New Zealand is in confidential negotiations with the United States on the supply of critical minerals after President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on Jan. 14 declaring that countries that didn’t sign a deal would be subject to tariffs.
Having officially joined a trading partnership last year, New Zealand has been designated a “foreign trading partner” and could face tariffs if it doesn’t negotiate.
But a claim before the Waitangi Tribunal covering Māori rights to a share of the country’s petroleum, natural gas and minerals could potentially stymie the deal.
While the Tribunal cannot stop the deal, its findings often serve as the legal basis for judicial reviews in the New Zealand courts, where a judge could potentially find the government’s actions unlawful if they breached statutory requirements to consider the Treaty….
New Zealand Negotiating Critical Minerals Deal With the US
