In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for cooperation at the international level has never been so significant. We see the challenges in the distribution and access to vaccines and in the continuation of supply chains across the worlds, and especially from the rise of new variants, including Delta. As a Government, we've prioritised both the response to the initial crisis through increasing supply of personal protective equipment—PPE—and vaccines, while also maintaining access to supply chains for our exporters. But we also have been renewing our efforts to build on the trade architecture so as to assist the recovery. It is in the context of this challenging environment that diverse and robust trade relationships are more important than ever. They are important for the resilience of our supply chains and for the economic prosperity of New Zealand and our region. As a small, export-oriented economy, it is therefore hard to overstate the importance to New Zealand of a trading system which puts small countries like ours on an even footing with global powers.