The India Free Trade Agreement has come under renewed criticism after critic Joshua Riley of Sovereign NZ said the deal would undermine New Zealand’s long-term competitive advantage by requiring the country to share valuable horticultural expertise with one of the world’s largest agricultural producers.
Riley argued the agreement goes beyond reducing tariffs and improving market access, saying it commits New Zealand to helping India strengthen its own horticultural industry through formal “action plans” aimed at increasing orchard productivity. The provisions could ultimately enable India to compete directly against New Zealand using knowledge, cultivation techniques and premium fruit varieties developed over generations.
Riley claims New Zealand’s competitive advantage lies not in the size of its industry but in its productivity and expertise. He says local apple orchards produce around 60 tonnes per hectare compared with an estimated 6 to 10 tonnes in India, while New Zealand kiwifruit orchards produce about 40 tonnes per hectare compared with roughly two to three tonnes in India. He argues that narrowing this productivity gap would strengthen a future competitor with significantly lower labour costs and a vastly larger production base.
He also warns that premium New Zealand fruit, particularly Zespri kiwifruit, currently commands substantial price premiums across Asian markets because of its quality and reputation. If India successfully adopts New Zealand’s growing methods and cultivars, it could eventually challenge New Zealand producers in export markets including China, Japan and Europe while benefiting from lower freight costs and cheaper labour.
Riley compares the situation to Chile’s emergence as a competitor after previously benefiting from New Zealand horticultural knowledge, arguing the India agreement risks repeating the same mistake on a much larger scale.
He is also highly critical of the economic modelling used to support the agreement, saying the projected gain of approximately 0.07 percent of GDP by 2036—equivalent to about $387 million annually—fails to account for the long-term cost of creating a stronger overseas competitor. The modelling focuses primarily on tariff reductions and trade diversion while overlooking potential losses in export market share and future competitiveness.
The comments add to ongoing debate surrounding the India Free Trade Agreement, which has been slammed by commentators and political figures over its implications for agriculture, immigration, sovereignty and long-term economic policy.
A small group of men, with no mandate from New Zealanders, are on the brink of transferring our crown jewels to India: premium kiwi and apple cultivars and growing skills developed over a century.
Their economic model, intended to justify the transfer, ignored its consequence.… https://t.co/cwkXKaevqM pic.twitter.com/QqjxbFHCMr
— Joshua Riley 🇳🇿 (@VoteSovereign) July 8, 2026
Sovereign NZ website.
The thing is that Luxon has most probably, privately made a lot of money for himself and will not care what anyone says about this deal. I would say the ban on under 16’s social media will be full of dirty money for him with the goal of digital I.D. for all.
The Luxsingh gift that just keeps giving ….
We all know what to do! Don’t vote for NATIONAL, ACT OR LABOR. People have the power ” boycott” is the way to go
Yes. It’s a betrayal at multiple levels. The Indians that arrive here will exclude non-Indians from the flotilla of business they acquire. Once an Indian is given a leadership position in any industry, they will blatantly favor other Indians. The money remit to India will be significant. Us “Kiwis” are considered naive sponges to be sponged from, IRD is fair game for defraud – no social consciousness exists for these people – rampant corruption at a scale NZ has never seen is about to be entrenched. Luxon is dreadful. Labour are treasonous. God defend NZ as the Sheeple continue to be fleeced by grubby low caliber fraudsters. Imported by the boat loqfm
The whole thing tells em just one thing,. National are not who I want running (ruining?) New Zealand. I see they have signs up on the roadside. Something along the lines of “Live Life to the Tax” (Labour) or “Live Life to the Max” (National). I don’t see how turning NZ into a dumping ground for cheap imported labour, taking jobs off Kiwi’s, giving our hard won horticultural expertise to a major competitor and worse still, pushing Gene Tech (GMO) that will loose our “organic and green clean” selling point is going to help me or anyone else to live anything to the “max.” So Chris I have a better idea National and Labour can both fuck off and I’ll vote for someone else.
Yep… spot on..
Agreed. All the more reason for people to vote NZ Loyal. 1% Tax all round, with a leader guaranteed to sort all this shit out. It’s time NZ had honest leadership and common sense, fair policies. Check out: nzloyal.com
Sorry Helen but who’s even heard of them these days? No letter box drops, no press releases I’m aware of, no roadside ads (I appreciate they are expensive), no door knocking I’ve come across. There are other new party’s like the New Conservatives who do have things together and are currently holding conventions up and down NZ. Its these kinds of reformers who stand a chance of eventually getting to 5%. They will get my vote not NZLoyal.
Fair enough. I know someones put information about Loyal on TDT many times. Quite detailed stuff in fact.
Kelvyn yelper lol bless
##neverkelvyn
Agree they can F off, then F off some more and when they have F’d off as far as they can F off, they can go F themselves.
Joshua Riley speaking what we are all thinking. NZ Government are infiltrated by WEF and UN Globalist making decisions for themselves. They are selling out our home and our people. Luxon and Hipkins are sock puppets for a hostile take-over. Seymour is a sell out too.
It’s a general all round sellout. Most MPs who signed the deal apparently didn’t read the thing. The police have uncovered a token chop shop and the hospital has a new radiology department somewhere, otherwise it’s business as usual for the globals.
A word of warning, if your car gets replaced with a counterfeited copy don’t expect any recourse from police, insurance or victim support (haha) but there could be an accompanying festival, roast busted styles, somewhere in the offing.
Recent health hacks have demonstrated the fragility of the type of IT systems govt. is pushing for ID tracking so the pain in the kiwifruit will be just the beginning.
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15957545/Moment-newbuild-home-destroyed-solar-panel-fire.html
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland/hundreds-of-drivers-ordered-to-resit-tests-after-nzta-suspends-officers/3UZN4IEKRBFV3FMF7255EONKFU/
Seems all the commenters have said it properly..Luxon is a tratior..he has been given orders to do to NZ what has been done to Britain and the UK… we are in serious doo doo people… locally in the Hokianga, flock cameras are about to be deployed everywhere because of so called crime… what happeed? They used a robbery of an Indian owned and run local shop (not the 4 Squares) of their vape store they opened which was what was targeted in the robbery… to demand “action” so the action has been to install a ton of flock cameras all over our area… from Waimamaku to Rawene… so we are now all monitored anywhere in public… Josh Riley ran for Mayor against entrenched Maori forces in Northland..he did not get in obviously… why? Because he thinks on his feet and would not have been so easily manipulated… Sheeple wake up because this nightmare is only just getting started..The other outcome? Use Racism laws to control us…when flooded by all the corruption and crime that will come as we see in the UK and create all kinds of shortages AND to destroy NZ’s economy… by destroying the agriculture sector here… as Josh points out … What is National doing? Being Labour in disguise that’s what.. and TOP? They have already stated they will go with Labour..and TOP’s leader is married to a cousin of HIpkins and one of their other positions is held by a relative of James Shaw… so watch the Stain stream media push them like never before in an effort to sway votes away from NZ First… I don’t know if they can stand up against the WEF but we better find a way to do that…or else we will become another toilet bowl of a country…
Fresh start needed urgently. NZ Loyal.
Check them out: nzloyal.com
Treasonous whore
Next time you are at the supermarket getting frozen veges look at the labels for the country of origin, in the corn section, Tally’s was the only brand that was produced in NZ, the rest overseas, McCain’s was Grown In CHINA. Most of the rest were ‘form local and IMPORTED’
Now do the right thing and tell a friend and boycott.
McCain company directors are in Malaysia, Australia and NZ. Their imported frozen vegetables are not up to standard (gastro).
Globalists will be globalists. I can’t see how any of this benefits the average New Zealander like myself, so who does it benefit? Suffice to say National are, I suspect, going to get back in but it will be because of NZF and ACT. They are going to loose a ton of support over this, their surveillance plans and the gene tech vomit. Over time they will go the same way as the AU Liberals and UK Tories. That can only be a GOOD THING.