STOP the TPPA! Rally – TPPA Wellington - Absolutely Positively Opposed?

Thousands of people will march and rally at centres around New Zealand in It's our Future Rallies. Wellington will host a family friendly rally this Saturday 8 November at 1:00pm gathering at the Cuba St. Bucket Fountain and marching to the Wellington Civic Square to support and hear speeches outlining our understanding of Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

People across the country are rallying to support a return to public interest - placing people and planet before the interests of corporations and profit. Wellington is one of 16 rallies and Anti-TPPA Action events throughout Aotearoa – New Zealand.

In Wellington marchers will assemble in Wellington at Cuba St Bucket Fountain from 1:00 pm for a march to the City heart at the Civic Square. Speakers and entertainers will provide rich content for the gathering.

Wellington TPPA Action spokesperson Ariana Paretutanganui- Tamati encourages people to 'participate in the Wellington TPPA rally and learn more about Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement negotiations. It is imperative that all New Zealanders know about what this Government is negotiating in secret on our behalf as the TPPA has wide-reaching implications for us all and threaten such things as internet freedoms, affordable medicines, our environment, workers’ rights, small businesses and our sovereignty.”

“We are deliberately meeting at Civic Square as the Rally emphasis is on generating support for the Wellington City Council, and other Local Councils in the Greater Wellington Region, to adopt a 12 point TPPA resolution (attached) calling on the Government to safeguard their ability to make decisions in the best interests of the public that may arise, or be impacted on, by the TPPA. Other Councils throughout the country are being lobbied to adopt the resolution. Petitions calling on the Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Kapiti City Councils to adopt the resolution will be circulated at the Rally.”

“What we know about the TPPA, through leaked text, is that its emphasis is on protecting the profitability of corporations and their investments at the detriment of public interests and the environment.”

“'National Interest must be defined in terms that promote the public interest. The government is elected as our servant and should enact legislation in the best interests of the public. The TPPA will undermine their ability to do so. We are appealing to the public to join us in sending a strong message to this Government this Saturday to “STOP the TPPA” and join us in getting our Local Councils to adopt the TPPA resolution says Ms Paretutanganui-Tamati.

Speakers at the rally at Parliament will address themselves to the impacts on Zealand's quality of life and sovereign ability to legislate in the public interest.

Free Trade Agreements such as North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) blunt and arbitrary in their effect on victim populations. NAFTA has destroyed Mexico's indigenous corn agriculture, and replaced it with industrial scale mono cropping based on Monsanto's GMO corn varieties. These have reduced the sovereignty of the farmers and increased the dislocation of people from their previous supportive communities.

TPPA and the Free Trade Agreement agenda, will also negatively effect climate change and promote environmental destruction.

This comes particularly through the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provision of the Investment Chapter of the TPPA. This investment chapter is promoted aggressively by the corporation's champion, the US Trade Authority (US Trade). They demand that New Zealand's negotiators at the Trade Negotiations Division (TND) of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), agree to these insidious provisions who's object is to undermine public interest.

Other Speakers include Sue Kedgley, Greater Wellington Regional Councillor and former Green Party MP. She is most concerned at the effect TPPA will have on all local government and food sovereignty. Dr Gay Keating will be cautioning how the TPPA will threaten Pharmac’s role, the availability of affordable medicines and enacting public health regulations like Smokefree 2025.

Greg Rzesniowiecki will report on the campaign to gain local government's agreement to a public interest TPPA policy formula based on a decision made by Auckland Council in December 2012. This policy has since been adopted by Nelson City, Tasman District, Christchurch City and Dunedin City Councils.

Other Councils to address TPPA include; Greater Wellington Regional, Palmerston North City, Horizons Regional, Horowhenua District and lately Wanganui District Council all who call on Central Government to negotiate an agreement in the best National Interest..

There will be 350 `Stop the TPPA’ signs held by participants at the Rally.

Ends.

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