Large turnout at TPPA rallies a signal for government to pay attention

The largest mobilisation against the TPPA to date in New Zealand must serve as a warning to the government to listen to mounting public concern about the agreement, campaign group Its Our Future said today.

Yesterday an estimated ten thousand people rallied in 17 locations around New Zealand, calling for an end to the secretive trade and investment agreement.

It’s Our Future spokesperson Edward Miller said the good turnout in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch was welcome, but said that the large turnout in regional areas like Raglan, Palmerston North, Levin, Nelson and Dunedin was a signal that a growing number of New Zealanders did not want the deal signed.

“This agreement puts the interests of big corporations ahead of ordinary people, and across the country people are speaking out in greater numbers,” he said.

“Putting New Zealand’s name to such a deal would come at serious costs to internet freedom, affordable medicines, the right to regulate industries like mining, forestry or finance more tightly, and much more.”

“The power to sign these international deals sits with Cabinet, so the government is under no obligation to submit a completed TPPA to parliamentary debate,” said Edward Miller.

“Not only are we going to be stuck with a deal that intrudes on our democracy, it is being negotiated under fundamentally undemocratic circumstances.”
Yesterday’s rallies in New Zealand were part of an international day of action to coincide with the next gathering of TPPA ministers and leaders around the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Simultaneous actions took place in Australia, Malaysia, Japan and the United States.

Yesterday the #TPPANoWay hashtag was trending No 1 in New Zealand and No 2 worldwide.

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