PM’s Post Cab Presser: New York and Flag Debate
Prime Minister John Key will attend the 70th anniversary of the United Nations in New York. If he gets the chance to
speak with President Obama he will discuss the current position of the TPP negotiations.
When questioned if the TPP would be concluded in the next two weeks John Key responded that while he didn’t think so,
there would be progress in New York.
Key said that he was not aware if the new Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull would be in New York. He did say
that there would be plenty of opportunities to meet him.
The issue of the flag choices on the first referendum was raised and Key once again emphasised that the process was the
most important thing. He stated that while there had been some disagreement about the short list selections, there would
always be “an element of subjectivity” involved. The Prime Minister also commented that “I suspect that every single
person who put in a submission thought that their flag was warranting of consideration”. This will no doubt be a huge
consolation for the designers of Lazar Kiwi and Eggsplosion.
When asked about the state of agriculture in New Zealand Key responded that while it had been “not a bad year across
agriculture”, Fonterra had been struggling with low pay outs.
This week the Passport Amendment Bill and the fair-trade agreement with South Korea will undergo further readings.
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