TPP full text: https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/trans-pacific-partnership/TPP-Full-Text

TPPA Overview

 This excellent production from FivePointFive’s channel YT covering the previous protest marches around NZ will give you an overview of what the TPPA is about and what it means for NZ (April 2014).

With our choices regarding a healthy environment becoming increasingly more constrained as corporations gain ever increasing control over governments, (or corporations that are parading as governments … NZ is a corporation and is registered as such with the SEC in Washington, along with most of our former ‘government departments’), the agreement known as the TPPA looms as an even greater threat to freedom of choice.

Limited liability corporations have morphed into giant behemoths that enjoy virtually guaranteed immunity under a body of corporate law built up over more than a century. They owe their first allegiance, not to the public, but to their own shareholders, and their number one mandate is to maximize profits.

The TPPA (Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement) is an agreement that our PM intends signing on behalf of all NZ citizens, with neither our consultation nor our consent. Negotiations around this agreement  are taking place right now between our leaders and large multinational corporations in total secrecy. If signed, from the little we know that’s been gleaned from leaked documents, this trade agreement will give corporations even more control … and we New Zealanders, whom it concerns most … even less. We have good reason to be concerned, in spite of soothing assurances by the Key government to the contrary. These corporations have no human face. Currently, for instance (to illustrate what we have in store if our country is signed in), the Monsanto corporation is considering suing Guatemala for saving seed (a traditional practice dating back hundreds of years) because saving seed is considered to be in violation of a trade agreement. Now however you try to re frame this, it is definitely NOT in the helpful category. Should these wealthy nations not be giving poorer nations a hand up and not a slap down? Prosecuting them for being wise stewards with their seed heritage?

And that the TPPA is being negotiated by our government in secret should be ringing alarm bells. Consider, if your kids are down the back shed with the neighbour’s kids, and the door is shut and all is suspiciously quiet, and you shout out, ‘what are you kids doing?’ and the reply comes back ‘nothing!’,  I guarantee your next step is to go look. Well that is what thinking NZers are currently trying to do with our Government. However our Government is saying, ‘nothing to be worried about’ and refusing to open the door. They want us to trust them? I believe, as do many other thinking New Zealanders, that negotiations by our leaders with multinational corporations, in secret, is not indicative of the transparency our Government promised. This is supposed to be a democracy is it not? And are these elected representatives our servants and not the other way around?

Remember, corporations are curious creatures (persons technically) and definitely don’t rule out lying if they feel the need … (check out ‘The Corporation’ documentary which explains why). Remember the Ribena fiasco? (In 2004 two 14 year old NZ students exposed GlaxoSmithKline for falsely advertising about the content of Vitamin C in Ribena. It contained virtually nil).

“Commerce Commission Chair Paula Rebstock says that thousands of New Zealanders have been misled by the claim that Ribena contained high levels of vitamin C”.

This pales in comparison to some of the current half truths foisted on the unsuspecting consumer. Corporations simply cannot be trusted (are not legally required) to have our best interests at heart. Which is why Kiwis need to understand what the TPPA is and why they should oppose it.

For a full explanation of what the TPPA is and how it will affect you and your country go HERE

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For further informative videos on the TPPA go here

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News & Updates on the TPPA:

It’s Our Future: TPPA News Bulletin #79
16 November 2015

In this Bulletin: Updates on Nationwide marches; Aotearoa NZ Peoples’ Demands; Media Coverage; Take Action Now; Key Issues from the text; Legal Action; and a Message from our friends at Real Choice.

Thanks to all for amazing rallies, marches, picnics and other events across the country last weekend. This was a crucial step in countering the media spin that the TPPA isn’t so bad and to suggesting that it’s too late. We got our message out there instead: It ain’t over. Don’t sign! We have kicked the pressure back up, our job is now to make the political cost too high for the government to sign this monstrous agreement.

Go here for links to media coverage, download pdfs for further info, referendum and other important information

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It’s Not Over! 14 November – Nationwide Day of Action!

EU-NZ FTA has huge potential says Groser   30 October 2015

Trade Minister Tim Groser today welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister Key and European Union leaders that both sides will embark on the next steps to enable negotiations on an EU-New Zealand FTA to begin as soon as possible.

“New Zealand businesses have already indicated that they would see great value in an FTA with the EU,” says Mr Groser.  Read more

 

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Citizen group to hold TPPA Referendum

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Could the TPPA make the smart meter situation in NZ worse?

27 March 2015     This article is from the stopsmartmeters NZ website: “The smart meter situation at present in NZ is not good. Companies in the electricity industry …”   Read Article HERE

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12 March 2015     From a former PM of Malaysia:  “Transpacific Partnership or TPPA is a New World Order strategy by a powerful pact of people led by the US to dominate the world economy” …. read at SOURCE

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WINSTON PETERS: PM SACRIFICING NZ IN THE NAME OF BIG BUSINESS WITH TPPA

1st March 2015     “The big corporations are so close to governments, not only in New Zealand, that they have handed over many details of the Trans Pacific Partnership while the public in the negotiating countries are kept in the dark….”  Read at SOURCE

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The TPPA’s Dirty Little Secret: How US could write NZ’s Laws

7 March 2015     “….New Zealanders, including MPs, might never know that the US was involved in writing our laws and demanding the right to sign them off even before Parliament gets to see them’, Professor Kelsey warned.”  Read at SOURCE

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