Protest against a New Zealand/China Free Trade Agreement

Wednesday Next - September 1st Hyatt Hotel, Corner Princes Street and Waterloo Quadrant From 5pm

Organised by GPJA

A Big Business promotion of a New Zealand/China Free Trade Agreement is being held at the Hyatt this week. This seminar (cost $556.00!) is organised by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, the New Zealand Asia Institute and the New Zealand Herald. It is called 'Gateway to China' and its website is http://www.gatewaytochina.co.nz

Speakers include Mike Moore, Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton, Herald Editor Gavin Ellis, right-wing journalist Fran O'Sullivan, Michael Barnett (Chamber of Commerce). One of the panels includes CTU President Ross Wilson.

A free trade agreement would have benefits for Big Business but would have dreadful effects for the rest of our community. This is part of the WTO, IMF and World Bank attempts to create a single free market for goods and services around the world. Globalisation in terms of so-called free trade benefits international corporations at the expense of the rest of the international community. For example more cheap imports from China will undermine manufacturing jobs in New Zealand and replace these with more "stack the shelves in the Warehouse with cheap rubbish from overseas" jobs. The negative impacts will be felt by decent working New Zealanders and their families.

Protest Wednesday Next - September 1st Hyatt Hotel, Corner Princes Street and Waterloo Quadrant From 5pm

The programme for the one-day seminar is as follows -

7.15 registration

8 am opening remarks,: Barnett, Sutton, Dryden Spring, Gaven Ellis Chinese Ambassador (which means Falun Gong are bound to be there)

8.20 keynote - mad Mike Moore

8.50 Prepare for FTA - MFAT and Ministry of Commerce China

9.30 Keynote, Hong Kong Bureau chief Economic Intelligence Unit (contradiction in terms)

10 am workshops - Fonterra advice to companies about China - Warehouse advice to importers services: AUT's advice on services exports!

10.30 morning tea and networking

10.50 Keynote: Director China Studies, Oxford and special adviser to China govt

11.20 Chile and NZ journalist perspective - Fran

11.50 Supply chain - logistics company speakers

12.20 Midday workshops - case study on partnerships: Pan Pac Lumber - Lessons from Sun Tzu (?)

12.50 lunch

1.40 Business strategies for capitalist China - speaker from McKinsey

2.10 Chinas banking system - HSBC

2.40 Case study: on the ground in China - Richina Pacific

3.10 Afternoon workshops: - case study, dynamic markets, Astrograss Allweather Surfaces - managing inbound and outbound trade risks - Vero Marine, NCI

3.40 Afternoon refreshments and networking

4.00 Marketing intelligence - Asia Demographics (not Mad Mike!)

4.30 Developing Business in Emerging Markets - Malaysia Airlines

4.40 Case study - "successful strategies for entering the world's largest market - Director North East Asia Institute,, Otago University

5.10 Understanding China's legal framework - Rouse & Co, Shanghai

5.40 Questions to Panel (only new voice includes Ross Wilson)

6.30 Closing remarks from chair

6.35 Cocktails (and doubtless more networking)

It won't cost you $556.00 to attend the protest... but you can register your opposition to the driving force of big business in the lives of working people from around the world. Don't forget -

Protest Wednesday Next - September 1st Hyatt Hotel, Corner Princes Street and Waterloo Quadrant From 5pm

© Scoop Media