Donald Trump campaigned on protectionist policies to favour Americans. Photo: AFP / Jim Watsonn
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is warning against jumping to conclusions about Trump policies that might affect New Zealand.
Republican Donald Trump was projected to win the US election and had spoken on the campaign trail promising trade tariffs and protectionist policies to favour American manufacturers and farmers.
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Luxon congratulated Trump on a "comprehensive win".
"I look forward to working with him and advancing the interests of our great countries.
"I know both sides of the aisle in Washington... I've got no doubt we'll do everything we can to work constructively to move forward together."
Asked about Trump's campaigning on trade tariffs which could be bad for New Zealand, Luxon said we needed to wait and see what policies were actually introduced.
"This is the American people having a free and fair election, selecting a president."
It was the government's job to work with that person and Luxon had "every confidence" it would do that well.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters told RNZ's Midday Report that New Zealand's diplomats were not surprised by the result and were ready to "hit the ground running".
Peters offered his congratulations to Trump on X, formerly Twitter, yesterday, saying the two countries' relationship would go from strength to strength.
He told RNZ the government would seek to make progress with the new administration across "a multitude of issues".
"They are to do with trade, they are to do with a better relationship... we work in cooperation with every country we possibly can."
Asked about the prospect of tariffs on exports into the US, Peters said the government was "prepared for that" but would make efforts to improve trading arrangements.
"We came so close [to securing a free trade deal] last time that I think we've got good grounds to pick up where we left off."
Peters said New Zealand's ambassador in Washington Rosemary Banks also held the role during Trump's last term and so had "close links" with the Republican Party.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis said New Zealand, as a country that traded extensively, wanted to continue growing the relationship with the United States "for the good of our exporters, our farmers, and the many New Zealand businesses that rely on sending goods to America".
The strategy would be to be a good partner and demonstrate there was value for both nations in trading.
"You know, Americans love our wine, our red meat, their tourists love coming here and I can't see that changing any time soon."
She said it was too early to make judgements about Trump's stances on climate change and the Pacific.
"Obviously the administration hasn't been formed, and its key priorities are yet to be shown ... I'm sure that everyone who voted in the United States had a different set of motivations particular to their personal circumstances and ultimately the majority has prevailed."
Labour's Trade spokesperson Damien O'Connor said Trump's statements about tariffs would be a worry for New Zealand exporters.
"This is our second-biggest trading market, but the implications go beyond just us and I guess the displacement of goods that might have gone into the US, going into other markets like China or Europe, will affect our exporters regardless of whether they sell into the US or elsewhere aroudn the world.
"This could have huge implications and flow-on effects to exporters, importers, people who buy goods, who depend upon goods from any country or depend upon goods from New Zealand."
He said it remained to be seen what would happen, but New Zealand should of course continue pushing through for a free trade agreement.
"We've seen a protectionist world, probably for the last five or six years, making it harder to negotiate free trade agreements. It's been well known that taking anything that includes trade would be rejected in the US."
He said they had tried last time Trump was president to secure a deal through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, in the hopes it would not need US Congressional approval.
Green MP Teanau Tuiono said he tried "not to think about Trump at all".
"If you remember the past presidency it was incoherent, and so I think it sends a message to us that we should be steering well clear of Aukus and we should be focusing on what's best for the Pacific.
The party's musterer Ricardo Menendez March agreed, saying it was important to note many communities in the US and across the world would "have their rights put at risk".
"So our thoughts are with many activists fighting against mass deportations, against their criminalisation, and this is exactly why what Teanau mentioned around Aukus is really important."
Te Pāti Māori's co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer had no words to offer about Trump's election.
"I mean, what do you want us to say. We've been the party that's been calling for sanctions on Israel, and America's allowed a government and a president to come in who wants to amp up what Israel's doing, to continue a genocide. So I have nothing but unsavoury thoughts about this president."
She said anyone who wanted to normalise genocide was a "pretty subhuman person, and I was taught by my tūpuna as much as possible if you don't have something nice to say then don't say it".
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