18 July 2005

Trans-Pacific free trade agreement foolish

The Green Party is slamming the free trade agreement announced today between New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei and Chile as foolish.

"This latest free trade agreement is yet another example of Labour rushing head-long into deals that backfire for New Zealand," Green Co-Leader Rod Donald says.

"The existing Singapore free trade agreement has already been an abject failure, with our trade deficit growing thirty-fold since it took effect.

"And exactly why we would want a free trade deal with Chile, a country that produces lots of meat, fish and fruit, is beyond me. It is an energy-wasting exercise in futility to ship identical goods back and forth across the Pacific Ocean.

"Perhaps that's why Brunei is a part of this agreement, because we will have to buy more oil to send those identical goods back and forth across the Pacific, at great environmental cost."

ENDS

© Scoop Media