The visit to Aotearoa by United States vice president Joe Biden has sparked a protest by people opposed to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement.
Greens' vice-president Barry Coates, who was at the protest, says Mr Biden is trying to shore up support for the multi-country trade and services pact so it can be pushed through the United States Congress in what's known as the lame duck period between the November election and the inauguration of the new president.
He says there has been strong opposition from Maori to the TPP, including a Waitangi Tribunal claim, because of concerns over the new trade rules and the power given to corporations to sue governments if they feel their profits are threatened.
"If Maori have rights under the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand citizens have democratic rights through the democratic process, all of those things will be overidden by corporates being able to challenge government policies and challenge our laws and demand compensation," says Barry Coates.
