Government rejects industry plea for aluminium import tariffs
Tuesday 13 October 2026 · 2 outlets · 2 reports · updated In this story Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Cameron Brewer
Commerce Minister Cameron Brewer has declined a request from the aluminium extrusion industry to implement safeguard measures. The industry sought temporary protection against a surge of cheap imports to help local manufacturers adjust to offshore competition.
Key facts
3 facts
- Commerce Minister Cameron Brewer rejected safeguard measures for the aluminium extrusion industry
- MBIE launched an 85-day investigation in May following an ALENZ request in January
- The domestic aluminium extrusion industry is worth about $600 million, or $2 billion including related manufacturing
The full story
1 min read · 2 outlets
Commerce Minister Cameron Brewer has declined a request to impose safeguard measures on aluminium extrusion imports. The decision follows a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) investigation into whether a surge of cheap imports threatened the local sector.
MBIE advised the Minister that the industry did not meet the strict secondary legal threshold required for provisional relief. While the report noted the domestic industry had suffered serious injury, it found the import increase was one of several factors, including cost increases and a contracting domestic market. The report also suggested that safeguard measures could raise consumer prices and might not support New Zealand's trade goals.
The Aluminium Extruders Association of New Zealand (ALENZ) stated the decision removes a vital lifeline from an industry under severe pressure. Association chairperson Nick Collins said, "We are saddened and extremely disappointed. These are productive, high-tech businesses being crushed by imports, primarily state-subsidised from China and sold in New Zealand for less than the cost of the raw aluminium they contain".
The domestic industry produces components for construction, transport, infrastructure, health, and advanced manufacturing. The sector is valued at approximately $600 million, or up to $2 billion when including powder coating, anodising, fabricating, and window manufacturing.
Where reports differ
- One report notes the government has not yet released its reasons for the decision, while another specifies the MBIE report's reasoning regarding consumer prices and trade goals
Compiled from reports by The Post and RNZ.