Fears of a sizeable protest from anti-TPPA protesters at the annual Ratana Church celebrations in January did not materialise.

But several speakers made reference to the deal and how it could affect New Zealanders.

A number of forcefully expressed misgivings about the free trade deal and urged the Government to delay its signing, until it is discussed more thoroughly with Kiwis.

After fielding criticism, the prime minister John Key responded with an impassioned address about his support for Maori which drew heckles from some in the crowd.

Mr Paraone, who is also a New Zealand First MP, said fiery outbursts from local elders on Waitangi Day always attracted attention but they gave the annual festival a bad rap.

Mr Paraone said people tend to confuse the political shenanigans at the marae on 5 February with Waitangi Day itself, which had for many years now been a peaceful day of ceremony and entertainment.

The organising committee generally received about $80,000 from the government to run the official programme, but he believed the Crown might be more generous if the marae did not repeatedly make unfriendly noises in the lead up to Waitangi Day.

Although the marae got a small amount of that funding to cover the costs of entertaining official guests, including the Governor-General, the Navy and the Crown, it also relied heavily on volunteers to provide food and service the needs of the manuhiri from 4-6 February.

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

Drennan said there was growing social tension experienced throughout the world, including in New Zealand, regarding the TPPA.

"Often we think of protests as a series of 'nos', but we can also make it a series of 'yeses'," he said.

"Yes to fairness and justice and yes to a vision of our world that upholds a united global family that also respects rather than squashes regional goals and aspirations."

Read Bishop Drennan's Blog - Its's time for me to protest again.

Protests against the Trans-Pacific Partnership took place in 22 towns and cities thought the country on the weekend.

More than 3000 people marched in Auckland with a symbolic "Trojan horse" representing the TPPA being pulled along by corporate groups and an "Uncle Sam" character representing United States interests.

Radio New Zealand reported that in Wellington hundreds of people marched from Midland Park to Parliament.

In Christchurch, almost 3000 people were reported to have gathered in Shand's Crescent in Addington before a march to Hagley Park.

In Dunedin, about 1500 people took part in the rally in the Octagon.

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• Scoop
• Image: Stuff.co.nz

Although negotiators have agreed to the broad outlines of the TPP agreement, a new trade issue has created a snag in the process: the inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement provisions. Australia has refused to accept the investor-state dispute settlement, and U.S. industry associations are urging President Barack Obama to overcome these objections. These investor-state dispute settlement provisions have been included in U.S. investment treaties and trade agreements with more than 50 countries, and there are over 2,500 of these accords currently on record. These provisions, however, give advantages to large economies and can cripple small island states like Pacific Island nations.

Obama describes the TPPA as a "a trade agreement for the 21st century" that improves on and rectifies past problems in U.S. trade and investment treaties. Nine countries are currently negotiating the TPPA: the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. Japan is in preliminary talks, and Canada and Mexico are looking to join. Although the negotiations are being held in secret, leaked documents confirm that the TPPA is a "NAFTA on steroids." Contrary to democratic practice, the documents connected to the negotiations will remain secret for four years after being signed or dismissed.

The United States is leading the negotiations and has a great deal of influence over the outcome of the agreement, which covers a vast range of subject matters, including tariffs on goods, trade in services, labor and the environment, telecommunications, and intellectual property. For Pacific Islands, however, the investor rights chapters may offer the greatest challenge to Pacific Island environmental resources.

Continue reading Vacuuming up the Pacific's resources

Image source: Celsias NZ

The Trans Pacific Partnership, which is an inter-government agreement between New Zealand and eight other nations, is another part of the intricate web mentioned in an earlier opinion piece.

The Trans Pacific Partnership is important, more because of what it is not, rather than what we might expect it to be; a free trade agreement between sovereign nations.

• The Trans Pacific Partnership is not transparent - details are to be kept secret for 4 years - not open to public scrutiny by a decision of the National government in response to a widely supported petition, but later governments will still be bound by its provisions.
• The Trans Pacific Partnership is not free or equal trade - NZ will be obliged to lower or even scrap its tariffs, but may not receive access to other markets on the same terms. I note that Bill English said recently that it may take a year before NZ lowers its tariffs to Pacific Island nations. Australia concluded an agreement with the U.S. in 2005, and is still waiting for access for its sugar to the U.S. market. Other agreements are stalled in the U.S. Congress and are unlikely to proceed in 2012, a Presidential election year.
• The Trans Pacific Partnership may become possible for foreign governments to scrutinise or influence NZ legislation, or even sue the NZ government, if its profits are constrained - a Swedish nuclear energy company is suing the German government over its policy to close nuclear energy plants. Philip Morris has attempted to sue Australia over plain packaging for cigarettes.
• Protection of the environment may not be included or enforceable in the negotiations. If Solid Energy is sold off, we will have little power to include environmental concerns over increased CO2 emissions in its terms of reference. Deep sea prospecting and mining exploration appear to be exempt from the EPA in NZ now.

These are only some of the serious drawbacks to NZ signing The Trans Pacific Partnership largely controlled by the U.S., unless we, the people, have the right to scrutinise its provisions. Our jobs, wages and industries will all be at risk, our economy pushed further into the red. Do we seriously believe that the enormously powerful farm lobby or the fossil fuel industry in the U.S. will be happy to see their profits threatened by our requirements to preserve our ‘clean, green image' in trading with us?

It behoves us to inform ourselves and demand credible answers from our politicians - whom some of us elected on 26 November.

Patricia Kane is a retired librarian and a grandmother