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The Teamsters Union’s Mike Nolan has lashed out at Fonterra saying the NZ dairy giant’s “virtual monopoly” must be diminished if the TPP is to go ahead. Nolan – who touched base with the US Dairy Council in Washington DC before coming down to Auckland for the 15th round of TPP negotiations – claimed that there would be $US20 billion …

Don Christie – founder of Catalyst IT and a leading New Zealand expert on open source software – said he was disappointed with the proposed effects for the technology industry under TPP at today’s stakeholder meeting in Auckland. “TPP is a big missed opportunity” said Christie citing an independent report out of the UK (available for download below) which called …

CTU official Bill Rosenberg has raised the spectre of Warner Brothers suing a future NZ Government if it tries to unwind “the Hobbit” law. At the TPP stakeholders day in Auckland this morning, Rosenberg said the CTU’s interest in the trade negotiations is not limited to labour rights. Rosenberg instanced the NZ Government’s decision to change labour laws to ensure …

Business representatives from four economies have met in Auckland to press for more urgency in concluding the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations currently underway. “In September business representatives from across the TPP member economies urged governments to conclude an ambitious, comprehensive and high standard outcome in 2013,” said Cal Cohen, President of the Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT) speaking …

The NZ Superannuation Fund has been named the world’s most innovative sovereign fund. The fund won the prestigious Sovereign Wealth Fund category in the 2012 aiCIO Industry Innovation Awards in New York. The other finalists were the Australian Future Fund; Singaporean fund GIC; Norges Bank Investment Management and the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan. Chairman Gavin Walker said the award …

The man who blew the whistle on American Bernie Madoff, and two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigators of massive U.S. insider trading activities, are heading to New Zealand. They will be attending two inaugural events being hosted by the New Zealand Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in February 2013 – one of those, open to the business community. Simon McArley, …

Trade analysts and stakeholders in Auckland for the TPP talks have told newzealandinc.com not to expect any progress on “sensitive” issues – including agricultural access – during this the 15th round of negotiations. It’s all “too hard”; “too early” – which doesn’t really cut it if this deal is to be in sufficient shape for final-decision making by political players …

Celebrity American political consultant Karl Rove has reportedly been benched by Fox News after an abysmal performance at Election time. Rove was consistently wrong throughout the day in his predictions to the point where it may have cost him his job – for now at least.

The US is in the box seat for the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations but despite the Americans’ clear negotiating clout – obvious on the outskirts of the TPP talks at SkyCity Convention Centre – things are not plain sailing. The powerful US Chamber of Commerce has made it clear that the TPP deal is important to America’s future …

“Surpringly well positioned for 2050”. That is how Daniel Franklin, editor of The Economist summed up New Zealand’s long-term economic position. Population growth was cited as a critical driver for growth, much the same as the Asian economy. That same Asian economy will be relied on to sustain continued growth also says Franklin. “New Zealand is surprisingly well positioned for the world …