Select committee begins examination of TPPA

The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee at Parliament has started its examination of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). The committee began by hearing from David Walker, Chief Negotiator of the agreement at its meeting on Thursday 11 February.

The committee’s process for considering the TPPA

The TPPA came to Parliament when the agreement and four related intellectual property treaties were tabled in the House and referred to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee on 9 February 2016. Listen to the Chair of that committee, Mark Mitchell, talk about the committee’s process.

In examining the TPPA the committee will hear from departmental officials involved with the TPPA. Those hearings will be open to the public.

Read more about Parliament’s involvement with international treaties.

Have your say at Parliament on the TPPA

The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is now calling for public submissions on the TPPA and the four related intellectual property treaties. Each treaty has a national interest analysis which sets out the advantages and disadvantages for New Zealand of becoming a party to it.

You have until Friday 11 March 2016 to share your views about these documents with the parliamentary select committee by making a submission.

The committee will consider the written submissions it receives and they will be posted on the Parliament website when released by the committee.

The committee is also expecting to hear from submitters who wish to speak to their submission. Committee staff will contact those submitters to organise a time for them to speak to the committee. Hearings may take place outside of Wellington depending on the number of submitters from each region.

Check the select committee meeting schedule to find out what’s happening

You can find out when the committee will be considering the TPPA by looking at the select committee meeting schedule. The schedule lists the time, date, and venue for each select committee meeting planned for the coming week. It also shows the business items that will be considered at each meeting, with an

asterisk marking items that are open to the public. The schedule is subject to change at short notice.

The committee’s treaty examination report

When the committee has finished its consideration of the TPPA and the associated treaties it will write a report about its examination of those documents.

Law changes needed

Changes will need to be made to New Zealand law to implement the TPPA. Those changes will be introduced to Parliament at a later stage through an omnibus bill, a bill that seeks to change a number of Acts.

Links

Making a submission to a parliamentary select committee [PDF 122k]

Te Whakatakoto Tāpaetanga ki te Aroaro o Tētahi Komiti Whiriwhiri Take Pāremata [PDF 255k]

Te Hātepe Whakatakotoranga Tāpaetanga a Te Komiti Whiriwhiri Take [PDF 115k]

The select committee submission process [PDF 102k]

New Zealand Parliament - Make a submission

ENDS

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