Fletcher Tabuteau MP
Spokesperson for Trade

TPPA More Important than Public Concern

The government has robbed New Zealanders of a chance to address concerns about the TPPA, says New Zealand First.

“New Zealand First’s Fighting Foreign Corporate Control Bill gave New Zealanders a chance to stop our government from signing any treaty that gives foreign corporates the right to sue if they believe our laws interfere with their profit making – that opportunity was stripped away by the National Government in Parliament yesterday,” says Fletcher Tabuteau, Spokesperson for Commerce and Trade.

“National MPs, together with David Seymour and Peter Dunne, did not have the backbone to do right by New Zealanders.

“By voting against our Bill, they were prepared to give away New Zealand’s sovereignty to overseas corporates in the name of free trade. They said yes to overseas corporates being able to sue New Zealand’s government in secret tribunals – and said no to transparency in a public court.

“Our Fighting Foreign Corporate Control Bill would have stopped the provisions known as Investor-state Dispute Settlements (ISDS) within deals like TPPA.

“The National Government has maintained a shroud of secrecy around TPPA, which goes well beyond being just a trade agreement. They have turned a blind eye to concerns about ISDS despite more and more countries around the world fighting against it,” says Mr Tabuteau.

ENDS

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