Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay says attempts to agree WTO reforms and extend the organisation-wide ban on tariffs for digital trade were not finalised at the World Trade Organization’s ministerial meeting in Cameroon.

McClay, who served as Vice Chair at the 14th Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, said members agreed the WTO needs modernising and that a final package is “in reach”, with work now shifting to Geneva.

While a WTO-wide outcome on digital tariffs eluded ministers, 66 WTO members agreed to move ahead with implementing a new Electronic Commerce Agreement. The group, which accounts for about 70 percent of global trade, includes a permanent ban on tariffs for digital trade between those parties and covers an estimated US$159 billion in trade. McClay said this would add predictability for small businesses and exporters.

Alongside the negotiations, McClay met counterparts from 17 countries, including the United States, India, China, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. With global shipping and energy markets under scrutiny, he also discussed critical fuel supply chains with ministers from Singapore and Korea and heads of delegation from Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. He said domestic fuel supplies remain healthy.

New Zealand will continue to push for progress on curbing fisheries and agricultural subsidies, which McClay said affect exporter returns.

Labour’s Trade and Export Growth spokesperson Damien O’Connor joined the New Zealand delegation.