Nelson is Second City to Pass Critical Resolution on TPPA
25 July 2013
Nelson is Second City to Pass Critical
Resolution on TPPA
Nelson City Council passed a resolution setting a number of conditions for an acceptable Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) on Thursday 18 July. There were 6 votes for, 1 against and 2 abstentions.
The Nelson motion mirrors one passed by Auckland City last December.
The Council declined the recommendation of a council researcher for a shortened, less critical version and adopted the full resolution.
Cr. Mike Ward, who moved the motion, spoke forcefully in favour of it, pointing to the risk the TPPA posed to the healthy and participatory life of local communities.
The resolution calls on the government to conclude negotiations on the TPPA and other free trade agreements in a way that provides net positive benefits for Nelson and New Zealand – and sets out a list of criteria to satisfy that test.
The conditions target areas of particular concern to the powers and responsibilities of local government.
They include retaining the right to give local preferences when spending ratepayers’ money on public procurement, and the right to choose whether particular services or facilities are provided in house by council-controlled organisations. Nor should foreign investors have greater rights than locals.
The motion also stressed the need to preserve the Council’s right to require more robust health and safety provisions, environmental protection, employment rights, community participation, animal protection or human rights standards than national or international minimum standards.
In relation to democratic decision making, the resolution urges that the text should not be signed off without full public consultation on the drafts and that ratification is conditional on a full social, environmental and economic impact assessment.
A large crowd attended the Nelson City Council public forum where the vote was taken. Graeme O’Brien, the chief petitioner spoke to the meeting. Mr O’Brien called on other councils to follow suit, flagging to central government that there is awareness and concern at local government level about the dangers of this secretly negotiated agreement.
The resolution will be forwarded to the Government.
RESOLUTION:
That the Nelson City
Council encourages the government to conclude negotiations
on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Free Trade Agreements
in a way that provides net positive benefits for Nelson and
New Zealand ie the partnership and agreements achieve the
following objectives:
a) encourages the government to
conclude negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and
Free Trade Agreements in a way that provides net positive
benefits for Nelson and New Zealand.
a) …, that is,
provided the Partnership and Agreements achieve the
following objectives:
i. Continues to allow the Nelson
Council and other councils, if they so choose, to adopt
procurement policies that provide for a degree of local
preference; to choose whether particular services or
facilities are provided in house, by council controlled
organisations (CCOs) or by contracting out; or to require
higher health and safety, environmental protection,
employment rights and conditions, community participation,
animal protection or human rights standards than national or
international minimum standards.
ii. Maintains good
diplomatic and trade relations and partnerships for Nelson
and New Zealand with other major trading partners not
included in the agreement, including with China.
iii.
Provides substantially increased access for our agriculture
exports.
iv. Does not undermine PHARMAC, raise the cost
of medical treatments and medicines or threaten public
health measures, such as tobacco control;
v. Does not
give overseas investors or suppliers any greater rights than
domestic investors and suppliers, such as through
introducing Investor-State Dispute Settlement, or reduce our
ability to control overseas investment or finance;
vi.
Does not expand intellectual property rights and enforcement
in excess of current law;
vii. Does not weaken our public
services, require privatisation, hinder reversal of
privatisations, or increase the commercialisation of
government or of Nelson Council or other local government
organisations;
viii. Does not reduce our flexibility to
support local economic and industry development and
encourage good employment and environmental practices and
initiatives like Council Cadetships, and the Mayor’s
Taskforce for Jobs which enable marginalised young people to
develop their skills and transition into meaningful
employment;
ix. Contains enforceable labour clauses
requiring adherence to core International Labour
Organisation conventions and preventing reduction of labour
rights for trade or investment advantage;
x. Contains
enforceable environmental clauses preventing reduction of
environmental standards for trade or investment
advantage;
xi. Has general exceptions to protect human
rights, the environment, the Treaty of Waitangi, and New
Zealand’s economic and financial stability;
xii. Has
been negotiated with real public consultation including
regular public releases of drafts of the text of the
agreement, and ratification being conditional on a full
social, environmental and economic impact assessment
including public
submissions.
ends