Further meetings about the TPPA were held around the country on the weekend. More actions are being held this week in Christchurch and Wellington (see below).
First, some commentary from the meetings on the weekend,
… there are more similar agreements in the pipeline (RCP with Asian countries; the re-working of the China FTA; the deal with the EU; one with Sth and central American countries)
submit to the NZ select committee after the agreement is signed in Chile on March 8 – when some of the contents will be published – say “no” to re-activating the clauses put on hold – the US will try to revive them
say “no” to ISDS clauses in any future agreements
there is no protection against being sued by corporates for climate change measures; Treaty-related legislation; legislation for better workers’ rights; health care legislation, etc, etc
… I estimate there were around 300+ people there.
I also recall going to some anti-TPPA demos in Auckland in recent years where the turnout was small. the big demo came in more recent years.
We are in a re-grouping phase. Kelsey praised us for what has been achieved – delaying the TPPA for several years, for example, and the big demos. The message to us was to continue to hold the line
You can sign the petition at dontdoit.nz, they want 5,000 signatures before the signing day on the 8th. They currently have 4,650.
Far fewer people turned out at the anti CPTPP rally today than those when National was in power. It’s essentially still the same deal that @jacindaardern called ‘a dog’ when in Opposition. If you don’t believe the @nzlabour spin, sign this: https://t.co/CmqgRZl2mfpic.twitter.com/54Wq1abkeA
The text of the TPP hasn't significantly changed, and all the problems with it that existed when National wanted it are still there, yet Labour is going to push it through. Let them know they're wrong, sign and if you're in Welly, march on thursday at noon. https://t.co/B5vP6I5Amg
“The results overwhelming show the public support for the government to take a second, independent, look at the agreement before they sign us up to a deal which could restrict the ability of our government to make laws in the public interest” says ActionStation spokesperson Rick Zwaan.
Mikey Brenndorfer – speaking on the health analysis:
Moana Maniapoto – speaking on holding the lines, and Te Tiriti, and independent analysis:
Bryan Bruce – speaking on the implications of the TPPA and similar trade deals, and on why trickle down theory doesn’t work internationally either:
Tell me again how free trade works?
Laila Harre – speaking on holding the lines and labour rights:
Jane Kelsey – speaking on the spin, current state of play and actions needed moving forward:
Last week Christchurch group Our Children’s Futurelocked themselves to train tracks to protest the TPPA,
Background to the week of action, and the state of play regarding the TPPA, is at It’s Our Future.
On Thursday the 8th of March (signing day), we invite you to join us outside of Parliament at lunchtime to send a strong resounding message to the government that we do not want the TPPA or any similar trade deals in the future. It’s our future – the future of our children, we want truly progressive trade deals!
Our Nationwide Day of Action has morphed into a Nationwide Week of Action
It's not weakening our sovereignty, it's streamlining it. Right-sizing our democracy for late capitalism. Look at being sued by multinationals as an opportunity, not a challenge
We demonstrably do have a liar ( in fact two) in power, as to fetishist, who know’s and regardless – what people do in their own time is their business.
No , no ,… no,… I’m afraid your confusing this govt with the last poor excuse for one that was recently ousted…
As for the TTPA 2… well,… yes its time to roll up ones sleeves and put the ultimatum , – we don’t want it , -and if you want to stay on side with the people of this country , – DON’T DO IT !!!
Got a few things to do this arvy but will be signing.
As for lies, if you actually followed what I said during the campaign, I attacked labour for their economic policy over and over. So really your comments about lies, stunned mullet is ideological, and just not correct. .
I was disappointed when National failed to get back in but that blows been softened considerably by Labours many about faces since they’ve been in power
Sure I would have preferred National but National-lite is ok with me
No , it means they have not truly comprehended the public outcry and the ensuing outcome and fate that the last dictatorial government suffered partially because of it ,…
RNZ coverage of TPP protests – YouTube
john campbell coverage of TPPA protests youtube▶ 2:26:32
Yes indeed, however , the last protests were an indication of public feeling then , – and the way it is was being rammed through… the latest rounds may just be an eye opener.
I think you’re being a little uncharitable there. There is a phenomenon where some people don’t care about things they thought were bad if “their team” now supports them. It is one of the bad things about our lot getting into government. I’d say that and uncritically buying the Labour line about how they “improved” the deal is why opposition to (CPA)TPP is so much quieter atm.
natural ebbs and flows too. Some people will be feeling like it’s a done deal so what is the point of protesting. I like the regrouping message from the organisers.
I think that’s the value in continued protests even if they are just small (and yet backed by the 75% poll). It keeps the issue on the agenda, and allows those deeper conversations to happen.
Trick now is, what direction do we want those conversations to go?
I suspect some Labour members or supporters don’t want to challenge the government now labour is finally leading it.
However, I would point out that at the Aotea Square meeting on Sunday, Laila Harre spoke about being a Labour party member, while also publicly opposing the latest TPPA-11.
Moana Maniapoto talked about how she celebrated when Labour formed a government with NZF and Greens as support. She cracked open the wine. She said that this government is and will do many good things. but that we should still hold them to account when necessary.
I’m not suggesting theres anything wrong in owning multiple houses I’m merely using that link as a round about way to suggest that this government is using the media to lull everybody to sleep and to not worry about hard decisions
I had hoped there would have been large numbers of people showing up to various demonstrations, not with illusions that the signing of the TPP could be averted, but more to let the government know it had been put on notice for signing it.
“Let’s not do this” when we’re talking about a done deal, struck me and strikes me as an odd piece of messaging – one that doesn’t exactly give people a worthwhile reason to turn out.
After all, when the horse has bolted, what’s the point in rushing to the stable doors?
You make a good point, Bill. Howver, I get that it is an echo of Labour’s election slogan “Let’s Do This”.
But also, it’s not over yet. First the relevant Bill has still to go through Parliament, and we are being encouraged to submit to the select committee – for some that could mean as little as a paragraph stating opposition to the agreement.
Also, if you look at the It’s Our Future site, there’s a drop down menu (“Other Agreements”) focused on upcoming agreements with some similar dodgy elements. Kelsey flagged this in her speech in Auckland at the weekend. there’s TISA, the RCEP, and an update of the NZ-China free trade agreement.
Also, it’s inevitable that there will be a drop off in momentum. A recent poll show people want an independent analysis of the TPPA – I guess in the light of Labour-NZF doing their about turn on it. Some people want more info. And it is hard to keep up momentum over time there will be lulls and resurgences.
And the US/Trump is looking like wanting back in, which will re-activate the suspended sections – probably with a vengeance.
3 – 0 down. 5 min left on the clock. “It’s not over yet.”
Except, as far as the TTP goes, it is over. The Bill will sail through Parliament on tail winds created by NZ Labour and the National Party.
True, that’s not necessary the case with other Agreements. Though National and NZ Labour will keep on supplying those tail winds – unless or until the anti is upped on NZ Labour and it’s made abundantly clear to them that by signing such deals they sign their own death warrant in terms of electability.
But do enough people care enough? Do enough people understand well enough to use the only Parliamentary leverage available and commit to voting Green? Will the Green Party go loud and proud with its opposition?
Parker has spouted tosh about fantastic negotiating that changed everything when in fact nothing of substance was altered. And he got away with it! How come?
It all sounds terribly dismal, I know, but…
On the bright side, the world is shifting, and the formerly secure liberal consensus of that muddled middle that gave us “Blair” and “Third Way” and Clinton’s “triangulations” is getting washed out.
NZ might be a shore somewhat distant to that wave. But it will arrive. And it doesn’t have to hit these shores before having an effect, given that it takes a number of partners to dance that “free trade” jig 😉
Make no mistake, it is exactly the same txt as the original agreement by the National party but has a few pages added onto that suspends some provisions mostly on health that they can just stop suspending if they rejoin.
The ISDS is still in there. There is NO protection of ISDS at all. Apparently there may be for a few countries in the side letters so there is still NO protection for this in the agreement.
The EU has now said they will NOT allow ISDS clauses in their agreements any longer. Pity the Labour government can show some guts and actually do the same instead of the weak and feeble approach, like National.
The US mandated that climate change was removed from every part of TPPA. When they left, NZ under the Labour and NZ First Government DID NOT put in climate change clauses.
This is AFTER Jacinda Ardern saying that climate change was her issue of the 21st century. (Obviously leaving Parker in charge is not working if that is true).
The PM will be judged by this agreement, so it is Jacinda’s name as the number one person who was a hypocrite, when it all goes wrong with climate change and NZ will be unable to act quickly due to this type of dinosaur agreement to protect corporation profits now and in the future, not the people who live in the country or this environment.
On average the ISDS clauses are used once a week around the world. As resources get fewer the corporations are keener to protect their profits and their lawyers thinking of new ways to profit from them.
It takes the decision making on these legal matters AWAY from NZ legislation. It is not even a real court that is used, it’s a business type tribunal.
India was unable to do solar panels to help it’s climate change obligations under the free trade agreements it was part of.
If the WTO restricts buy local, I wonder if the Indians have considered copying the Americans and applying tariffs on imported solar panels so they are not competitively priced?
NAFTA’s Chapter 11 Makes Canada Most-Sued Country Under Free Trade Tribunals
“Canada is the most-sued country under the North American Free Trade Agreement and a majority of the disputes involve investors challenging the country’s environmental laws, according to a new study.’
The upgrade to the FTA with China should not be much of a problem, it is just asking that we get access on the same (better) terms they later gave Oz.
We can offer support for (their) RCEP and continued support for One Belt if they agree. RCEP is just a total in package of existing FTA (with China and ASEAN) expanded to include others (such as India).
The South Americans will not push corporate rights and the EU is not the threat in these matters that the US is.
TPP is a done deal, maybe a push to have the government and opposition agree to block US admission to TPP unless it is on existing terms (the US does not get what they would have if they signed up now) would be useful.
RCEP is not uncontroversial. There is a very good opportunity to improve it and shape it into a better deal with our participation, but it would require Labour and New Zealand First living up to their rhetoric on trade, and actually trying to export some of our values around labour rights and environmentalism overseas.
While the RCEP negotiations to date do not appear to go as far as the TPPA, risks that have been identified so far are inclusion of Investor-State Dispute Settlement provisions and a likely impact on the availability of medicines.
The RCEP negotiations are officially due to be finished by the end of the year. In reality, however, commentators predict that the agreement will take much longer to conclude, if at all, due to competing visions for the agreement and the very different strategic interests of the parties.
TISA is a radical extension of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). It binds countries to a neoliberal regime for services.
The Trade in Services Agreement (“TiSA”) is a proposed agreement to roll back regulation of international trade in services. There are 23 countries involved in the negotiations, the most significant being the EU (who negotiate as a single bloc) and the US.
…
if it is agreed to, it will have a big effect on New Zealand’s ability both to regulate in the public interest and to support local organisations to provide service to the New Zealand public.
In a nutshell, the idea of TiSA is to make it easier for service providers (such banks, insurance companies, internet service provider, freight companies and healthcare providers) to sell their services to consumers in another country. This would be done by stripping away regulations and other practices which get in the way of corporate profits.
On the NZ-China-FTA update, nothing on the webpage yet. but under the RCEP page it says:
At one end, New Zealand, Australia and Japan are pushing for an [RCEP] agreement with tough rules similar to the TPPA, including for investment and trade in services. At the other end, China is reportedly pushing for a more traditional free trade agreement focusing on reductions in tariffs on goods.
If Labour can be convinced to hold the line against ISDS in any future FTA, where New Zealand take China’s side on this vs Japan/Oz in RCEP talks in return for their upgrading our access to their market to what they gave Oz in their FTA, there is a win win for us.
We have to be partner fluid/straddle the two sides to realise what is best for us.
And as for the USA coming into TPP – why not have Labour oppose this unless there is a side deal where we and the US have a mutual opt out of ISDS?
The problem with this umbrella corporation lead type global trading approach, which this latest step is a further ratcheting up of, is that it an approach based on all the wonders of socialism efficiency and dynamism, without the govt aspect.
The Chinese, for all the weightage of the structural cul-de sacs that they have ( & for the significance of the challenge that brings, it is of note that the situation there has changed to indefinite terms of power), at least have a nationalistic govt with power to provide some overview to things in their population’s interest.
So another relative win for China in the wings with the global trading positions, which it can not be blamed for taking the opportunities of when served up to them voluntarily, by anchorless power structures.
which it [China] can not be blamed for taking the opportunities of when served up to them voluntarily, by anchorless power structures.
Would you class the signing by the National Government in May 2017 during the visit by Xi Jinping of an MOU with China on mutual BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) development as being such an opportunity?
I don’t recall any great concern, protests etc on this at the time.
Here is a recent update just a few days ago, which claims amongst other things that NZ’s signing this MOU was out of step with Australia (who refused to sign such an MOU) and India, Japan and the US.
If you followed the election campaign closely and the promises made by Jacinda and Labour, then there was no reason not to vote for Labour. They made all the right principled noises and sounded like they wanted to make positive change.
However there was always that suspicion that they are still the tired old mob from 1984.
And within 6 months they do this. Sign up to a treaty the marched on the streets against. Even worse than that they lied by claiming the minor adjustments were something they negotiated whereas now it seems the Tories had already negotiated everything.
This broken promise has left me deflated about this government.
I am going to increase my donations to the Green Party as they need to become much more influential heading into 2020.
Occidental v. Ecuador
In October 2012, an ICSID tribunal awarded a judgment of $1.8 billion for Occidental Petroleum against the government of Ecuador.[42] Additionally, Ecuador had to pay $589 million in backdated compound interest and half of the costs of the tribunal, making its total penalty around $2.4 billion.[42] The South American country annulled a contract with the oil firm on the grounds that it violated a clause that the company would not sell its rights to another firm without permission. The tribunal agreed the violation took place but judged that the annulment was not fair and equitable treatment to the company.[42]
Putting people’s fates into a bunch of lawyers is never a good idea. Law mostly benefits the rich.
Have a look at the Little vs Hagaman case. Even though Little was found not guilty, the Haganman went back for another trial.
In this way, it is not about a person (or country) being right or wrong when you are encouraging litigation, it is about power imbalances and using the law to imbalance, disrupt and scare freedom of speech, while delegating decision making to others to decide a person or (countries) fate.
It’s about to get a lot worse in NZ! Already the councils are out of control, imagine what they will do after this agreement is signed, more and more environmental degradation and decisions to empower rich and take and marginalise the poor.
Now they have an agreement for multinational chemical and oil companies among other’s, to join in the subjugation!
You are dead right and given the tax $$ of this TPP mess you can expect more tax gouging of the average Kiwi from the political parasites to pay for it all in years to come.
Socialism for the rich, capitalism for everyone else.
Perhaps we were all being naive after 30+ years of politicians ignoring the wishes of voters to think that the situation would suddenly, magically, be transformed after the recent election.
All this really proves is voting is participation in your own oppression and those of others. Suffice to say I’m done with these creeps for good unless by some miracle a group with integrity turns up but after all this time I wont hold my breath.
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Get a load of these things! Some of these animals are just crazy. You wouldn’t want a single one of these animals anywhere near your kids. It could ruin them for life. Last thing you’d want is your kid growing up around any of these, and thinking that’s what animals ...
What follows is today’s 1pm health update from the Ministry of HealthThere are 12 new cases of Covid-19 today, six in managed isolation, three escaped, and three are wealthy foreigners so it’s fine.One of these cases is a man in his 50s who visited Auckland sex club Fisting ...
This is a breaking news event, and further updates and clarifications may be forthcoming. With less than three hours to go in the election campaign, The National Party is holding an emergency meeting to elect a new leader, one they hope can turn things around in the final one and ...
Collins says she was “ever so close” to finishing everything up, but a family member died, her computer crashed, and she just needs “a little more time” to get things right. In a late move this evening, Judith Collins has written an urgent letter to the Electoral Commission requesting a ...
This blog post is part 1 of a series of excerpts from The Debunking Handbook 2020. The list of references is available here. Misinformation can do damage Misinformation is false information that is spread either by mistake or with intent to mislead. When there is intent to mislead, it is ...
I am no stranger to lost causes. And, while there is always hope, it does appear that David Seymour’s “End of Life Choice” law will receive the necessary endorsement of voters to finally legalise assisted suicide in this country. A significant minority of voters will dissent, however.I will be one ...
On the eve of the election, the Prime Minister wants New Zealanders to know the Greens will be given a very small seat at the table, quite literally. In the final hours of the campaign, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has made a forceful appeal to the electorate not to be ...
Time Magazine has put out a list of the hundred best fantasy books of all time: https://time.com/collection/100-best-fantasy-books/ It is bad. Very bad. I get that this is clickbait nonsense, but… really. Time Magazine ought to be ashamed of themselves. Ostensibly, the selection process was as follows: ...
I have looked at election polling for last four elections and have noticed a concerning pattern. The Green Party's polling leading up to each election is stronger than what they actually achieve, then the poll immediately afterwards is always considerably higher. For most parties the opposite is generally the case. ...
Last year, the government passed the Zero Carbon Act, setting short-term and long-term goals for carbon reduction. And they're already saying that they will fail to meet them: Environment Minister David Parker appears to have already given up on the country’s ability to meet the 2030 methane goal set ...
It’s that time of year when school students become seriously focused on exams. This year has been messy for student learning, and has affected some students more than others, but the NCEA external assessments and the Scholarship exams are going ahead pretty-much as normal. I’ve taken some interest in the ...
"I Like It!" “Shall I tell you the real reason to legalise cannabis? Because all the stuff I’ve told you, while true, isn’t enough. You should legalise cannabis because you’d like it. No, actually, you’d loveit! Cannabis makes food taste better. It turns music into magic. It suppresses pain and nausea ...
Judith Collins - National Party leaderYou can tell the National Party is in damage control mode most of the time these days. Instead of being able to provide any valid alternative to a Labour led Government, Judith Collins is going out of her way to be controversial just to get ...
Kia ora tātou kātoa. Ngā mihi maioha ki a koutou Te Roopu Kakariki, ngā kaitautoko, e aroha ana I te kaupapa mo te taiao me te mokopuna. No reira tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. I am so proud to be standing here tonight, at the end of an ...
On Election Night three years ago I stood up in front of you to say, “We are still here!” Well, tonight, not only are we still here, we are the first support party in MMP history to have started and finished a term in government above the 5% threshold. We ...
A new report showing that the effects of climate change are already being felt in Aotearoa New Zealand shows the importance of the Green Party pushing for urgent action in the next Government. ...
The Green Party is the only party in Parliament which is explicitly committing to protecting public conservation land and the indigenous plants and wildlife which live there, from destructive mining. ...
As of today, over 1.4 million New Zealanders have already cast their votes in this year’s election. While this shows that a huge number of people have already made up their minds about who they want to lead our country, there are many who are still undecided. ...
The Labour Party understands how important continuity, stability and clarity are for New Zealanders in these uncertain times. That’s why, in our 2020 Election Manifesto, we’re setting out how we will continue to invest in people, jobs, small businesses, infrastructure, and global trade, to set New Zealand up for the ...
Today the Green Party’s conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage went kayaking on Akaroa Harbour to highlight the greater protection achieved for Hector’s and Maui dolphins this term and the Greens’ election commitment to supporting sustainable tourism. ...
“Collins has warned voters to expect a wealth tax. This is despite the fact Labour has ruled this out a number of times.” – Jason Walls, NZ Herald. “The Labour Party has ruled out implementing the Green Party's wealth tax.” – Henry Cooke, Stuff. “Labour has time and time again ...
The Green Party will push for better conditions, more certainty, and greater opportunities for New Zealand’s artists and creatives as part of the next Government, Co-leader of the Green Party, James Shaw said today. ...
The Green Party is committed to reduce the waiting times people in mental distress have to put up with before they receive attention and get treatment. ...
Did you know that early voting is open? That means you can go out and cast your vote right now - whether you've already enrolled or not. Almost 600,000 Kiwis have already voted, and you can join them! ...
The Green Party says Labour’s commitment to protecting kauri is a good start, but the Greens would go further and faster to keep our kauri standing. ...
We’re proud of our record on climate change. Since coming to Government we’ve put climate and the environment at the heart of all of our policies, as they are inextricable from issues like housing, agriculture, waste, energy and transport. ...
With only ten days to go until Election Day, we’re counting down the top ten reasons you should vote Labour this October. Already voted? Share this list with friends and family who haven’t voted yet to encourage them to give two ticks to Labour! ...
The Green Party welcomes Labour’s commitment to reduce climate emissions in the next term of Government, but would go further and faster to address the true scale of the crisis. ...
The Green Party is calling for an independent review of Pharmac to ensure that there is proper equity around funding for medication for sick New Zealanders. ...
From investing in health and education to getting key projects built, we’re proud of our record in Canterbury. We know there’s still more to do, but we’ve made a good start, and we’re committed to supporting the region as together, we respond to COVID-19. ...
As part of our COVID recovery plan, we’re investing in shovel-ready infrastructure projects that not only create jobs across the South Island, but also help us build back better. From tackling climate change to strengthening our health system, we’re taking on the long-term challenges while keeping our economy moving. ...
The past decade has been tough for our second largest city. Unlike National, Labour’s backing the people of Christchurch so together, we can make it through COVID-19 and build back better. Here’s how National’s record on Christchurch compares to our progress so far. ...
Staying strong in the face of challenges and being true to our heritage and languages are key to preserving our cultural identity and wellbeing, is the focus of the 2020 Tokelau Language Week. Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio, says this year’s theme, ‘Apoapo tau foe, i nā tāfea ...
The Government has deployed a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion (P-3) maritime patrol aircraft to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea, announced Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “New Zealand has long supported ...
Pacific regional trade and development agreement PACER Plus will enter into force in 60 days now that the required eight countries have ratified it. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker welcomed the announcement that the Cook Islands is the eighth nation to ratify this landmark agreement. “The agreement represents ...
The Government is changing its approach to teacher recruitment as COVID-19 travel restrictions continue, by boosting a range of initiatives to get more Kiwis into teaching. “When we came into Government, we were faced with a teacher supply crisis,” Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “Over the past three years, we ...
The Government has established a new category that will allow 250 international PhD and postgraduate students to enter New Zealand and continue their studies, in the latest set of border exceptions. “The health, safety and wellbeing of people in New Zealand remains the Government’s top priority. Tight border restrictions remain ...
The Government has signed an agreement to purchase 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccines – enough for 750,000 people – from Pfizer and BioNTech, subject to the vaccine successfully completing all clinical trials and passing regulatory approvals in New Zealand, say Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods and Health Minister Chris Hipkins. ...
We, the undersigned, support strong encryption, which plays a crucial role in protecting personal data, privacy, intellectual property, trade secrets and cyber security. It also serves a vital purpose in repressive states to protect journalists, human rights defenders and other vulnerable people, as stated in the 2017 resolution of the ...
The Ministry of Defence has today released a Defence Assessment examining Defence’s role across the spectrum of biological hazards and threats facing New Zealand. Biodefence: Preparing for a New Era of Biological Hazards and Threats looks at how the NZDF supports other agencies’ biodefence activities, and considers the context of ...
New Approaches to Economic Challenges: Confronting Planetary Emergencies: OECD 9 October 2020 Hon David Parker’s response following Thomas Piketty and Esther Duflo. Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, wherever in the world you might be. I first acknowledge the excellent thought provoking speeches of Thomas Piketty and Esther ...
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed today at Waihāua Marae between the Crown, local iwi and councils to protect, restore and enhance the mauri of Kaipara Moana in Northland. Environment Minister David Parker signed the document on behalf of the Crown along with representatives from Ngā Maunga Whakahī, Ngāti ...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Uruguayan Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries Carlos María Uriarte have welcomed the launch of a three-year project that will underpin sustainable livestock production in Uruguay, Argentina, and Costa Rica. The project called ‘Innovation for pasture management’ is led by Uruguay’s National Institute of Agricultural ...
Hundreds of marae throughout the country will be upgraded through investments from the Provincial Growth Fund’s refocused post COVID-19 funding to create jobs and put money into the pockets of local tradespeople and businesses, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced. “A total ...
Health Minister Chris Hipkins has announced 9 teams and 14 individuals are the recipients of this year’s Minister of Health Volunteer Awards. “The health volunteer awards celebrate and recognise the thousands of dedicated health sector volunteers who give many hours of their time to help other New Zealanders,” Mr Hipkins ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio says a total of 264 groups and individuals have successfully applied for the Pacific Aotearoa Community COVID-19 Recovery Fund, that will support Pacific communities drive their own COVID-19 recovery strategies, initiatives, and actions. “I am keen to see this Fund support Pacific ...
Up to 50 Māori apprentices in Wellington will receive paid training to build houses for their local communities, thanks to a $2.75 million investment from the Māori Trades and Training Fund, announced Employment Minister Willie Jackson today. “This funding will enable Ngāti Toa Rangatira Incorporated to provide its Ngā Kaimahi ...
Rapidly growing sectors will benefit from a $990,000 Māori Trades and Training Fund investment which will see Wellington jobseekers supported into work, announced Employment Minister Willie Jackson today. “This funding will enable Sapphire Consultants Ltd. to help up to 45 Māori jobseekers into paid training initiatives over two years through ...
The Government is investing $40 million to develop an inland port at Ruakura which will become a freight super-hub and a future business, research and residential development for the Waikato, Urban Development and Transport Minister Phil Twyford, and Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The funding has been has ...
Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today the establishment of an Expert Review Group to review a number of aspects of the New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) structure, information management and record-keeping processes. The Expert Review Group’s work arises out of the first recommendation from the Report of the Government’s Inquiry ...
There are no active community cases of COVID-19 remaining in the country after the last people from the recent outbreak have recovered from the virus, Health Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “This is a big milestone. New Zealanders have once again through their collective actions squashed the virus. The systems ...
More public buildings will be supported by the Government to upgrade to run on clean energy, the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. Minister Shaw announced that Lincoln and Auckland universities will receive support through the Clean-Powered Public Service Fund to replace fossil fuel boilers. Southern, Taranaki, and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Harris Rimmer, Professor and Director of the Policy Innovation Hub, Griffith Business School, Griffith University The Queensland election is a history-making poll. For the first time in a state or federal election, two women are going head-to-head. Does this mean gender ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Toole, Professor of International Health, Burnet Institute Of the 215 nations and territories that have reported COVID-19 cases, 120 have experienced clear second waves or late first waves that began in July or later. That’s according to the Worldometer global database, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Lykins, Associate Professor, University of New England This week, the bushfire royal commission is due to hand down its findings. Already, the commission’s officials have warned the status quo is “no longer enough to defend us from the impact of global ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Neil Selwyn, Distinguished Research Professor, Monash University It is estimated around half the world’s students’ schools remain shut down. All told, this has been a potentially damaging disruption to the education of a generation. But one of the few positive outcomes from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bentley, Professor of Social Epidemiology, Principal Research Fellow in Social Epidemiology and Director of the Centre for Research Excellence in Healthy Housing in Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne The World Health Organisation has always been interested ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stuart Richards, Lecturer in Screen Studies, University of South Australia In a new series, our writers explore their best worst film. They’ll tell you what the critics got wrong – and why it’s time to give these movies another chance. While some ...
The US election is more critical for our financial markets than our own one, writes Nikki Mandow It was an election goddammit. A landslide victory for Labour, great results for the Green Party and ACT, a demolition for National. And the New Zealand dollar did... nothing. An almost insignificant move ...
Timaru, Waihi, Greymouth and Woodville entered; only one could emerge the winner. Tara Ward looks back at one of the most exciting moments in regional New Zealand history: the grand final of Top Town.It was a hot summer’s day in 1977 when 10,000 people gathered in Whangarei’s Okara Park to ...
LSD was criminalised across the world in the late 1960s, following a moral panic about the effect recreational use was having on young people. After a 40 year hiatus on medical use, LSD is being studied once more. Helen Glenny explains.Mel Elwin, 36, swallowed five large pills and washed them ...
Steve Braunias reviews Stan Walker's as-told-to tell-all memoirAratki bulldogsMount School ratsBut when you come to OmanuTake off your hats. Racist af, from infancy: we would holler that chant at Omanu Primary School in Mt Maunganui whenever we hosted the two other local schools at sports ...
Health workers see Vibrio as a rare danger, if they’ve heard of it at all. But it’s already causing more cases of flesh-eating disease. And it’s poised to get worse. In October 2018, three weeks after Hurricane Florence pummeled swaths of North Carolina, Eddie Clinton was in the kitchen of ...
The current Islamic education system in New Zealand is best described as a Band-Aid to genuine religious education, writes the president of the International Muslim Association of New Zealand, Tahir Nawaz. In countries like the United Kingdom and across Europe, although a large number of Muslims follow the traditional Islamic way ...
‘On one scale the coronavirus that plagues us is microscopic. On another we ourselves are made small.’ An essay by Alex Kazemi.Make a Moebius strip. Take a long rectangular piece of paper, loop it, then join the two ends after putting one end through a half twist. The resultant shape ...
All his life, Duncan Greive has basically hated his undies and found socks annoying. And then he tried Allbirds underwear.It is quite accurate to point out that fields as varied as medicine, transport and 90% of humans are brutally compromised by sexism. This, naturally extends to underwear, with most bras ...
The descendants of Pacific Island Coastwatchers just want to be part of the ANZAC story - but there's so little recorded about the men sent to remote areas with no resources, who then got no pensions or medical care. Willie Cuthers' grandfather played a crucial role in the Pacific in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Australian government has registered “serious concerns” with Qatar about an incident in which female passengers, including Australians, were taken off a flight bound for Australia and subjected to an invasive search. The incident happened ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Morrison government and business have reacted angrily to Daniel Andrews’ “cautious pause” on announcing the easing of COVID restrictions in Melbourne, suggesting it showed the state government lacked faith in its contact tracing. The ...
"Neo-liberalism is a theory of governance without governing. Four decades in, this is precisely what the USA has. Outside of major American cities, and increasingly inside them, the country is falling apart. The capitalist view of employment is to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Australia’s leading economists have struggled to grade this month’s budget. Challenged by the Economic Society of Australia and The Conversation to rate it on a scale of A to F ...
David Hill’s beloved junior fiction book See Ya, Simon is 28 years old. The boy who inspired it died in his first year of high school. That backstory is well known but now, Hill fills in the detail, including the obligation he felt to his daughter, and the grief that ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 23. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach us at info@thespinoff.co.nz11.45am: Tool lead singer had Covid-19 in AucklandThe lead singer of Tool, Maynard James Keenan, has revealed during a podcast interview that he had Covid-19 while performing shows ...
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic prompted New Zealand and much of the world to undertake something few of us had ever contemplated: a near-total lockdown of society. In this Lockdown legacies series, James Dann explores the impacts of those extraordinary measures, intended and otherwise. Today: part two, environmental impacts.This project ...
Out of an office on Queen Street, the film buffs’ social network Letterboxd has thrown the rules out the window, attracting a young, progressive global base of users redefining what ‘good’ and ‘bad’ film is.New Zealand’s back in level one, and cinemas are back in action. Ish. Productions around the ...
News came out this week that a shearer was given a 16 month prison sentence for killing a lamb, because it frustrated him while shearing it. Christopher Tredinnick received the sentence in Cromwell this week, according to the New Zealand Herald. ...
Forest and Bird’s Kevin Hague recently wrote that the Greens and Labour should work together for the benefit of the environment. Here Justine Sachs argues that a seat at the table isn’t worth selling out the the party’s soul. As a Green party member, I am wary of the Greens ...
Which parties spent the most on Facebook and Google, and was it really all worth it in the end? The election is over and the results are in: Labour swept the polls, National lost big, and the Greens and Act are set to return to parliament with an even bigger ...
New Zealand's semi-official poet laureate Victor Billot pens topical verse every Sunday. Today: the undearly departed Jami-Lee Ross.Non, je ne regrette rien You are out Jami! Out of the loop. Out of Botany. Out of National. Deep in the poop. You sold ...
A unified rejection of the global trend towards right-wing strongmen or a blood debt from deeply conservative voters? Perhaps the election result was neither, writes Joseph Nunweek.Going by some of the electoral post-mortems, the weekend of October 17 was some kind of 4D chess triumph of the New Zealand right. ...
New Zealand’s financial markets and business leaders quickly welcomed the Labour Party’s resounding victory in last Saturday’s general election. Labour took 49.1 percent of the votes, up from 36.9 percent in 2017. The conservative opposition National ...
We watched the last debate before the US presidential elections. President Donald Trump was better-behaved and the presence of mute microphones made for a more moderate evening. But apart from a few clashes on health coverage and law and order, the debate – and most of the campaign – has ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 23. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach us at info@thespinoff.co.nz12.30pm: Covid-19 numbers to be updated at 1pmThere’ll be an update from the Ministry of Health this afternoon via press release. Yesterday there were nine new cases announced ...
An effervescent fermented beverage a bit like kombucha, water kefir is a refreshing drop for the warmer weather. Here’s how to make it.As I sit here typing, my kids are sitting at the table colouring in, sipping the glasses of water kefir I just photographed for this recipe. Our middle ...
By Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie in Jakarta An Indonesian government-sanctioned joint fact-finding team has reported that it found indications that security forces were involved in the shooting of Papuan pastor Yeremia Zanambani after investigating a series of shootings in Intan Jaya regency, Papua. The team gave its findings to the ...
Just six months after going live with much fanfare, streaming service Quibi is shutting down. Emily Writes provides a eulogy to the platform nobody liked.It’s almost shameful to admit it given the chorus of people bagging Quibi, but I tell you – I loved that thing.The criticism of Quibi started ...
Do you need encouragement to remain united and strong, either because of the election result, the persistence of Covid-19, the decision that will restrict our ability to watch the America’s Cup – or whatever? The Honourable Aupito William Sio has delivered such encouragement with an announcement headed … Tokelau Language ...
The writer of the acclaimed new Rose Matafeo comedy tells Sam Brooks how her own experiences as an expectant mother inspired the script.When writer-actress Sophie Henderson first started trying to become pregnant with her husband, director and actor Curtis Vowell, she didn’t expect it to happen so fast. She probably ...
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic prompted New Zealand and much of the world to undertake something few of us had ever contemplated: a near-total lockdown of society. In this Lockdown legacies series, James Dann explores the impacts of those extraordinary measures, intended and otherwise. Today, part one: the lockdown halt.This ...
Statement from Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-Ō-Ngāpuhi (TRAION) Chair, Mere Mangu, and Ngāpuhi Asset Holding Company Limited (NAHC) Chair, Jason Witehira. The official position of the Ngāpuhi Rūnanga Group is as follows: A proposed amendment to the Māori ...
"There are some things you’re never supposed to say: I don’t like sex. I am afraid of my son": a short story by Auckland writer Ruby PorterThe first incident was at the zoo. This was back when your husband still loved you, before you had to ...
LISTEN: This week's Extra Time podcast looks at where the Silver Ferns sit in their return to international netball. The Silver Ferns are finally back on court adjusting to life without retired legend of the game Laura Langman. But how are the world netball champions shaping up for their three-test series against ...
Until recently, it seemed the Verb literary festival was destined to go the same way as so many live events this Covid-cursed year. Now the festival is all go – and its director can finally breathe out, she tells Michelle Langstone.Claire Mabey did a tarot reading every day during New ...
The story of how a leisurely bike ride around Hawke’s Bay turned into a one-man rampage against perceived corporate privilege.In the early hours of October 10, in a motel in Napier South, Ian Swney, 62, was struggling to sleep.A semi-retired kindergarten teacher, he’d travelled to Napier from his home in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra James Shipton, chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Corporation, has stood aside after an adverse Audit Office report about $118,557 paid by ASIC on his behalf when he relocated from the US. The Audit ...
The Pacific Co-operation Foundation (PCF) is calling for the people of New Zealand and the Pacific to recognise the significant contribution, made by outgoing Minister for Foreign Affairs Vaovasamanaia Rt Hon Winston Peters, to New Zealand’s diplomatic ...
It may have been far more civilised than the last one, but Trump vs Biden in today's US Presidential debate was a relatively low-impact event, writes Hayden Thorne The final Presidential debate before November 3’s US election saw a better structured, less personal and more policy-focused debate. Full credit is owed to ...
By Selwyn Manning – Editor, EveningReport.nz Selwyn Manning, editor of EveningReport.nz. The Green Party has settled on its negotiation team, agreeing to who will represent the party’s members when considering the shape and outcome of talks with the incoming Labour-led Government. The negotiating team has a similar make up to ...
American actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt has revealed he’s living and working in New Zealand. What brought him here, and what can he expect from his visit?Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in Netflix’s new movie The Trial of the Chicago 7, but he could also be appearing in a suburb near you. Last week ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ketaki Sharma, PhD student, University of Sydney An ideal COVID-19 vaccine would not only protect people from becoming ill, it would also stop the virus spreading through the population. The best way to do this is to vaccinate as many people as ...
The Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon is pushing for prisons to be run by Iwi. This is reckless and ill thought out. Iwi-run prisons will transfer the punitive functions of the state to Māori. Running prisons is leveraging off the oppression ...
A poem by Ockham Award-winning novelist Becky Manawatu.Crumbs between stonesTēnā koe XXXXI am writing to ask you some questions regarding a family harm incident which police responded to on Friday night. What time did the woman make the initial call? What time did police arrive at the scene? Was anyone ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Georgakis, Senior Lecturer of Pedagogy and Sports Studies, University of Sydney The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions to all major sports in Australia, but perhaps the most fascinating — and unlikely — change is the playing of the AFL grand ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND 1 Aroha: Māori Wisdom for a Contented Life Lived in Harmony with our Planet by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin, ...
It’s normal to feature two different perspectives discussing a major US political set piece. Yet this morning RNZ’s flagship Morning Report hosted two unabashed Trump acolytes ahead of the final debate.At 2pm New Zealand time, the final debate between president Donald Trump and his challenger, Joe Biden, takes place in ...
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) has issued a strike notice today covering some 3200 Primary Health Care (PHC) nurses and receptionist/administration staff across more than 500 practices and accident/medical centres nationwide. The first ...
The Ministry for Primary Industries has today released new requirements for the export of live animals by sea, following recommendations from a review into the animal welfare assurances MPI receives from exporters. The review was led by Mike Heron ...
Kiwi cheese-makers will be wondering which advice they should take from chef Simon Gault. This week he was saying they should stop trying to imitate brie and gouda and focus on producing uniquely New Zealand styles. His advice was given to people watching a webinar arranged by the European Union ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Finch, Adjunct Research Fellow, University of Southern Queensland Imagine visiting the Europe of 2048. The cities are strangely silent. Desperate communities in Paris, London and Berlin struggle in the shadow of hollowed-out buildings. The once-popular coastal resorts have also been abandoned, ...
Congratulations to Labour on an outstanding result in the recent elections. They now have the political capital to make a real difference to New Zealand says Peter Malcolm spokesperson for Income Equality Aotearoa NZ Inc “Closing the Gap” The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW This week the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) filed a lawsuit accusing Google of using “anticompetitive tactics to maintain and extend its monopolies in the markets” for search and advertising. It is the most significant ...
New research as part of New Zealand Recycling Week, has shown that just 1% of Kiwis feel confident about knowing which plastics can be recycled. 75% of those surveyed also thought this lack of knowledge was preventing them from recycling more. This ...
On the Rag has been hard at work trying to come up with a foolproof method for overcoming imposter syndrome. This is what it’s come up with.In this month’s episode of of On the Rag, we decided to confront imposter syndrome, aka the horrible demon lurking in many of our ...
By editor ADELIA HALLETT | Green Party co-leader James Shaw is still in the running to retain his role as the country’s climate minister – but that might mean clearing up a bit of a mess of his own making. The Government’s surprising decision, reported ...
By Jimmy Kalebe in Lae Landowners are unwavering in their opposition to the deep sea tailings placement (DSTP) method for waste from Papua New Guinea’s proposed K18 billion (NZ$7.7 billion) Wafi-Golpu mine project. They travelled to Lae yesterday from various areas of Morobe which will be affected by the project. ...
Workers at Pak’n’Save in Whakatane are taking strike action today over fruitless negotiations with the store owner and low wage rates that fall below comparable industry standards and represent the lowest supermarket wages in Whakatane and the lowest-paid ...
From winning two world cups with the Black Ferns to heading up TVNZ’s sports and events department, Melodie Robinson’s career has been one full of remarkable firsts. She joins host Duncan Greive to talk about it on this week’s episode of The Fold.When the Ministry of Education decided to start ...
To celebrate Recycling Week, Vanessa Young explains the essential role of nano-recycling in making the most of the tiny-scale but potentially harmful waste from batteries, circuit boards and more For most of us recycling means jars, bottles, tins (and the sprint to get the bin out as the truck comes ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is hailing the first Mana Whakahono ā Rohe or Iwi Participation Arrangement, between the West Coast Regional Council and Poutini Ngāi Tahu, as a milestone for local government that will empower local kaitiaki. ...
New QIMR Berghofer analysis of research on school anti-bullying programs has concluded that programs that encourage student bystanders to intervene may inadvertently harm the children they are aimed at protecting. Lead author and psychologist Dr Karyn ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suze Wilson, Senior Lecturer, Executive Development, Massey University The recent reelection of the Jacinda Ardern-led Labour government in New Zealand offers leaders elsewhere a potent lesson about how best to respond to COVID-19. Saving lives is, not surprisingly, a real vote-winner. Ardern’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Angelique Chan, Executive Director of the Centre for Ageing Research & Education, Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore This article is part of our series on aged care. You can read the other articles in the series here. Unlike in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Russo, Associate Professor, Director Cabrini Monash University Department of Nursing Research, Monash University Spring and summer in Australia and the gradual easing of restrictions means we can expect weddings, with more guests, back on the calendar. However, any wedding you plan ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tilman Ruff, Associate Professor, Education and Learning Unit, Nossal Institute for Global Health, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne The Japanese government recently announced plans to release into the sea more than 1 million tonnes of radioactive water from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW This week the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) filed a lawsuit accusing Google of using “anticompetitive tactics to maintain and extend its monopolies in the markets” for search and advertising. It is the most significant ...
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It’s all different now. So you can see those protests weren’t really TPP protests, but an avenue to protest the National govt.
The agreement is going to be signed regardless.
Look on the brightside, at least we no longer have a liar, and fetishist in power.
We demonstrably do have a liar ( in fact two) in power, as to fetishist, who know’s and regardless – what people do in their own time is their business.
No , no ,… no,… I’m afraid your confusing this govt with the last poor excuse for one that was recently ousted…
As for the TTPA 2… well,… yes its time to roll up ones sleeves and put the ultimatum , – we don’t want it , -and if you want to stay on side with the people of this country , – DON’T DO IT !!!
Got a few things to do this arvy but will be signing.
Well you boy went public with his.
As for lies, if you actually followed what I said during the campaign, I attacked labour for their economic policy over and over. So really your comments about lies, stunned mullet is ideological, and just not correct. .
I was disappointed when National failed to get back in but that blows been softened considerably by Labours many about faces since they’ve been in power
Sure I would have preferred National but National-lite is ok with me
Well, not entirely. If NZF was not in the position it was in, Labour would have rubbished a lot more, like the 90 day trial.
So next election, I suspect NZF may not be needed. Then you will get true Labour.
Does this mean fake Labour are leading us now?
No , it means they have not truly comprehended the public outcry and the ensuing outcome and fate that the last dictatorial government suffered partially because of it ,…
RNZ coverage of TPP protests – YouTube
john campbell coverage of TPPA protests youtube▶ 2:26:32
How about actually identifying the date of that video – 9 November 2015.
Much bigger turn-out to the latest CP-TPP marches from what I have heard and seen from videos posted on the Facebook pages.
Yes indeed, however , the last protests were an indication of public feeling then , – and the way it is was being rammed through… the latest rounds may just be an eye opener.
I think you’re being a little uncharitable there. There is a phenomenon where some people don’t care about things they thought were bad if “their team” now supports them. It is one of the bad things about our lot getting into government. I’d say that and uncritically buying the Labour line about how they “improved” the deal is why opposition to (CPA)TPP is so much quieter atm.
natural ebbs and flows too. Some people will be feeling like it’s a done deal so what is the point of protesting. I like the regrouping message from the organisers.
I doubt that very much.
It was purely anti National protests.
I think this is a great opportunity for young people to realise that liberalism is the real enemy.
All that caring language, and tokenism really adds up to bugger all for working people.
If we organise outside the state, then we are not bound by these silly little rules.
I think that’s the value in continued protests even if they are just small (and yet backed by the 75% poll). It keeps the issue on the agenda, and allows those deeper conversations to happen.
Trick now is, what direction do we want those conversations to go?
“All that caring language, and tokenism really adds up to bugger all for working people”
We are all working people.
“we are all working people”
What do mean by that statement?
thanks for this important post, weka.
I suspect some Labour members or supporters don’t want to challenge the government now labour is finally leading it.
However, I would point out that at the Aotea Square meeting on Sunday, Laila Harre spoke about being a Labour party member, while also publicly opposing the latest TPPA-11.
Moana Maniapoto talked about how she celebrated when Labour formed a government with NZF and Greens as support. She cracked open the wine. She said that this government is and will do many good things. but that we should still hold them to account when necessary.
Oh don’t worry about it so much, look heres something:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/latest/101946100/jacinda-ardern-and-clarke-gayford-buy-new-home-for-growing-family
Its like we’re all buying a new home so Isn’t that better than worrying about some silly trade deal 🙂
Stop stirring, PR – and keep up to date. AND irrelevant to this post.
This was done to death on Sunday, 4 March on Open Mike at 7. Here are some links for you.
I’m not suggesting theres anything wrong in owning multiple houses I’m merely using that link as a round about way to suggest that this government is using the media to lull everybody to sleep and to not worry about hard decisions
I suppose I could have used this instead:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/101900513/fish-of-the-day-clarke-gayford-returns-to-catch-the-one-that-nearly-killed-him
Its like we’re all going fishing together so Isn’t that better than worrying about some silly trade deal 🙂
PR stop it. Wrong Post. OM is where these comments should have been. Come on over there; I have some pictures for you ….
I’m both intrigued and a little worried
I had hoped there would have been large numbers of people showing up to various demonstrations, not with illusions that the signing of the TPP could be averted, but more to let the government know it had been put on notice for signing it.
“Let’s not do this” when we’re talking about a done deal, struck me and strikes me as an odd piece of messaging – one that doesn’t exactly give people a worthwhile reason to turn out.
After all, when the horse has bolted, what’s the point in rushing to the stable doors?
You make a good point, Bill. Howver, I get that it is an echo of Labour’s election slogan “Let’s Do This”.
But also, it’s not over yet. First the relevant Bill has still to go through Parliament, and we are being encouraged to submit to the select committee – for some that could mean as little as a paragraph stating opposition to the agreement.
Also, if you look at the It’s Our Future site, there’s a drop down menu (“Other Agreements”) focused on upcoming agreements with some similar dodgy elements. Kelsey flagged this in her speech in Auckland at the weekend. there’s TISA, the RCEP, and an update of the NZ-China free trade agreement.
Also, it’s inevitable that there will be a drop off in momentum. A recent poll show people want an independent analysis of the TPPA – I guess in the light of Labour-NZF doing their about turn on it. Some people want more info. And it is hard to keep up momentum over time there will be lulls and resurgences.
And the US/Trump is looking like wanting back in, which will re-activate the suspended sections – probably with a vengeance.
So “Let’s Not Do This” is also future-focused.
3 – 0 down. 5 min left on the clock. “It’s not over yet.”
Except, as far as the TTP goes, it is over. The Bill will sail through Parliament on tail winds created by NZ Labour and the National Party.
True, that’s not necessary the case with other Agreements. Though National and NZ Labour will keep on supplying those tail winds – unless or until the anti is upped on NZ Labour and it’s made abundantly clear to them that by signing such deals they sign their own death warrant in terms of electability.
But do enough people care enough? Do enough people understand well enough to use the only Parliamentary leverage available and commit to voting Green? Will the Green Party go loud and proud with its opposition?
Parker has spouted tosh about fantastic negotiating that changed everything when in fact nothing of substance was altered. And he got away with it! How come?
It all sounds terribly dismal, I know, but…
On the bright side, the world is shifting, and the formerly secure liberal consensus of that muddled middle that gave us “Blair” and “Third Way” and Clinton’s “triangulations” is getting washed out.
NZ might be a shore somewhat distant to that wave. But it will arrive. And it doesn’t have to hit these shores before having an effect, given that it takes a number of partners to dance that “free trade” jig 😉
Make no mistake, it is exactly the same txt as the original agreement by the National party but has a few pages added onto that suspends some provisions mostly on health that they can just stop suspending if they rejoin.
The ISDS is still in there. There is NO protection of ISDS at all. Apparently there may be for a few countries in the side letters so there is still NO protection for this in the agreement.
The EU has now said they will NOT allow ISDS clauses in their agreements any longer. Pity the Labour government can show some guts and actually do the same instead of the weak and feeble approach, like National.
The US mandated that climate change was removed from every part of TPPA. When they left, NZ under the Labour and NZ First Government DID NOT put in climate change clauses.
This is AFTER Jacinda Ardern saying that climate change was her issue of the 21st century. (Obviously leaving Parker in charge is not working if that is true).
The PM will be judged by this agreement, so it is Jacinda’s name as the number one person who was a hypocrite, when it all goes wrong with climate change and NZ will be unable to act quickly due to this type of dinosaur agreement to protect corporation profits now and in the future, not the people who live in the country or this environment.
On average the ISDS clauses are used once a week around the world. As resources get fewer the corporations are keener to protect their profits and their lawyers thinking of new ways to profit from them.
It takes the decision making on these legal matters AWAY from NZ legislation. It is not even a real court that is used, it’s a business type tribunal.
India was unable to do solar panels to help it’s climate change obligations under the free trade agreements it was part of.
https://boingboing.net/2016/03/13/usa-uses-tpp-like-trade-court.html
The TPPA was a DOG and still is a DOG.
It is not too late to stop the signing at the Labour and NZ First government has not signed it yet.
Like the EU – they should know not to sign these agreements with ISDS clauses in them.
If the WTO restricts buy local, I wonder if the Indians have considered copying the Americans and applying tariffs on imported solar panels so they are not competitively priced?
NAFTA’s Chapter 11 Makes Canada Most-Sued Country Under Free Trade Tribunals
“Canada is the most-sued country under the North American Free Trade Agreement and a majority of the disputes involve investors challenging the country’s environmental laws, according to a new study.’
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/01/14/canada-sued-investor-state-dispute-ccpa_n_6471460.html
The upgrade to the FTA with China should not be much of a problem, it is just asking that we get access on the same (better) terms they later gave Oz.
We can offer support for (their) RCEP and continued support for One Belt if they agree. RCEP is just a total in package of existing FTA (with China and ASEAN) expanded to include others (such as India).
The South Americans will not push corporate rights and the EU is not the threat in these matters that the US is.
TPP is a done deal, maybe a push to have the government and opposition agree to block US admission to TPP unless it is on existing terms (the US does not get what they would have if they signed up now) would be useful.
RCEP is not uncontroversial. There is a very good opportunity to improve it and shape it into a better deal with our participation, but it would require Labour and New Zealand First living up to their rhetoric on trade, and actually trying to export some of our values around labour rights and environmentalism overseas.
There are still problems with the other agreements in the pipeline, although they tend to not be as wide-ranging as the TPPA.
It’s Our Future on the RCEP –
On TISA (Trade in Services Agreement):
On the NZ-China-FTA update, nothing on the webpage yet. but under the RCEP page it says:
If Labour can be convinced to hold the line against ISDS in any future FTA, where New Zealand take China’s side on this vs Japan/Oz in RCEP talks in return for their upgrading our access to their market to what they gave Oz in their FTA, there is a win win for us.
We have to be partner fluid/straddle the two sides to realise what is best for us.
And as for the USA coming into TPP – why not have Labour oppose this unless there is a side deal where we and the US have a mutual opt out of ISDS?
Labour would accept whatever if the US wanted back in.
Same as National.
Mainly because as Clark said, it would be extremely dumb not to.
The problem with this umbrella corporation lead type global trading approach, which this latest step is a further ratcheting up of, is that it an approach based on all the wonders of socialism efficiency and dynamism, without the govt aspect.
The Chinese, for all the weightage of the structural cul-de sacs that they have ( & for the significance of the challenge that brings, it is of note that the situation there has changed to indefinite terms of power), at least have a nationalistic govt with power to provide some overview to things in their population’s interest.
So another relative win for China in the wings with the global trading positions, which it can not be blamed for taking the opportunities of when served up to them voluntarily, by anchorless power structures.
which it [China] can not be blamed for taking the opportunities of when served up to them voluntarily, by anchorless power structures.
Would you class the signing by the National Government in May 2017 during the visit by Xi Jinping of an MOU with China on mutual BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) development as being such an opportunity?
I don’t recall any great concern, protests etc on this at the time.
Here is a recent update just a few days ago, which claims amongst other things that NZ’s signing this MOU was out of step with Australia (who refused to sign such an MOU) and India, Japan and the US.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/101721886/an-alternative-to-chinas-belt-road-initiative
This is why I had to vote Green in 2017.
If you followed the election campaign closely and the promises made by Jacinda and Labour, then there was no reason not to vote for Labour. They made all the right principled noises and sounded like they wanted to make positive change.
However there was always that suspicion that they are still the tired old mob from 1984.
And within 6 months they do this. Sign up to a treaty the marched on the streets against. Even worse than that they lied by claiming the minor adjustments were something they negotiated whereas now it seems the Tories had already negotiated everything.
This broken promise has left me deflated about this government.
I am going to increase my donations to the Green Party as they need to become much more influential heading into 2020.
Occidental v. Ecuador
In October 2012, an ICSID tribunal awarded a judgment of $1.8 billion for Occidental Petroleum against the government of Ecuador.[42] Additionally, Ecuador had to pay $589 million in backdated compound interest and half of the costs of the tribunal, making its total penalty around $2.4 billion.[42] The South American country annulled a contract with the oil firm on the grounds that it violated a clause that the company would not sell its rights to another firm without permission. The tribunal agreed the violation took place but judged that the annulment was not fair and equitable treatment to the company.[42]
Putting people’s fates into a bunch of lawyers is never a good idea. Law mostly benefits the rich.
Have a look at the Little vs Hagaman case. Even though Little was found not guilty, the Haganman went back for another trial.
In this way, it is not about a person (or country) being right or wrong when you are encouraging litigation, it is about power imbalances and using the law to imbalance, disrupt and scare freedom of speech, while delegating decision making to others to decide a person or (countries) fate.
It’s about to get a lot worse in NZ! Already the councils are out of control, imagine what they will do after this agreement is signed, more and more environmental degradation and decisions to empower rich and take and marginalise the poor.
Now they have an agreement for multinational chemical and oil companies among other’s, to join in the subjugation!
“Have a look at the Little vs Hagaman case. Even though Little was found not guilty, the Haganman went back for another trial.”
Little was damn lucky, he should have been found guilty, politicians have parliamentary privilege for this very reason
You are dead right and given the tax $$ of this TPP mess you can expect more tax gouging of the average Kiwi from the political parasites to pay for it all in years to come.
Socialism for the rich, capitalism for everyone else.
Perhaps we were all being naive after 30+ years of politicians ignoring the wishes of voters to think that the situation would suddenly, magically, be transformed after the recent election.
All this really proves is voting is participation in your own oppression and those of others. Suffice to say I’m done with these creeps for good unless by some miracle a group with integrity turns up but after all this time I wont hold my breath.
Somehow reminds me of the previous Labour / Douglas sell out. Fooled again.