July 05, 2022
Free trade secrecy conflict with Te Tiriti promise
A Māori trade lobby group says the proposed free trade agreement with the European Union falls short of the crown’s obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Co-convenor Moana Maniapoto says Ngā Toki Whakarururanga, which arose out of the lengthy Waitangi Tribunal inquiry on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, believed a Mediation Agreement with the government guarantees Māori genuine and effective influence over such negotiations.
But if Māori aren’t at the table from the start, their interests will be traded off against the Crown’s other priorities, as happened with the United Kingdom agreement and again with the EU.
She says secrecy obligations mean that the group can’t even consult with other Māori to ensure their rights and interests are protected, and it can only influence at the margins of a set template, if at all.
The Treaty of Waitangi Exception included in all New Zealand’s free trade agreements since 2001 it outdated and inadequate to deal with key Tiriti concerns, and the Māori Trade and Economic Cooperation chapter is based on the UK agreement which is unenforceable.