Rt Hon Winston Peters

New Zealand First Leader

Member of Parliament for Northland
19 JULY 2016

Key And Ministers Again Last to Know

As on so many prior occasions the Prime Minister and Ministers are the last to know what is going on down at the farm, orchard or factory, says New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“After days of obfuscation and denial the government is now confirming it had knowledge of China approaching New Zealand exporters expressing concerns at legitimate policy concerns back in New Zealand.

“Clearly Zespri and Fonterra have both known about these approaches and it is inconceivable, given a threatened New Zealand government inquiry as the source of the Chinese concern, that these exporters didn’t tell the government.

“China’s threatened ‘industry consultation’ is shorthand for going outside the 2008 Free Trade Agreement to get its way. They did it on the melamine scandal, and the infant formula production plant approval process. That’s how China got control of our infant formula industry in just three years under National.

“It’s long since time the Prime Minister stopped his duck shoving, ‘no problem here’ bravado and started standing up for New Zealand industries,” says Mr Peters.

ENDS

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