6 October 2015

Media Release

TTP deal keeps New Zealand in the game.....

Welcoming news that a Trans-Tasman Partnership (TTP) deal has been done, Auckland Chamber head Michael Barnett said it will set a playing field for New Zealand business to succeed internationally for years to come.

“Judging from the final few days of negotiation, there will be winners and concessions, but we wouldn’t have signed into this unless as a nation we were going to be ahead of where we were at the start.”

The Government has done the right thing to sign up. It converts a considerable investment by successive governments over many years. “As a trade dependent nation we needed to be in the room, and in the game from the start,” said Mr Barnett.

“There may be concessions, but just as happened with other FTA’s we can keep the work going to improve the arrangements as we move forward.

“We need to look at the facts not at the myths. We need to look at the long-game not be scared off by short-term issues and academic detractors seeking to get us into jumping ship.”

TTP detractors need to get some perspective and look at the total picture of New Zealand’s long-term interests. The bottom line is that as a trading nation, a Trans-Pacific Partnership puts in place potential for thousands of jobs and billions of foreign exchange earnings for this country.

It would have been totally remiss of Government if it had stepped away from signing into the deal, concluded Mr Barnett.

ends

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