Submission to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee in support of the
TPPA-11: Don’t Do It! petition delivered to Golriz Ghahraman MP on Thursday 8 March
2018 on behalf of It’s Our Future and 5,098 signatories.

The below submission was submitted by Oliver Hailes as Spokesperson of It’s Our Future. Please click the link to download the submission for viewing.

Reject the TPPA and review the treaty-making process Don’t Do It! petition submission

The post Submission to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee in support of the TPPA-11: Don’t Do It! petition appeared first on It's Our Future.

This morning It’s Our Future delivered a written submission to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee in support of its TPPA-11: Don’t Do It! petition, which was signed by thousands and delivered to Green MP Golriz Ghahraman outside Parliament on the day the revived treaty was signed in Chile.

“The TPPA exposes serious problems with New Zealand’s treaty-making powers, which remain dominated by MFAT in the interests of exporters, foreign investors and multinational corporations while Parliament and the public are kept in the dark.”

“Since the Prime Minister’s tour of Europe, there have been remarks that the TPPA could serve as a template for treaties with the EU and Commonwealth nations. Trump continues to hint that the US will be looking to join the TPPA in the near future, and there have been expressions of interest from Thailand, South Korea and the UK.”

“We have to set things right before ratification.”

The petition demands democratic overhaul of the process for negotiating, signing and ratifying international treaties dealing with trade, investment and economic integration.

The Government plans to launch its Trade for All Agenda in the coming weeks, which will involve a public conversation about the role of trade in New Zealand.

But Mr Hailes says this initiative would be wholly undercut if the TPPA is ratified without a thorough review of the treaty-making process. This may require an update of the Law Commission’s report into this issue, which is now 20 years out of date, and ultimately an Act of Parliament.

The post It’s Our Future Press Release: Parliament should review international treaty powers appeared first on It's Our Future.

Jane Kelsey’s CPTPP Submission

Jane Kelsey’s CPTPP Submission

Laila Harre’s CPTPP Submission

Laila Harre’s CPTPP Submission

Barry Coates’ CPTPP Submission

Barry Coates’ CPTPP submission

Building and Woodworkers International’s CPTPP Submission

BWI Submission on CPTPP

NZCTU’s CPTPP Submission

NZCTU submission on the CPTPP

The Alliance Party’s CPTPP Submission

The Alliance Party’s CPTPP submission

The post Copies of CPTPP Submissions – Jane Kelsey, Laila Harre, Barry Coates, NZCTU, BWI and the Alliance Party appeared first on It's Our Future.

NZPTV have recently launched VOICE OF THE PEOPLE. Their first interview is with Amanda Vickers, who says she worked hard to get NZ First elected, but now feels betrayed over their u-turn on the TPPA issue.

If you would like to have your say on an issue of public importance please send your 1 minute video to liz@nzptv.org.nz or contact Liz Gunn at that mail address to see if they can arrange to video you.

Please share  their website www.nzptv.org.nz with your family and friends at home and abroad.

Source: The New Zealand Public Television Trust

The post NZPTV interview with Amanda Vickers on feeling betrayed by NZ First’s TPPA u-turn appeared first on It's Our Future.

Below are the videos of the speeches and the petition handover.

Antony Maddock – speaking on TPP Free Wgtn campaigns, successes, retrospective and perspective

Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn – speaking from a tangata whenua perspective

Bryan Bruce – speaking on the implications of the TPPA and similar trade deals

Grant Brookes – speaking from the NZNO union and public health perspective

Oliver Hailes, It’s Our Future Spokesperson – speaking about the concerns of the TPPA

Oliver Hailes of It’s Our Future hands over the Don’t Do It! Petition to Green MP Golriz Ghahraman

Rick Zwaan, ActionStation – speaks on 75% of New Zealanders wanting independent analysis

Ben Peterson – speaking from a union perspective

The post Speeches from the Wellington Rally and Don’t Do It! Petition Handover 08/03/2018 appeared first on It's Our Future.

Three women have cemented themselves in place outsid Labour MP Ruth Dyson’s office in Christchurch today as Trade Minister David Parker prepares to sign the CPTPP/TPPA trade deal in Chile.

There was a spectacle at 1pm today as barrows of cement were poured around the feet of the three protestors, with actors dressed as MP David Parker and two labour party officials herding them place.

The actor dressed as David Parker proclaimed that “after years  of public opposition, the Labour party is thrilled to cement New Zealand into the renamed CPTPP without the independent review we promised!”

Meanwhile ‘Our Children’s Future’ spokesperson Gen de Spa said that “Far from being the “21st Century agreement” touted by its proponents, the TPPA locks us into 20th Century thinking which is not fit for purpose in today’s challenging times.”

There has been a police presence at the protest since 2pm. For now the three women remain set in cement while other supporters are holding signs with much tooting from people in passing cars. MP Ruth Dyson arrived at 2:45pm and is currently inside the office.

A poll conducted by independent research company UMR in February this year found that a massive 75% of New Zealanders agree that the government should commission an independent analysis of the agreement.
Standing shin deep in concrete,  de Spa said “The people of Aoteaora are being cemented into a regressive deal with the signing of the CPTPP. A new name and some changes in punctuation doesn’t change the deal we’ve been protesting for years. By signing we’ll be a step closer to being cemented in place, vulnerable to being sued by overseas corporations when we go against their profits, for example taking action on climate change or to protecting our waterways”

“We’ve got one last chance to get out before the deal is set firm” de Spa said “Kiwis are going to need to get moving to get the government to break out of the CPTPP before the concrete can finally set with it’s ratification by Parliament” she continued.

De Spa was clear that the action today was intended to “send a message to the people of New Zealand – to pay attention and get active, because the Labour led government is pouring the same cement that we were opposing when National was in the mix.”

She finished with a message to the government, “We will continue to work towards ‘people and planet-friendly’ solutions to the big issues the world is facing and to protect our future from dangerous climate change – this is your chance to show leadership on these issues, because climate change really is this generation’s ‘nuclear-free moment’. If you don’t, we’ll be making cracks to grow through the concrete.”

A similar protest has been staged in Motueka, replicating the ‘Cemented in the TPP’ outside Damien O’Connors Labour office.

Years of sustained protest saw Labour, New Zealand First and the Greens all coming into power opposing the TPP trade deal. Now rebranded as the CPTPPA and with negligible changes, the treaty is being signed by Labour in Chile today. Once signed it will still need to be ratified by the NZ government to fully come into effect.

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Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman calling for a democratic overhaul of the process for negotiating

and signing the trade, investment and economic integration agreements. Mr Hailes is the

spokesperson for It’s Our Future, New Zealand’s network of opponents to the TPPA, which has

gathered more than 5,000 signatures in support of the petition over last fortnight.

“We stand united by the demand that never again will we be kept in the dark while technocrats

trade away control over our future,” Mr Hailes said. “The petition urges Parliament to call upon the

Government not to sign or ratify the TPPA; to undertake a principles-based review of New

Zealand’s approach to free trade, investment and economic integration agreements that involves

broad-based consultation; and to engage with Māori to reach agreement on effective protection of

their rights and interests consistent with te Tiriti o Waitangi.”

“The petition also calls on Parliament to pass new laws that exclude the rights of foreign investors

to sue the government, and to require independent assessments of impact on the economy,

health, human rights, the environment and climate action, and a review by the Waitangi Tribunal,

prior to signing any future agreement, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

(RCEP) presently being negotiated with countries including India and China.”

Once Ms Ghahraman receives the petition, she will deliver it to the clerk of the House who will

refer it to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. “We call on all the members of the

select committee, in particular Labour MPs Duncan Webb, Louisa Wall and Willie Jackson, to take

seriously this petition and place it on the fast track for discussion.”

The motion in the House will read: “That the House note the petition signed by 5,099 New

Zealanders calling on the House to reject the revised Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, now

known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership, and revise

the Standing Orders of the Parliament to ensure the process for negotiating and signing trade and

investment agreements is more democratic, independently informed, and regularly feeds

information back to the Parliament and the people.”

The petition originally was the idea of activist Greg Rzesniowiecki and was drafted with the input of

academics and constitutional lawyers.

Mr Hailes emphasised the importance of having robust treaty processes: “Earlier this week the

European Court of Justice effectively rules that investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) is

incompatible with the autonomy of the European legal system. New Zealand needs to wake up to

the fact that signing the TPPA is a moment of constitutional change by stealth, whereby future

governments will be forced march to the beat of foreign investors rather than their democratic

mandate.”

“The Government has said that it wants to reform the way these deals are reached so that they

create tangible benefits for more than the top 1% of society, and the members of It’s Our Future

look forward to engaging with Parliament and the Government on this incredibly important issue.”

The post Parliamentary petition for democratic overhaul of TPPA process – Oliver Hailes appeared first on It's Our Future.

speakers in opposition to the TPPA signing ceremony in Chile,” says Oliver Hailes, spokesperson for

It’s Our Future, New Zealand’s network of opponents to the TPPA and other anti-democratic

economic treaties.

The line-up of speakers includes:

– Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman;

– Māori activist and international indigenous rights advocate Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn;

– Generation Zero spokesperson Lisa McLaren;

– Unions Wellington organiser Ben Peterson;

– President of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Grant Brookes;

– ActionStation campaigner Rick Zwaan;

– documentary maker Bryan Bruce; and

– TPP Free Wellington spokesperson and business owner Antony Maddock.

Sandra Grey, president of the Tertiary Education Union, will serve as MC, and Mike Pike will provide

music.

These speakers represent many perspectives on why New Zealand must continue to resist the

TPPA.

Ms Ghahraman was the only voice in last week’s parliamentary debate who challenged the sudden

shift in policy by the Labour Party and New Zealand First: “We need to make trade fair and fit to

serve our needs in the 21st century, instead of ceding sovereignty to foreign investors.”

Ms Murupaenga-Ikenn speaks for “the imperilled voice of indigenous peoples and populations all

around the world” as well as the “prominent economic, civil rights, environmental justice and

other experts, academics and NGOs who have consistently called for state compliance with moral,

legal and international standards regarding good governance and environmental and human

rights”.

Mr Zwaan will report on ActionStation’s recent independent poll, which confirmed last week that 75%

of New Zealanders still want independent analysis before signing up.

Likewise, Ms McLaren says that Generation Zero wants “an independent analysis into whether the

TPPA is compatible with the 2050 net-zero emissions target, as outlined by the Vivid Economics

report and the envisioned Zero Carbon Act, before New Zealand ratifies the agreement”.

“Despite the rebrand and spin, people throughout Aotearoa are beginning to realise that nothing’s

really changed,” Mr Hailes said. “Never again will we be kept in the dark while technocrats trade

away control over our future. That’s why we’re still collecting signatures to let the Government

know that we do not consent to the TPPA and that Parliament must reform its Standing Orders to

increase democratic oversight of future treaty negotiations.”

Mr Hailes will hand over a parliamentary petition to Ms Ghahraman on behalf of the thousands of

signatories who have endorsed the position of It’s Our Future.

The post Rally at Parliament against signing of TPPA – Oliver Hailes appeared first on It's Our Future.

Will Dreyer, student from Otago University’s Student’s Against the CPTPP – speaking about the threats of CPTPP

Aaron Hawkins – speaking on the concerns of the CPTPP

Rye Senjen –

Dr Bob Lloyd – speaking on behalf of group Wise Response

Rosemary Penwarden

Rob Haultain – EtU organiser and textile artist

Jen Olsen – Speaking about the CPTPP takeover of International Women’s Day

The post Speeches from the TPPA-11 – Don’t Sign! Dunedin Rally 04/03/2018 appeared first on It's Our Future.

Below are the speakers from the Auckland Rally;

Mikey Brenndorfer –  speaking on the health analysis

Moana Maniapoto – speaking on holding the lines, and Te Tiriti, and independent analysis

Bryan Bruce – speaking on the implications of the TPPA and similar trade deals

Laila Harre – speaking on holding the lines and labour rights

Jane Kelsey – speaking on the spin, current state of play and actions needed moving forward

Have you signed the Don’t Do It! petition?

Sign it now www.dontdoit.nz and share it amongst your networks!

The post Speeches from Auckland anti-TPPA Rally March 2018 appeared first on It's Our Future.