New Government’s TPPA Problems Start Next Week
‘The new government of Labour, New Zealand First and the Greens will have to move fast if they are going to influence the outcomes of trade and investment agreements being negotiated under the National government’s mandate, and which they all, in various ways, have opposed’, says Auckland University law professor Jane Kelsey.
There are at least five negotiations currently underway, all using the same broad template: the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Pacific Alliance, and agreements with the European Union and United Kingdom, plus reviews of the China and Singapore FTAs.
Most urgently, the remaining eleven parties that negotiated the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement will meet in the next ten days in Japan to decide how to resuscitate the deal.
New Zealand under National, with Australia and Japan, have spearheaded demands to leave the original text virtually unchanged, while suspending a small number of provisions unless and until the US re-joins.
All three parties in the new government wrote minority dissents in the select committee report on the original TPPA, when it still included the United States.
Labour is committed to ban overseas speculators from buying existing residential properties. A genuine ban would mean revisiting New Zealand’s investment schedule in the TPPA, as well as those with South Korea and Taiwan, with flow on effects to the China FTA.
Last night Winston Peters reiterated NZ First’s opposition to the rights of foreign investors to sue the government in controversial offshore tribunals, pointing to options in the Singapore NZ FTA that Labour negotiated in the early 2000s.
Professor Kelsey points out that the new government will have to agree on a position and brief its negotiators within the next few days, not just on the TPPA, and remember that they all called for greater openness.
‘Right now New Zealand’s negotiators are in Incheon, South Korea, pursuing National’s mandate at the latest round of negotiations for the 16 party RCEP. That includes rules on investment, which all three parties seem to agree must change.’
‘Next week’s meeting in Japan is meant to finalise options on the future of the agreement so their trade ministers or leaders can make a decision when they meet on the margins of the APEC in Da Nang, Vietnam from 5-11 November’, Professor Kelsey said.
‘That will put Prime Minister Ardern and New Zealand First under the spotlight. They cannot deliver a new direction for the economy and greater control of our regulatory decisions, including on investment, unless they substantially change New Zealand’s approach to these agreements.’
‘The best option is not to be rushed into any decisions. The government should step back and take the time to analyse, consult and revisit the defective approach of the past decade.’
We agree 100% withyou Jane.
Ant trade agteement that sets us up as a bilding agreement for the next 25yrs must done considered first very slowly with input from NZ people firstly.
‘The best option is not to be rushed into any decisions. The government should step back and take the time to analyse, consult and revisit the defective approach of the past decade.’
Can the parties involved with the current negotiations be able to sign anything when the people voted for a new government?? I thought National is no longer the government. IF this is true, the our representatives certainly don’t have a mandate.
Thanks for asking that Jack, thats what I was thinking too.
Bring the mongrels home – NOW. THEY DO NOT HAVE A MANDATE. TPPA IS AS DEAD AS THE MOA FOR NEW ZEALAND.
It has been shown time and time again by people like yourself Jane that this agreement has very little benefit for New Zealand – and many, many negatives. How any New Zealand Government can proceed with such a BAD DEAL for this country is beyond comprehension – unless they truly DO NOT have New Zealand’s best interests at heart.
100% KIM DANDY, well said.
The truth is these neo liberal govts have NEVER had the best interests of New Zealanders at heart , – EVER.
Their whole emphasis is on GLOBALISM.
Not the national good. In fact , – as Bill English has stated , – ‘ the concept of national sovereignty will become more and more irrelevant ‘ , words to that effect at a business luncheon not so long ago… so what does that tell us?
Well surprise surprise ! , – he’s just been kicked out of govt and is no longer the PM.
Jacinda Adern is.
And these far right wing neo liberal capitalist kids better start believing it!
So it doesn’t matter a blind sh@t now how much they wanted their precious treasonous TTPA deal – or any other deal that disadvantages the people of NZ , – it aint gonna be happening.
There is also no way a caretaker govt can go signing off and rushing through a deal because THAT , – would not have the democratic mandate of the people of New Zealand. So yes, – not rushing , taking their time and renegotiating anything and everything for the best interests of ALL New Zealanders is the way to go for the new govt.
Preferably – by not signing anymore of these bogus ‘ free trade deals’ , – and the ones that are signed completely renegotiated to suit this country’s needs , – not some pack of mealy mouthed grabastic globalists who can only see dollar signs in their eyes at the expense of all the rest of us !!!
They can go and get themselves lost ! , – we don’t need them around these parts!
Never did, in fact.
Just one query – did National use Todd Barclays vote to get the TPPA vote through? The whole affair stinks if Barclay was kept on, and kept quiet about, so policy, such as the hugely, probably life changing, TPPA could be passed. This is corrupt to the extreme.