The EU is one of New Zealand's most important and active partners in the Pacific.

Wouldn't NZ a bit too Socialist to fit in present day capitalistic and populist driven E-27? Geez ... the Anglo-Saxon tribe wouldn't have it.

Obviously, there is more to it than that: regulations, common standards etc. But NZ is used to that sort of thing in its FTAs, and NZ farmers are awfully good at getting NZ politicians to swallow anything to give them a bigger market. And the broad alignment of values with the EU means the actual FTA we are negotiating has so far avoided the controversy such deals usually attract (probably because, thanks to the ECJ, there will be no ISDS clause. Thanks, ECJ!) (would being subject to the ECJ be an issue, given the hatred of ISDS clauses? Less so, I think, because its a real court, with a real and long established body of law, not just rich people going "wah wah government did something I don't like pay me all the imaginary money I thought I'd make if law and society didn't exist". Its not seen as undermining democracy or being opposed to the existence of legislatures in the same way that ISDS "tribunals" are).