Clayton Mitchell New Zealand First MP

The Minister of Trade hails the TPPA deal as complete. The Government has released five fact sheets with few facts. The people of New Zealand wait for the US Government to make the TPP agreement publically available so that we can finally read the details.

New Zealand First MP Fletcher Tabuteau has put forward the International Transparent Treaties Bill, requiring Parliament discusses and approves the TPPA and other international agreements before signing them.

We require more honesty, more transparency and more care for the rights of every New Zealander. While this Government spins and downplays the toxicity of the TPPA, we continue to fight for the protection of New Zealand.

The US Congress and corporate lobbyists labelled ‘cleared advisors' will get to read the TPP Agreement and make new demands on this ‘final deal'. It only makes common sense that the New Zealand Parliament should be given this same opportunity.

It ought to be our own government that releases to us the details of the TPP agreement to which they have committed us, instead of feeding us these pre-processed sound bites of information. We have the right to read and analyse the TPPA for ourselves, without the government spin.

While we await details, we do know that the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand have expressed disappointment that 'the agreement has not delivered a more significant opening of TPP dairy markets,” while US blogs label New Zealand's dairy industry among the biggest losers.

The threat of the New Zealand government being sued by foreign corporations arguing profit losses still stands. The government will not be able to establish new state-owned enterprises. And the Prime Minister has stated that it will be impossible to strengthen restrictions on foreign investors in the residential property market.

In plain English, under the TPPA we will be unable to stop foreign corporations from buying up our precious land and housing stocks.

#workingforwho #newzealandfirst #tppa