It’s Our Future: National Party appointee Mike Petersen has no mandate to speak about what the new government will or will not do with the TPPA-11

Activist group It’s Our Future, which has led the public campaign against the TPPA and more recently the TPPA-11, queries what basis National Party appointee and industry lobbyist Mike Petersen has to claim that the Labour-led government will sign up to the TPPA-11.

It’s Our Future Coordinator, Stephen Parry, says: “The National-led government pushed hard to sign off a TPPA-11 with minimal changes to the original TPPA document. Labour, however, has a clearly stated policy of restricting foreign ownership of existing housing stock which, among other policies, will require substantive renegotiation of the agreement. Labour’s coalition partners have both strongly criticised other elements of the TPPA, particularly the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions.”

“For a National Party-appointed trade envoy to claim to pre-empt the position of the new Labour-led government is misleading and inappropriate. The substance of what he has said is also highly dubious given the policy positions of the coalition parties.”

“It’s Our Future calls on the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and Trade Minister to take their time in developing a new trade policy to meet the country’s needs in the 21st century. New Zealanders were rightly disappointed not to have been meaningfully consulted in the TPPA negotiations to date, and we are expecting the new government to listen to New Zealander’s voices in deciding its future strategies and priorities in relation to international trade agreements."

ENDS

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