Politicians welcome TPPA signing

Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller welcomes the formal signing of the TPP in Auckland, heralding it as a milestone for the country and a lightning rod of opportunity for local Bay businesses.

'Our city has been built on the belief that our success depends on someone else, often thousands of miles away, valuing what we produce and manufacture.


BOP MP Todd Muller is welcoming the signing of the TPPA.

'This agreement further underpins our entrepreneurial spirit and should be embraced strongly. It's extremely important in supporting the growth that's occurring across our region” says Todd.

'Let others try and search the 600 pages for imagined demons, let us in the Bay focus on what is possible. Let our businesses and service industries collaborate and soar into 11 countries and their close to 1 billion people.”

Trade Minister Todd McClay signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership on behalf of New Zealand, at a ceremony in Auckland at noon on Thursday.

'Twelve Asia-Pacific countries have come together to set a new standard for trade and investment in the region,” says Todd.

'TPP was signed by Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Viet Nam.

'In addition to hosting signature, New Zealand will be the Depositary for TPP. This means we take responsibility for some administrative functions.”

The Government will submit the final signed text of TPP and the National Interest Analysis to Parliament.

The legislative changes to implement TPP will then go through normal policy and Parliamentary procedures.

'Signature marks the end of the negotiating process. The text of TPP is agreed, but not yet legally binding.”

The TPP is expected to come into force within two years of signature, once countries have completed their domestic legislative procedures.

'The Government will be running nation-wide roadshows for the public and business, to ensure New Zealand is ready to take advantage of new opportunities from the first day TPP enters into force,” says Todd.

Prime Minister John Key says the TPP will be overwhelmingly positive for New Zealand in supporting more trade and investment, jobs and incomes.

'Today is a significant day, not only for New Zealand but for the other 11 countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” says John.

'I'm proud of the role the New Zealand Government and officials have played in getting to this point.

'TPP will provide much better access for goods and services to more than 800 million people across the TPP countries, which make up 36 per cent of global GDP.

'The Agreement has been many years in the making and I acknowledge the efforts of all TPP countries in bringing negotiations to a conclusion.

'TPP is our biggest-ever free trade deal and is estimated to boost our economy by at least $2.7 billion a year by 2030. That will help to diversify our economy and mean more jobs and higher incomes for New Zealanders,” says John.

'It is New Zealand's first FTA relationship with five of the TPP countries, including the largest and third-largest economies in the world – the United States and Japan. Successive New Zealand Governments have been working to achieve this for 25 years.”

New Zealand needs to build new global markets, and the TPP will help make that happen.

'I believe strongly that New Zealand's future is in being open and connected to the rest of the world,” says John.

The next step is for member countries to ratify the agreement so it can come into force.

'We will encourage all countries to complete their domestic ratification processes as quickly as possible. This is because the TPP is not only good for New Zealand, it is really positive for the Asia Pacific region.

'Other countries have already signalled an interest in joining TPP and this could lead to even greater regional economic integration. A more prosperous and therefore secure region, is in all of our interests,” says John.

ACT Leader David Seymour says those involved in the scenes outside Sky City should have stayed home and read about the benefits of trade or, better still, gone to work.

'Yesterday was a chance to showcase New Zealand on the world stage. Instead, international media is broadcasting ugly, self-righteous hooliganism,” says David.

'They picked a bad year to protest. After 30 years of increasing trade, global absolute poverty will fall below 10 per cent for the first time in history. Absolute poverty has dropped two thirds over that period.

'Not to mention free trade being responsible for the cheap made-in-China clothes on the protesters' backs,” says David.

'The signing of the TPP is a huge win for New Zealand, and even bigger for developing countries such as Vietnam.

'Our exporters have increased access to huge markets. The volume of dairy concessions, for example, is actually greater than those gained in Labour's NZ-China free trade agreement.

'What's saddest, and indeed pathetic, about the protesters is that they're actually objecting to very real improvements in the lives of impoverished people from around the globe.

'ACT has always been Parliament's biggest cheerleader of free trade. Even Helen Clark knew she could always counts on ACT's votes for trade initiatives. Today we're celebrating.”

Labour leader Andrew Little says the stage managed signing of the partnership at a casino in Auckland highlights the division National's handling of the deal has caused in New Zealand.

'The Government's whole management of the agreement has been botched, from the total secrecy, to ramming it down people's throats,” says Andrew.

'This has caused a deep divide, and inviting international leaders to sign it just two days before Waitangi – our national day – has added salt to that wound.

'Labour is a pro-free trade party, but the TPP goes further than other agreements in undermining our democracy. We shouldn't need a permission slip from foreign corporations to pass our own laws. That's why Labour cannot support the agreement in its current form.

'Other countries such as Australia and Malaysia are able to ban foreigners from buying their homes. New Zealand cannot under this deal. That's just not right,” says Andrew.

'Open and transparent debate is crucial to a healthy democracy but the TPP process and John Key's handling of the deal after it was signed has damaged that.”

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3 comments

Will any

Posted on 05-02-2016 08:20 | By Merlin

Will any gains from the TPP if any be shared with the workers .I think not just increased profits for the business and corporates.There was to much secrecy until to forced to release detail.


Lets get some cheaper politicians

Posted on 05-02-2016 08:40 | By Captain Sensible

Let's make it fair seeing as MP's like the TPPA so much. As all of us can be replaced by a Chinese or Filipino under the TPPA, how about letting us vote for a Filipino or Chinese politician in the next election in every electorate? They are cheaper and work harder than the ones we have now. Come on Todd Muller, are you up for that? Why should MP's be exempt from the laws they pass?


In the long run will TTPA cost us more?

Posted on 05-02-2016 16:45 | By Ken Ring

If after their elections the US remains Republican-led, the TTPA will fail to be ratified. The TTPA is leftwing and a one-world government socialist enterprise - remember Helen Clark championed it - and America still runs on oil and coal. Labour members are divided, ACT supports free trade in all its forms, and NZ First won't support anything that reduces our own policymaking. Today, the day after the signing in NZ, Obama proposed a carbon tax of $10 per barrel. This is his foot-in-the-door for carbon taxes. Because oil prices are low people will think it is affordable. Having set the stage for carbon taxes and softened minds, it will be an easy matter to raise the tax later. Once the US has a carbon tax in place, under this or other trade deals NZ may be obligated to follow sui


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