As New Zealand closes in on its first trade deal with India, we look back at the agreements that shaped the country: from Britain’s betrayal in the 1970s to closer economic relations with Australia. For a small nation at the edge of the world, survival has often meant learning to hustle

New Zealand's free trade agreement with India has been decades in the making, ut this isn’t the first time trade deals have reshaped the country. In this episode of Context, Guyon Espiner and Corin Dann trace the story of the agreements that transformed New Zealand’s economy: from the shock of Britain joining the European Economic Community in 1973, to CER with Australia, the fight over TPP, and the huge impact of our China free trade agreement. The stakes are high, our economy depends on these deals.

Along the way:

Why New Zealand became one of the world’s biggest champions of free trade
The industries that were lost along the way
The protests and political battles that followed
And whether the global backlash against globalisation could bring the free trade era to an end.

Watch the video version of the episode here.

Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.

Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

Have a topic you'd like Corin or Guyon to explore? Send your ideas to context@rnz.co.nz

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details