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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is confident the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership won't hinder the crown response to Treaty of Waitangi claims.
The 11-country trade pact is set to be signed in Chile next week, as countries around the Pacific seek to shore up their relationships in the face of increasing isolationism from the United States.
Ms Ardern says there are still aspects of the agreement the government isn't hapy with, so it has negotiated a series of side letters with other countries so it is excluded from those provisions.
She says being able to regulate or legislate to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi was high on its negotiating list.
"The Waitangi Tribunal has looked at it and said we have some views about wording changes but otherwise is going to do what you say it will do. Canada near the end of its negotiation was seeking to do something similar but didn't manage to get anything near the level of protection we did so we are confident that is definitely protected," Ms Ardern says.
The agreement and a national impact assessment are both out for scrutiny, and people will have a chance to make submissions to a select committee before the agreement is ratified by parliament.
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