Singapore and New Zealand enjoy close ties. The longstanding and historical relationship has become more broad-based in recent years with cooperation in the defence, political, economic, as well as the arts and education fields. Both countries work closely in regional and international forums such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, ASEAN Regional Forum, United Nations and World Trade Organisation.
Defence relations continue to be the cornerstone of relations, marked by close defence cooperation on various fronts. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) undertakes annual artillery training in Waiouru. In addition, Singapore and New Zealand have partnered each other overseas; SAF troops were deployed as part of the New Zealand battalion in East Timor from May 2001 to November 2002. In Bamiyan, Afghanistan, two SAF officers were deployed as part of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) HQ from November 2007 to May 2008. The SAF also rotated two Engineer Project Teams (EPT) between May to October 2008 and deployed a two-man team to Bamiyan from 17 October 2008 to 17 May 2009.
On the economic front, the Agreement between New Zealand and Singapore on a Closer Economic Partnership (ANZSCEP) was signed in Singapore by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and then-New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark in November 2000. The ANZSCEP, which was the first bilateral FTA for Singapore and the second for New Zealand, came into effect on 1 January 2001. The ANZSCEP is a milestone in bilateral relations and sets the foundation for closer collaboration on both sides for mutual benefit. Singapore and New Zealand have held two Ministerial-level reviews of the ANZSCEP since the agreement came into force in 2001. New Zealand has profiled the New Zealand-Singapore Audio-Visual Co-production Agreement and an MOU between IE Singapore and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) on overseas collaboration signed at the 2nd ANZSCEP Ministerial Review as a direct benefit of the ANZSCEP.
Singapore and New Zealand are also founding members of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement ("Trans-Pacific SEP") which was signed by the Ministers of Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore in June 2005. An ambitious and high-standard FTA, the Trans-Pacific SEP came into force on 8 November 2006, and serves to complement the WTO and hasten progress towards global trade liberalisation. Now known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the TPP currently includes Australia, Peru the USA, Vietnam and Malaysia. It is envisioned to continue to expand in stages, towards wider economic integration amongst APEC economies and a possible Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP).
Singapore and New Zealand signed a revised Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation (DTA) in August 2009. The agreement incorporates a new internationally agreed standard for exchange of information on tax matters. The DTA is expected to minimise double taxation of income that may occur as a result of cross-border economic activities between both countries. In doing so, it aims to better facilitate bilateral trade and investment.
