Press Release – Te Pati Maori
Te Pti Mori is calling for the full public release of the agreement to allow for independent scrutiny before ratification and the inclusion of enforceable Te Tiriti o Waitangi protections.
Te Pāti Māori Co leader Rawiri Waititi says the Government’s NZ India free trade agreement is being oversold and under-examined, while failing to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi or protect Māori interests.
“Engagement with India matters but this agreement does not go far enough,” said Waititi. “There is no public text, no independent scrutiny and no certainty it will even be ratified. Māori are once again being asked to trust a process that has excluded us.”
Waititi says the Government is chasing headlines rather than delivering substance and transparency.
Leading trade law expert Jane Kelsey has warned the Government’s claims cannot be tested. She notes there is no public text and no credible evidence that a meaningful deal could be secured in such a short timeframe with a country where New Zealand is a low priority.
“India will protect what matters to it and avoids politically sensitive concessions such as dairy,” said Waititi. “What this deal really risks doing is setting precedents India can use against much larger economies while Aotearoa is left with modest returns and big unanswered questions.”
Māori trade advisory group Ngā Toki Whakarururanga has described the agreement as a lost opportunity for Māori.
Ngā Toki sought meaningful involvement in negotiations and the inclusion of a new best practice Te Tiriti o Waitangi protection jointly developed with the Crown. India refused to allow even confidential access to negotiating text including the Tiriti provision.
As a result, Ngā Toki has said it is highly sceptical the agreement will benefit Māori or meet the Crown’s Tiriti obligations and will now undertake a full Tiriti assessment to hold the Government to account.
“Trade without Tiriti protections is not progress it is a gamble with Māori rights,” said Waititi. “Another free trade agreement without transparency accountability or Māori partnership is not nation building. It is political trophy hunting.”
Te Pāti Māori is calling for the full public release of the agreement to allow for independent scrutiny before ratification and the inclusion of enforceable Te Tiriti o Waitangi protections.
Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz
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