good evening, Well,
(00:23):
good evening to you, Scott. Great to have you on
the show. As always, is this phone call? Are these
phone calls going to change anything?
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Well, yeah, of course, it's part of the process. I mean,
we have already been seeing success. Obviously, we saw it
with some of the people that were here illegally being
returned to a country and the President said that he
would impose tariffs and other things in the President reversed
his course. I think it was Columbia, if I'm not mistaken.
That being said, we have a poorest border, not only
(00:53):
in Mexico but in Canada as well, and the fentanyl's
coming through. People who are not supposed to be there
are coming through. And the President's been asking for quite
a while to, you know, close the border and allow
for the stay in Mexico policy and a whole host
of other things. And the reason that tariffs are a tool,
one of the tools in the toolbox is that you know,
(01:15):
there's there's some of these products that are in other countries.
We're being taxed to death, and yet they're coming into
our countries at a much lesser rate. So it's a mechanism,
it's a tool. You know. I'm sure that they'll ultimately
work it out.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Are you guys happy, I mean, are Republicans happy to
pay more for goods and services if it means if
it allows Trump to do this, because that's the outcome, right.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Well, it could be sure. Yeah, if we're talking about
national security and we got to pay a little bit
more from milk or cheese or butter, yeah, of course
we're okay with that, because you know, we have to
secure a border, we have to stop the flow of
sent and all. It's killing you know, the next generation
of people, and they're not listening. So well we're going
to make them listen. And I think it's important to
(02:00):
get those two issues especially resolve.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Do you reckon that the Mexicans actually have the capability
to stop the flow of migrants infentional.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Well, they certainly have a mechanism they did before to
keep them. Seeing Mexico policy right now, the cartels are
obviously controlling way more than they did during President Trump's
previous term. That's why he's designated them, designated them a
terrorist organization, so they can actually be more aggressive in
stopping the cartels. I would argue and suggest, as in
(02:31):
the year's path, it would be a joint effort, not
only would the US but with Mexico, you know, on
both sides of the border to secure it. Yeah. I
believe they have the tools and resources to do so.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Sure, this is at the moment seems to be very
much about fentanal. I mean, regardless of whether Trump has
wider reasons for doing this, at the moment, the stated
reasons are fentional and migration. Does that mean that we
should not worry because you know, we're not big on
exporting finel from New Zealand. It's more you know, shade
(03:02):
and beef products, dairy products.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Yeah. Yeah, Well, first of all, hello to everybody. I've
been actually speaking with your new ambassador elect and now
listen to sixteen billion dollars of trade. That's relatively even.
I have not heard anything to say that, oh, what,
We're going to impose tariffs on New Zealand. Obviously we
have the milk and dairy and that issue that's always
(03:26):
been there. You know. I'm hopeful that the new ambassador
will pursue a free trade agreement with New Zealand as
has been since the late eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds.
Presidents past have said, yeah, we need to do it,
and I know Winston Peters is working in a hrclean
way to get that done. He did with me and
we were able to do the Kiwi Act and then
(03:48):
he's done other things with the ambassador. You'd all as well,
And it's really important to get a free trade agreement
with New Zealand and I'm one hundred percent behind it.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Yeah, but doesn't that not far on the fights? Because
I agree with you, it'll be fantastic. But doesn't that
fly in the face of Trump's I mean, he's called
himself missed tariff, you know, and if TI in New
Zealand would seem to fly on the fight of that,
wouldn't it No?
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Because you know, when you're talking about the tariff issue itself,
it's because we're not getting fair access to to other countries.
And we are with New Zealand, it's a pretty balanced trade.
But with China, you know, they you know, the free
speech issues for example. I mean they have, for example, TikTok.
They don't even allow it in their own country, but
it's in our country. A lot of the goods that
(04:32):
we want to have, whether it's cars or any type
of manufacturing, you know, it's it's they don't allow it
without massive terraces. And you know, we just want a
more free access to these markets that we allow in return.
And you know, it could be any country. There's motorcycles,
I believe in India or you know, there's all different
types of things that you need to just make it fair.
(04:54):
Let's compare and a let's let's battle on a on
a fair basis. I think that's really the key.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Scott, Thank you for the Scott Brown, former US Ambassador
to New Zealand's For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,
listen live to news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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