No Urgency, But No Text Either

5 August 2015

“Unfortunately we’re not going to get an urgency hearing” said Hone Harawira, MANA leader and former Tai Tokerau MP, of the claim that government negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) were in breach of the Treaty of Waitangi.

“The Tribunal did note that government’s consultation with Maori had been ‘limited and selective’ and that Maori had been treated more as stakeholders than as genuine Treaty partners”

“They also said that the Treaty exception clause was ‘unclear and untested’ and that because they weren’t allowed to see the clause itself, they couldn’t tell whether or not it would actually protect Maori rights under the Treaty”

“So the reality is that the Tribunal wasn’t in a position to make a decent ruling because the government categorically refused to let even them see the text of the TPPA!”

“But it’s not over yet. The Tribunal said if the TPPA deal was signed off in Hawaii they would grant an urgency hearing on the Treaty exception clause as soon as the text was released, and if the deal was delayed till after the 2016 US Presidential elections, they would consider holding a full hearing.

“The TPPA talks have stalled in Hawaii. That’s good news. With a bit of luck, they’ll die and we can get back to focussing on more important issues at home here like feeding the kids and getting people back into work in their communities”

ENDS

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