Treaty of Waitangi bottom line not satisfied in TPPA – union

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The Daily Blog
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Treaty of Waitangi bottom line not satisfied in TPPA – union

 

The President of a leading trade union opponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is warning New Zealanders that we cannot be sure whether the deal enforces protection for the Treaty of Waitangi until we’ve seen the full text. 

 

“The government has signalled that the agreement will contain a Treaty clause, but we won’t know how the clause will work until the full text is released and a close legal analysis is undertaken,” says FIRST Union President Syd Keepa.

 

“How can we trust the government’s word after it failed to properly consult with te iwi Maori? At no point did the government seek independent legal advice on the Treaty implications of the deal.”

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“Upholding the Treaty of Waitangi is one of Labour’s bottom lines for the TPPA. I’m calling on Labour’s Maori caucus to conduct a comprehensive analysis of whether this bottom line is satisfied once the text is finally released.”

 

“This was not done by FOMA who supported the TPPA even before it had seen the text,” says Keepa.  

 

“As well as looking at the Treaty clause we also need to look at the cumulative effect of the deal to determine how Maori interests will be protected.  Take the investment chapter that prohibits tighter regulation of foreign investment in the housing market to bring down the cost of housing, locking the door on Maori already shut out of the housing market.” 

 

 

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4 COMMENTS

  1. We can not ever trust this Government at any stage as they act with impunity without firstly conducting active consultation with us all before the signing of the TPPA.

    Syd is right to be fearful of the suspect lack of protection of the treaty of Waitangi.

    History has shown us that this Government has broken promises made collectively so we expect they have also broken the promise they made here too.

    TPPA removes our right to control sale to retain our Properties & farms and allows open slather on overseas property ownership.

    So just remember that John Key promised he did not want to see us as tenants in our own land??

    “A leopard never changes its spots” is a fitting term here.

    • Corporations involved in a political process will almost certainly make them less competitive, because the first two things corporat cronies do with access to politics is to try and secure a monopoly and repeal all regulations.

      That may include the Treaty at some point because monopolies don’t like competition.

      But all this has to have its day in court. And Treaty Judges not being permanent appointments should be more worrisome.

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