Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Call to Censure Mike Moore for Co-hosting TPP Lobbying Bash

Media Release: Professor Jane Kelsey
Sunday 26 February 2012

Call to Censure Mike Moore for Co-hosting TPP Lobbying Bash for Big Oil, Tobacco & PhRMA in Washington DC

New Zealand’s Ambassador to the United States, Mike Moore, went ahead an co-hosted a $1500 a head lobbying bash at the plush Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington DC on Friday night, despite calls for him to follow the lead of Australian Ambassador Kim Beazley and decline to attend.

The “exclusive reception” was sponsored jointly by Philip Morris, PhRMA, Chevron Oil and Target, and was promoted as “a unique gathering designed to establish and strengthen the critical person connections at the highest level of state government with embassy and industry representatives”.

Moore was an official co-host representing the ambassadors from the nine countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement negotiations. Reportedly only five of the nine actually attended.

The event has outraged tobacco control advocates, public health campaigners, environmentalists and labour organisations who are campaigning against the TPPA.

Washington-based activists slipped past tight security at the Willard and handed spoof TPP menus to arriving guests with offerings that included

Offshoring Edameme a le GE, drizzled with Chevron Amazonian oil spills,
Teenage smoking salmon toast points a la Philip Morris, served with lawsuits against plain packaging laws, and
Pfizer Filet Mignon, with sauce of attacks on cost-savings medicine formularies.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

University of Auckland Professor Jane Kelsey, who has been strongly critical of the TPPA negotiations, described it as “outrageous that the New Zealand ambassador was acting as host to corporate lobbyists who were buying access to TPP ambassadors, among others, to press their cause”.

In a last-minute letter to New Zealand’s ministers of foreign affairs and trade on Friday, New Zealand, time, she urged them to instruct Moore to pull out of the event, as Beazley had done.

Kelsey pointed to the government’s assurances it would defend Pharmac against concerted attacks from big PhRMA attack in the TPPA negotiations, and its obligations under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to protect tobacco control policies from influence by the tobacco industry – at a time when Philip Morris is suing the Australian government over its plain packaging laws.

“If the government wants us to take seriously their assurances that they are looking after New Zealand’s interests they need to censure Moore and ensure this conflict of interest never happens again”.

Ends.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.