Export supply agreements for New Zealand exporters

Businesses often run into trouble here when they rely on assumptions instead of checking the scope properly. Quotes and purchase orders may record price, quantity and delivery basics, but they often leave major issues unstated. In an export arrangement, those gaps can become expensive once goods are delayed, rejected, damaged in transit, or paid late. A fuller agreement can deal with when risk passes, what happens if specifications are disputed, how claims are handled, and whether either side can suspend or end supply if the relationship stops working.

The legal risk usually comes from using a one-size-fits-all approach where the underlying facts are more specific than that. An export supply agreement commonly covers the goods being supplied, ordering procedures, pricing, invoicing, payment timing, delivery terms, title and risk transfer, inspection or acceptance steps, warranties, liability limits, confidentiality, intellectual property, termination rights, and what happens to outstanding orders. Depending on the arrangement, it may also address exclusivity, minimum order commitments, forecasting, packaging standards, and responsibility for dealing with returns, defects, or product complaints in overseas markets.

A useful export agreement depends on how your supply model works in practice. We usually need to know what goods you export, whether they are standard or customised, who arranges freight, when ownership is intended to pass, how payment is collected, whether there are agents or distributors involved, and what promises are being made about quality or timing. The practical working model can be just as important as the contract wording. If your business also collects, uses or shares information across the supply relationship, that can affect the clauses needed as well.

A template may be useful for orientation, but it often misses the operational details that decide whether the wording works for your business. However, export deals often involve commercial details that generic forms do not handle well. For example, a template may not properly address split shipments, inspection rights, currency issues, delayed delivery, product specifications, or the point at which loss passes from seller to buyer. It may also assume a legal or operational setup that does not match your deal. The work can strengthen your position on the issue in scope, but it cannot account for every operational fact outside the materials provided, especially where overseas legal requirements or local market rules are involved.

We can draft the agreement from a New Zealand legal and commercial perspective and flag issues that commonly need checking in the destination market. That said, cross-border deals can raise local law questions that need advice from a lawyer in the buyer's country, especially around product standards, import rules, enforcement, or mandatory customer protections. Where that issue arises, we can identify the point of concern and explain why separate local input may be sensible. This service does not include foreign law advice, tax advice, or ongoing representation in overseas disputes.

Submit an enquiry on this page or click 'Get started'. One of our legal consultants will review it within 1 business day and get in touch to understand what you need.

Your consultant will then email you a fixed-fee quote setting out the cost, scope and timing. If you're happy with it, you can accept the quote and sign our engagement letter online.

Once you've accepted, one of our Australian-qualified lawyers will work with you to complete your project. They'll contact you by email or phone if they need anything.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Export Supply Agreement service, pricing starts from $900.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We work online, so we can help wherever you are in New Zealand. Our team works remotely, mainly from Australia.

Your work is done by our Australian-qualified lawyers, who hold Australian practising certificates and specialise in business law. None of them are New Zealand lawyers or hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

Sprintlaw NZ Limited is a legal consultancy, not a law firm, and is not regulated by the New Zealand Law Society. We don't act in court or tribunal matters, conveyancing (including leases and business sales) or other reserved areas of work. Communications with Sprintlaw are unlikely to be protected by legal professional privilege. We still keep everything confidential under our engagement letter.