Free trade Archive

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  Look out for the hooks in supposed FTA nirvana - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Anyone reading a newspaper column or watching the news in the last couple of days might conclude that New Zealand is a plucky little battler in the world of free trade. read more
  November 15, 2010 4:55 pm - 19 Comments
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  Foreign Affairs is a million shades of grey - by frog

  
  
  
  I was wading through the agreement establishing the ASEAN-Australia New Zealand Free Trade Area a few weeks ago – a little light reading for a Frog. Looks like New Zealand will be doing business with Burma (or Myanmar as the military dictators refer to Burma). Green MP Dr Kennedy Graham spoke about this in the [...] read more
  May 6, 2009 2:58 pm - 8 Comments
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  A new lens for US trade relations - by frog

  
  
  
  Pundits are about the call the election for Barack Obama by the looks of it.  For the planet this is probably a good thing, with Obama having a  better platform on climate change, environmental standards and peace. The big story for little Aotearoa, is what this means for trade.  And Obama has been equivocal.  But [...] read more
  November 5, 2008 4:06 pm - 14 Comments
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  Letters to the editor - by frog

  
  
  
  These two letters in The Press caught my eye today: Heh heh. And on a more serious note: Incidentally the preferential trade agreement with China comes into force tomorrow (1 October).  From that point on provisions that make it easier and faster for China to get its goods through our our customs and biosecurity take [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 1:49 pm - 10 Comments
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  Trading away Pharmac and GE free to the USA - by frog

  
  
  
  Following on from No Right Turn’s analysis of what we stand to lose from a trade deal with the USA, Russel asked a couple of questions of the Acting Minister of Trade in Parliament today: Dr Russel Norman: Will the Minister publicly guarantee that he will not sign any trade deal with the United States [...] read more
  September 23, 2008 7:58 pm - 4 Comments
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  Giving preferential trading rights to the USA - by frog

  
  
  
  I see a looming preferential trade deal with the United States is enough for Matthew Hooten to declare Phil Goff New Zealander of the year.  High praise indeed.  Although US trade deals don’t seem to have worked out quite so well for the much bigger economy of Australia (bigger than New Zealand that is, not [...] read more
  September 23, 2008 12:39 pm - 14 Comments
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  The fish market - by frog

  
  
  
  The Guardian’s George Monbiot has a shocking tale of when free trade deals go wrong. The two players in the story are firstly Senegal, one of the poorest countries on the planet, where the people mostly eat fish. They get 70 percent of their protein from fish: Traditionally cheaper than other animal products, it sustains [...] read more
  August 26, 2008 1:07 pm - 9 Comments
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  The world food summit - by frog

  
  
  
  Sue Kedgley’s postcards from Rome attracted a lot of comment on the blogosphere for her attacks both on free trade and wealthy nations’ subsidies of their own farmers.  From my perspective, being concerned about both of those things at the same time is an entirely consistent stance.  The reality is that wealthy and powerful countries [...] read more
  June 12, 2008 4:23 pm - 12 Comments
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  NGOs Cry Foul at FAO Food Conference - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  I’ve just come from the NGO’s presentation of their fiery declaration, which is in stark contrast to the bland ‘declaration’ of the high level conference which is bogged down in negotiations and still hasn’t been agreed to. The Minister Jim Anderton was pleased with New Zealand’s participation in the conference and felt we ‘waved the [...] read more
  June 9, 2008 10:55 am - 12 Comments
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  Food conference highjacked by free trade corporates - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  [Frog: This is the first of three posts sent to me from Sue Kedgley, who is attending the World Food Conference in Rome] As usual in these international conferences, clarity and truth came from civil society and the NGO’s than from the set piece speeches of most world leaders. NGO’s were treated appallingly at the [...] read more
  June 7, 2008 3:53 pm - 27 Comments
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  Carbon fin prints - by frog

  
  
  
  Jeanette’s question this afternoon on the Government’s claim to be the first carbon neutral country in the world resulted in the usual banter with the Michael Cullen, who was answering on behalf of the Prime Minister. Even National’s Nick Smith got in on the game, asking much the same as what many Green supporters have [...] read more
  May 29, 2008 9:15 pm - 17 Comments
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  Trade agreement with China – the right to change our mind - by frog

  
  
  
  Scoop’s Election 08 site has just posted a detailed analysis of the Annex 13 investment rules in New Zealand’s preferential trade agreement with China.  In it US Professor and international trade law expert, Matthew Porterfield, suggests New Zealand might gone too far in its efforts to protect the rights of foreign investors: “The language of [...] read more
  April 28, 2008 4:57 pm - No Comments
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  The drug deal - by frog

  
  
  
  One of the things we will be trading with China under our new preferential trade deal is drugs. And Sue Kedgley has just pointed out that provisions in the preferential China trade agreement require most goods to be fast tracked through borders within 48 hours. It seems highly likely that this will weaken the safety [...] read more
  April 23, 2008 12:27 pm - 3 Comments
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  A saga about bees, biosecurity and GE - by frog

  
  
  
  There was an article in the Gisborne Herald over the weekend where Gisborne beekeepers argued that the Government is sacrificing New Zealand’s environment and biosecurity in order to promote free trade. Beekeepers were protesting about the Biosecurity and Hazardous Substances Legislation Amendment Bill, which passed last week despite opposition from the Greens and the Maori [...] read more
  April 10, 2008 4:18 pm - 5 Comments
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  Winston’s credibility - by frog

  
  
  
  Like people from most corners of the political spectrum, defending Winston Peters doesn’t come naturally to me. But in this case I think he probably does deserve some support. Kiwiblog, Whale Oil, the Hive and others are all calling for Peters to resign following his announcement that NZ First will not be supporting the Preferential [...] read more
  April 9, 2008 8:15 am - 21 Comments
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  Helpful advice for Chinese farmers - by frog

  
  
  
  An NZPA story that I can’t yet find online has the Minister for Climate Change, David Parker, talking about the benefits that the preferential trade agreement with China might have for climate change: However, Mr Parker said the FTA was a realistic platform for New Zealand to have an influence on China’s pollution. “It is, [...] read more
  April 8, 2008 2:19 pm - 3 Comments
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  20 days to have your say on preferential trade with China - by frog

  
  
  
  You would probably expect me to be jumping up and down about these poll figures: Asked if they supported New Zealand signing a free trade agreement with China, 44.7 per cent of those questioned in the DigiPoll survey said they did. Just about a third – 32.4 per cent – said no, while 22.9 per [...] read more
  March 31, 2008 9:54 am - 32 Comments
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  Tibetan Rights Are Not For Sale - by frog

  
  
  
  This video from Green Party MP Keith Locke says it all. read more
  March 28, 2008 4:03 pm - 2 Comments
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  Trade with Ireland, Switzerland and Scandinavia - by frog

  
  
  
  The Prime Minister said this morning that: If New Zealand traded and entered into trade agreements only with countries with which it had identical interests and views, “then apart from Ireland and Switzerland and Scandinavia, it would be pretty thin pickings”. This seems to miss the point. We don’t have trade agreements with those countries [...] read more
  March 18, 2008 8:30 pm - 8 Comments
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  Free Trade gets blood on our hands - by frog

  
  
  
  New Zealand cannot stand silently by while Tibetan protesters are drowned in blood. – Keith Locke Cheers Rod. Cheers Keith. read more
  March 17, 2008 12:01 pm - 20 Comments