WELLINGTON/LONDON - New Zealand on Wednesday formally launched free trade talks with Britain, which is looking to line up post-Brexit agreements with other countries.

The first round of negotiations is expected to take place by video conference from mid-July, New Zealand's Minister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker said

New Zealand would be among the first countries to negotiate a trade agreement with Britain in a post-Brexit era, Minister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker said in a statement.

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"In the post Brexit environment, it makes more sense than ever for us to be working together to grow this partnership for the future," Parker said.

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which has been informally discussed between both nations for a while, will open up more opportunities for small and medium sized businesses, indigenous Māori exporters, and our regional communities, he said.

Britain is New Zealand’s sixth largest trading partner, and two-way trade totalled almost NZ$6 billion (US$3.87 billion) last year.

The first round of negotiations is expected to take place by video conference from mid-July, Parker added.

Britain said its exports could increase by a billion pounds as a result of the trade deals it is seeking from Australia and New Zealand, setting out its negotiating objectives on Wednesday ahead of the start of formal talks.

Britain said its exports could increase by a billion pounds as a result of the trade deals it is seeking from Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand are among Britain's top priorities for trade talks, alongside the United States, the European Union (EU) and Japan, as it looks to define an independent trade policy after leaving the EU in January.

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"Ambitious, wide-ranging free trade agreements with old friends like Australia and New Zealand are a powerful way for us ... to make good on the promise of Brexit," Trade Minister Liz Truss said in a statement.

The government's aims for each deal were largely similar and broadly focused on increasing goods and services trade and cross-border investment. They included chapters on digital trade and ways to help small businesses export more.

The aims for an Australian deal included a focus on technology, innovation and research and development, while the objectives for the New Zealand talks made reference to the need to protect both countries' climate change commitments.

The first round of talks is expected to take place by videoconference in the coming weeks.