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TPPA a low trust model

“I’m glad we took the TPPA to the Tribunal” says MANA leader Hone Harawira and former MP for Tai Tokerau, in regards to the claim before the Waitangi Tribunal that the government’s negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement are in breach of the Treaty of Waitangi.

“They’ve refused to make the text of the TPPA available to Māori, they’ve refused to engage with Māori and they’ve refused to honour their obligations to protect Māori rights under the Treaty.”

“They’ve even refused to let the Tribunal see the text of the TPPA!” said Harawira “which is a real insult given that the Tribunal is the only forum we have to raise important Treaty rights issues in respect of our lands, our forests, our waters and our other cultural treasures”

The Waitangi Tribunal saw ‘significant potential for prejudice to Māori in relation to the Treaty of Waitangi’ which Harawira said “wasn’t surprising given the Tribunal won’t show it to anyone!” adding that “the Tribunal’s comment that ‘Crown processes for negotiations have resulted in a low trust model’ which is just a polite way of saying, this government clearly doesn’t even trust their own citizens to know what they’re up to!”

“The Tribunal did support our call for an Independent expert to review the text of the ‘Treaty exception clause’ to ensure it was adequate to cover Māori Treaty rights, but the Crown wouldn’t even commit to that.”

“So it was good to hear Judge Doogan say in his closing that ‘there are significant questions to be asked as to the integrity of the negotiations process undertaken by the Crown in relation to the Treaty’ said Harawira “because there are major issues at stake here, not just for Māori but for all New Zealanders, and we need to stand firm, and stand together, in our opposition to this government trying to sign this deal off without first putting it to the people.

ENDS

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