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Standards New Zealand strengthens regional cooperation at APEC meetings in Dalian

Standards New Zealand joined standards bodies, regulators, quality infrastructure organisations and other government representatives from across the Asia-Pacific at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Third Senior Officials’ Meetings held in Dalian, China, in August 2026.

Standards New Zealand was represented by National Manager Malcolm MacMillan, participating as part of New Zealand’s wider government delegation. The programme centred on the second 2026 meeting of APEC’s Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC). New Zealand’s participation also included the Specialist Regional Bodies meeting, the wider SCSC standards and conformance plenary programme, and New Zealand’s workshop on streamlining the domestic adoption of international standards, led by MBIE’s Trade and Supply Chains Policy Team.

The APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance brings economies together to strengthen cooperation on standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment. Its work supports trade facilitation, international standards alignment, good regulatory practice and the development of quality infrastructure across the region. The Dalian agenda reflected the growing breadth of this work, ranging from established trade and regulatory issues to artificial intelligence, clean energy, quantum technologies, digital trade, sustainability and accessibility. 

 

Attendees pose for a photo in front of APEC China 2026 wall

New Zealand leads discussion on faster international standards adoption

A major New Zealand contribution was the MBIE-led workshop, “Streamlining international standards adoption and promoting an international-first approach to standards”. The project was led by MBIE officials Judy Zhang, Director Trade, Infrastructure and Communications Policy, and Annette Gittos, Principal Policy Advisor, Trade and Supply Chains Policy.

The initiative responded to a challenge shared by many economies. Although international standards provide trusted technical solutions that support safety, interoperability, innovation, regulatory effectiveness and access to global markets, their adoption as domestic standards can be slow and resource-intensive. The project sought to identify practical approaches that could reduce unnecessary time and duplication while maintaining the integrity, quality and confidence associated with national standards processes. 

View from attendee at APEC sub-committee meeting. Ahead of the workshop, MBIE surveyed APEC economies on their international standards adoption systems. The resulting discussion paper received responses from 12 of APEC’s 21 SCSC member economies. Respondents reported either a policy preference or formal guidance encouraging international standards adoption. Respondents expressed strong confidence in the quality and credibility of their standards systems, while also identifying awareness, utilisation, capacity, resourcing and adoption timeframes as continuing challenges. The workshop was structured around 3 practical areas:

  • Managing system constraints and improving the use of international standards.
  • Mechanisms for adoption, including identical and modified approaches.
  • Methods for streamlining or shortening domestic adoption processes.

Contributors included representatives of MBIE, the American National Standards Institute, the International Electrotechnical Commission, the Standards Council of Canada, Standards Malaysia, Standards Australia, the China Institute of Standardisation and Papua New Guinea’s National Institute of Standards and Industrial Technology. Their participation provided a mix of government, national standards body and international standards organisation perspectives. 

The workshop examined practices such as concurrent, bulk and mirror adoption and considered how economies determine whether an international standard can be adopted identically or requires modification for domestic conditions. Rather than promoting a single regional model, the project was designed to encourage practical peer learning and help economies understand which approaches may work under different legislative, regulatory and institutional arrangements. 

A wide-ranging regional programme

Malcolm Macmillan in front of APEC China welcome sculpture The SCSC plenary provided updates on several foundations of the regional standards and conformance system. Japan reported on developments in the World Trade Organization Technical, Barriers to Trade Committee and on APEC’s Voluntary Action Plans for alignment with international standards. China covered developments in the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Committee, while the United States reported through the agenda on work to advance good regulatory practices across APEC. Technical infrastructure discussions included Malaysia’s work on quality infrastructure good practice and Indonesian projects addressing standards and quality infrastructure for plastics recycling and the energy efficiency of residential lighting products. Updates also came from groups focused on food safety, electricals and electronic equipment and medical products.

Some international projects showcased included:

  • Japan’s project on antiviral products and the evaluation method in ISO 21702
  • China’s work on carbon reduction, carbon capture and carbon-emissions management in urban wastewater treatment, and
  • Chinese Taipei’s project on verification practices for electric vehicle supply equipment. 

Projects included senior-friendly food design and healthy ageing, cross-border e-commerce consumer dispute resolution, the electrification and sustainable development of road transport, New Zealand’s international standards adoption initiative, Australia’s quantum technology standards-readiness work, and China’s examination of voluntary sustainability standards in regional connectivity. 

The agenda also highlighted the next wave of APEC standards projects. These included compliance management systems for micro, small and medium enterprises, digital twins in manufacturing, artificial intelligence management, ESG and Sustainable Development Goals, food authenticity, hydrogen codes and standards, resilient built environments, intelligent thermal power plants, environmental protection, and accessibility standards and research. New project ideas covered stronger World Trade Organisation technical barriers to trade (TBT) enquiry points, improved transparency of TBT notifications, interoperability between robots and building infrastructure, sustainable cold-chain logistics, cross-border QR-code payments and food export development. 

An important part of the programme was the meeting of APEC’s Specialist Regional Bodies. These organisations help connect standards development with accreditation and measurement systems across the Asia-Pacific.

The plenary programme included reports from Asia and Pacific accreditation and metrology groups as well as the Pacific Area Standards Congress. There were also updates from ASTM International, and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The combination reflects the wider quality infrastructure needed to support confidence in products, services, testing, measurement and conformity assessment across international markets. 

Standards supporting trust in emerging technologies

The second day of the SCSC plenary included policy discussions on 2 major regional priorities: artificial intelligence and renewable energy.

The AI discussion focused on how standards and conformity assessment can support reliability, interoperability, safety, trustworthiness and inclusive growth as AI-enabled services expand across borders. Contributions on the agenda included private-sector-driven AI standards, building trust through standards and conformity assessment, and the evolution of international AI standards. 

The renewable-energy session examined how aligned standards and conformity assessment can support the safe integration of renewable energy, build confidence in clean-energy solutions and improve the affordability and accessibility of technologies such as photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles. 

MBIE delegates posing and wearing lanyards in front of large APEC sub-committee sign.

Annette Gettos, Principal Advisor Trade and Supply Chains MBIE, Malcolm MacMillan, National Manager Standards NZ, Judy Zhang, Director Trade, Communications and Infrastructure Policy, MBIE

Strengthening New Zealand’s regional voice

Standards New Zealand’s participation at APEC reinforced New Zealand’s commitment to an international-first standards system and to practical regional cooperation. It also provided an opportunity to contribute to discussions on reducing technical barriers to trade, improving market access, promoting good regulatory practice and building the standards capability needed for emerging technologies.

For a small, trade-dependent economy, engagement in APEC standards work gives New Zealand an important opportunity to influence regional thinking, learn from other national systems and ensure that New Zealand businesses, regulators and consumers benefit from timely, internationally aligned and trusted standards.

The Dalian meetings demonstrated that standards are no longer confined to traditional technical specifications. Across the APEC region, they are increasingly being used to address some of the most significant economic and societal challenges of our time, from artificial intelligence and quantum technology to energy transitions, circular economies, healthy ageing, accessible communities, national security and resilient infrastructure. New Zealand’s leadership of the international standards adoption project helps place New Zealand directly within that forward-looking regional conversation.