The Government is looking to China to renegotiate its free trade agreement with New Zealand after China signed a more generous agreement with Australia.
Australia signed its free trade agreement with China last week - an agreement China described as the most liberal it has signed with another country.
Trade Minister Tim Groser said New Zealand was using the Australia free trade agreement to argue that it was time to improve the New Zealand version.
"Ours was the first FTA they did with any developed country. Things have moved on and we are using the Australian FTA as part of the structure of an argument as to why we know need to upgrade China's first FTA. That is underway."