The New Zealand Government will not adopt safeguard measures to curb aluminium extrusion imports, largely because the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) found that they could not be legally justified.
“On 5 October 2026, I made the decision to not take action under the [Trade (Safeguard Measures)] Act to impose a safeguard measure [on aluminium imports],” Commerce Minister Cameron Brewer said on 13 October.
“[Based on MBIE’s advice], I was not satisfied [that several legal criteria] set out in … the Act [had been met],” Brewer added.
The Government can adopt safeguard measures when unforeseen industrial developments push imports to levels that seriously injure domestic producers. But safeguard measures need to serve the public interest.
New Zealand aluminium extrusion imports – as a share of domestic production – rose from 46% to 54% over 2022-2025, MBIE told Brewer on 24 September. Imports over that period did not cause serious injury to local businesses and were not unforeseen, MBIE said.
Aluminium imports hurt domestic extruders in 2022-2025, but did not meet the Act’s serious injury threshold because other factors – including decreased demand, increased costs, and competition – hurt the sector too, MBIE added.
Aluminium safeguard measures also would not serve the public interest because they would increase costs and create supply risks for consumers and manufacturers, despite helping local extruders, according to MBIE.
“[The] imposition of [aluminium safeguard measures] … would reduce the price competitiveness of affected imports and could narrow supplier choice,” MBIE said. It may increase manufacturing costs, reduce investment, increase finished good imports, or reduce employment, MBIE added.
Chinese producers accounted for 52% of New Zealand’s aluminium product imports in 2024, data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity show. Australian and Thai producers also accounted for 12% and 8.3% of imports, respectively, that year, OEC data show.
E tū – a union representing aluminium workers – has called on every political party to reconsider aluminium safeguard measures after New Zealand’s 2026 General election in November.
“If we lose the ability to make [aluminium extrusions] here, we lose it for good. Every builder and manufacturer in the country will be stuck with offshore prices and shipping delays,” E tū National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh said.
“Every party in this election needs to tell workers in Hamilton, New Plymouth, and Wellington where it stands. Will it fight for New Zealand manufacturing or let it die?” Mackintosh added.
The Government’s decision not to impose aluminium safeguard measures comes just one month after the Australian Government launched an accelerated anti-dumping investigation into Malaysian aluminium extrusion products.
By Avinash Govind