trade Archive

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  ‘Debating’ Foreign Policy: National and Green - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Yesterday, the NZ Institute of International Affairs held an important one-day seminar on ‘The Major Economic and Foreign Policy Issues facing New Zealand, 2012-17’. The programme is here. Some excellent presentations were made, especially by Rick Boven (NZ Institute) and Duncan Currie (oceans consultant). There were three political representatives. The Minister spoke at 8.45 am. [...] read more
  October 23, 2011 10:42 am - 3 Comments
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  Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Release the text - by frog

  
  
  
  The governments of nine countries are currently negotiating in secret for a far-reaching agreement called the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). John Key’s Government doesn’t want us to see the NZ position or any of the text until it is signed and sealed and cannot be changed. read more
  February 1, 2011 11:17 am - 15 Comments
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  Russel Norman roughed up by Chinese Vice President’s guards - by frog

  
  
  
  Stuff.co.nz says: Green MP Russel Norman had a Tibetan flag torn from his hands by a member of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping’s entourage when he arrived at Parliament today. Dr Norman said he believed it was one of the vice president’s security guards. Arriving in a convoy of around six vehicles with a police [...] read more
  June 18, 2010 2:36 pm - 51 Comments
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  David’s Diary #2 – bridging the divide - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Our second full day in Korea (and I do mean a full day!) has been illuminating in all sorts of ways, but the biggest buzz was entering North Korea (albeit briefly) without even having to produce a passport!  The opening session was a meeting over coffee with a professor of political studies from Chung-ang University, [...] read more
  March 24, 2010 12:14 pm - 1 Comment
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  The real economy suffers a stroke - by frog

  
  
  
  I´ll start with Wikipedia´s straightforward definition of a stroke: A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. This can be due to ischemia (lack of blood supply) caused by thrombosis or embolism or due to a hemorrhage. As a result, [...] read more
  November 15, 2008 4:00 pm - 81 Comments
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  Make peace not war - by frog

  
  
  
  And here’s more policy announcements.  Keith Locke and Kennedy Graham launched a 22 page foreign affairs policy tonight at the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Institute for International Affairs that: Introduces into our trading framework with other countries values like human rights, labour and environmental standards, ecologically-sustainable practices, local values and cultures, the right [...] read more
  September 17, 2008 8:55 pm - 102 Comments
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  Two questions in Parliament from Jeanette today - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s not often the Greens get allotted two questions in one day at Parliamentary question time. (I think today’s double dose might have come about due to some horse trading with the Maori Party?)  Anyway, they’re both good ones: Question 1 – Jeanette Fitzsimons to the Prime Minister Does she still aspire for New Zealand [...] read more
  May 29, 2008 11:27 am - 24 Comments
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  Chaotic protests at London Olympic torch relay - by frog

  
  
  
  It seems kind of strange that people in London are going to such lengths to highlight the moral issue of taking a torch to China where people will be running around in circles, jumping up and down, or throwing pointy sticks.  Meanwhile, here in New Zealand our government doesn’t see any moral quandary in choosing [...] read more
  April 7, 2008 10:34 am - 25 Comments
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  Keith at the Rally for Tibet - by frog

  
  
  
  I hopped along to Frank Kitts park at noon today to support the Rally for Tibet. Keith Locke spoke passionately about the plight of Tibet and the lunacy of giving preferential trade status to a country with such a poor record in so many areas. Peter Dunne spoke as well, and I must confess the [...] read more
  April 5, 2008 2:28 pm - 53 Comments
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  $0.5 billion trade debt with Thailand. China is next - by frog

  
  
  
  Last week I covered the growing trade deficit with Singapore since New Zealand signed a preferential trade agreement with Singapore in 2001. I also talked a bit about BERL‘s analysis of the beneficial effect that import replacement [pdf] could have on the economy. As well as Singapore New Zealand also signed a preferential trade agreement [...] read more
  March 25, 2008 9:35 am - 2 Comments
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  62,000 jobs or trade with China - by frog

  
  
  
  The latest statistics from our Overseas Merchandise Trade show that last year we exported $2.0 billion dollars worth of stuff to China. But we imported $5.6 billion dollars worth of stuff. That’s a total trade deficit of $3.6 billion with China alone (our trade deficit with the rest of the world tells a similar story) [...] read more
  March 24, 2008 1:19 pm - 28 Comments
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  $1.5 billion trade debt with little old Singapore. China is next - by frog

  
  
  
  I said one of the outstanding questions around preferential trade agreement with China was the economic impact it would have on New Zealanders. In 2001 New Zealand signed a preferential trade agreement with Singapore. Check out what it did for our balance of trade: TRADE WITH SINGAPORE Merchandise exports ($ m) Merchandise imports ($m) Merchandise [...] read more
  March 20, 2008 11:47 am - 13 Comments
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  Labour joins Winston in the gutter - by frog

  
  
  
  With the Minister of Foreign Affairs not in the house today to answers Keith’s question about the links between human rights and trade it was extraordinary to see the Deputy Prime Minister step not only into his shoes, but also his persona, by launching two ad hominem abusive attacks on Keith. Keith’s record on human [...] read more
  March 19, 2008 4:52 pm - 34 Comments
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  Keith vs Winston. Round 2 - by frog

  
  
  
  For those of you who enjoyed the debate in Parliament last week between Keith and Winston Peters, I’m pleased to announce that today it continues, with Keith intending to ask the following question in the house: Keith Locke to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What human rights abuses, if any, would lead him to advise [...] read more
  March 19, 2008 10:59 am - 1 Comment
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  Unanswered questions about trade with China - by frog

  
  
  
  There are three issues about a free trade agreement with China which I think the government and its support party, National, have failed to address: Is it moral to give preferential trading opportunities to a country with the type of human rights, environmental and labour right record that China is alleged to have by independent [...] read more
  March 19, 2008 8:32 am - 29 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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  Business as usual - by frog

  
  
  
  Minister of Trade Phil Goff, like the rest of the government, is currently concerned about climate change; seems it might be rather costly. ‘Stern estimating it at as much as 20 per cent of global GDP – as well as the obvious, potentially catastrophic, environmental costs.’ Luckily Goff doesn’t need to worry too much because [...] read more
  December 10, 2007 1:34 pm - 20 Comments