13 October 2015

Groser Loses TPP High Court Secrecy Fight: Greenpeace Response

Responding to today’s High Court loss for Tim Groser and his TPP secrecy bid, Greenpeace chief policy advisor Nathan Argent said:

“This is a humiliating judicial slapdown for Tim Groser and his anti-democratic moves to hide the TPP text from the people of New Zealand.

“This judgment is clearly saying that Groser’s excuses for refusing to release information about the TPP were wrong.

“The New Zealand government has got to release the full text immediately, so we can all see for ourselves what is in this deal because, right now, all the indications are that the TPP has been concocted solely for the benefit of foreign companies and their sharp-suited billionaires, not for the people of New Zealand.

“The current government is flouting Official Information Act requests left, right and centre, over a range of issues, and today’s judgment is surely a warning that they cannot continue to do so.

“This is great news for supporters of transparency and openness. And bad news for those, like Tim Groser and the rest of the government, who appear to favour secret negotiations with big corporates over open conversations with ordinary New Zealanders.”

Groser withheld the information on a “blanket basis” without looking at any documents, which is a breach of his obligations under the Official Information Act.

ENDS

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