21 April 2016

Māori Party Present Submission on TPPA to Select Committee

Throughout the lead up to the first reading of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement legislation the Māori Party have taken a clear stand that they are opposed to the legislation.

At the Foreign Affairs and Trade Select Committee hearing hosted earlier this week in Parliament, the Māori Party spoke to its submission.

“We are very pleased we took up the opportunity to present our point of view and were ably represented by our vice president Su Cullen,” says President Naida Glavish.

“We are not anti-trade, we are pro the Treaty of Waitangi. We are voicing our concerns around engagement with Tangata Whenua as the Government has failed to get informed consent from us as required under the United National Declaration of Rights for Indigenous People (UNDRIP) and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The TPPA negotiations could have involved a bonafide engagement with Māori. This did not occur.”

Naida Glavish points out that successive governments have failed to adequately address Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori rights and as a result the Māori Party does not have confidence in the Crown on its own to interpret those rights in respect to the TPPA.

“The Māori Party’s’ role is to work towards ensuring that the Crown honours its obligations guaranteed to Māori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We have long campaigned for constitutional change that would properly recognise the Treaty partnership between Māori and the Crown. Those proposals include establishing an Upper Treaty House in Parliament and establishing a Parliamentary Commissioner for the Treaty.”

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