Don’t Sign the TPPA!

Trade Ministers from the 12 countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will sign the TPPA in Auckland on Thursday 4th February, according to statements by governments of Chile and Peru (although this has still not been confirmed by the secrecy-obsessed New Zealand government).

Today, the network of Kiwis against the TPPA, It’s Our Future, has launched a petition, together with partners, ActionStation and ShoutOut. The petition will gather the signatures of Kiwis who do not consent to the government signing the TPPA.

Coordinator of It’s Our Future, Barry Coates, commented: “We now understand why the TPPA was negotiated in secret. It is not in the interests of New Zealanders. Now the text is publicly available, it is clear that the deal is designed to serve the interests of large corporations and powerful states, not the interests of people or the planet.”

Barry Coates added: “This is not an agreement that our government should sign. The TPPA allows multinational companies to challenge decisions of parliament and our courts in a private international tribunal. The TPPA's rules and enforcement mechanisms will bind the hands of New Zealand governments for the indefinite future, in violation of our democracy, sovereignty and the Treaty of Waitangi.”

Concerned Kiwis are currently consulting on actions and events around the date of signing to support this petition. The government is not signing the TPPA with the consent of New Zealanders.

Laura O'Connell-Rapira of ActionStation said: "Tens of thousands of everyday New Zealanders have been saying for more than a year now that we do not want this deal. We've written letters, made submissions, met with MPs and marched in the streets. Yet this government still chooses to blatantly ignore our voices. The fact of the matter is, we're not going away and we will not be ignored."

ENDS

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