Prime Minister John Key says it is too soon to say whether meat exporters should be paid compensation for the delay in their products' gaining entry to China.
The trade in beef and sheep meat should resume within days, now that a fortnight-long documentation wrangle has been resolved.
Mr Key says the possibility the border dispute could have been avoided is a matter of some concern.
But he says the issue of compensation has not been considered yet.
But he says the issue of compensation has not been considered yet.
"We don't know what sort of costs are involved.
"A lot of it's just delay and so that product will still absolutely get to its market.
"In fact the chilled meats had priority and the frozen meat's just essentially taken a little bit longer. Sometimes that happens for all sorts of reasons."