The recent high-fiving between the government and agricultural exporters over ratification of the TPPA (Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement) is empty gesture politics in an election year. Ratification by New Zealand means nothing. New Zealand law changes are not implemented unless the agreement ‘comes into force’ and this can’t happen unless the United States (US) ratifies. President […]
News that Prime Minister Bill English is expected to try and resuscitate the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) when he meets with his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull this weekend makes me question why English is intent on flogging this particular dead horse. Most of the very small economic gains to New Zealand from the TPPA were […]
Donald Trump didn’t kill the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), popular opinion did. Trump – and Hillary Clinton for that matter – wouldn’t have campaigned against the TPPA if they didn’t think that would align them with public opinion. In New Zealand, opinion polls consistently showed that a majority of people opposed the TPPA. In Europe, […]
The lesson from the demise of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) should have been that it is time to re-think this type of so-called trade agreement. But despite warnings from internationally-recognised experts, there are more secretive “trade” negotiations happening this week, and the risks are huge. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is being negotiated […]
Top of the “to do” list for incoming President Trump (it will take a while to get used to writing that) are changes to trade policy. Number one is rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). He will be supported by a Republican Congress and Senate, so it is now clear that the TPPA, as […]
Yesterday in Parliament I asked the Prime Minister if he is planning to change our laws to implement the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), even before it is clear if the US Congress will ratify it. The Prime Minister said he was going to push ahead with changing our laws and wouldn’t wait to see if […]
The protests against the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) yesterday were an energetic show of people power. It was great to see such a big turnout – at least 15,000 in Auckland by some estimates. That’s a lot of people not buying the National Government’s spin on the TPPA. I was at the Auckland protests […]
On Wednesday, John Key visited the southern Coromandel area with local National MP Scott Simpson and was challenged by citizens who spontaneously organised protests against the Government position on the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). I went down to Waihi expecting a handful of people but in fact there were 50 locals, many of […]
Have a read of this interesting opinion piece on NBR about the ramifications the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will have for software patents in New Zealand. I think the most interesting part that Paul Matthews hits on is that by signing the TPPA, New Zealand law could be overridden. New Zealand recently completed a […]
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.