TPP critic Jane Kelsey and other ‘stakeholders’ excluded from Sky City Convention centre during TPP talks

TPP critic Jane Kelsey  has alleged the NZ Government has imposed unprecedented restrictions on registered stakeholders as it hosts the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations in Auckland this week.

“We turned up this morning and found we are locked out of the entire Sky City Convention Centre for all 10 days except the so-called stakeholder day on Friday,” according to Professor Jane Kelsey, who has attended six previous rounds.

She said more than twenty international experts in public health, intellectual property, investment, labour, consumer rights and other issues have travelled at great expense to Auckland on the assumption that the rules will not be worse than in previous rounds.

“Already, we knew the ‘stakeholder’ day had been truncated from recent US practice, abandoning the ‘market of tables’ where groups can set out their papers for negotiators to browse. That is when negotiators can make arrangements for further discussions on matters of interest to them”, Professor Kelsey said. “The New Zealand government has effectively removed that option for connecting with negotiators and arranging meetings.”

“It has also canned the other opportunity for interacting with delegations, a reception to which stakeholders are invited.”

“Even the dates of the various subject group meetings were withheld, until I secured them last Friday under the Official Information Act”.

“Now our government has excluded us from the venue itself, where we often meet with negotiators who have short windows of opportunity at tea breaks or duck out from meetings.”

“It is patently obvious that our government is actively attempting to block us from having private interactions with negotiators who have their own concerns or want more information in areas they lack expertise, or are simply polite enough to respond to requests for meetings.”

“The previous round held in New Zealand in December 2010 was widely criticised for its secrecy – including by journalists trying to find out what is happening. It looks positively transparent when compared to what we are now confronting, which is hugely depressing and totally unacceptable.”

Kelsey earlier released a poll which she claimed proved New Zealanders had given a resounding “thumbs down” to secrecy surrounding the TPP talks.

Two out of three respondents to the Kelsey commissioned poll agreed with the proposition that the contents of the TPP agreement should be made public before the negotiations are completed and the agreement is signed.

“Of those that have an opinion, four times as many favour advance publication of the text that New Zealand is negotiating with ten other countries towards a Trans Pacific Partnership agreement,” Kelsey said.

The poll conducted by Consumer Link shows 65% of respondents  agree  the Government should make the contents of the agreement public before the negotiations are completed and the agreement is signed, 14% do not mind if this does not happen, and 21% have no opinion. Kelsey’s question was added to Consumer Link’s standard Omnibus survey.

Kelsey called on the negotiators to recognise their secretive approach to these negotiations “lacks democratic legitimacy” as they meet for another round of talks behind closed doors at Sky City and release the text and supporting documents so people can read, analyse and debate what is being proposed by the elected leaders.

“Contrary to what negotiators claim, this is not unprecedented. Even the much criticised World Trade Organization is a beacon of transparency compared to the TPPA”.

Consumer Link conducted the poll from November 14th  to 21st over a sample of 500 people.  The margin of error is 3.3%.

 

Q1 The New Zealand Government is negotiating a free trade and investment agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership with 10 other countries on the Asia-Pacific rim, including the United States. The intention is that contents of this agreement will not be made public until the negotiations are concluded and the agreement is signed, making it almost impossible to reopenWhich one of the following statements best describes your attitude toward this?	Score
01           I don’t mind the contents of the agreement not being made public before the negotiations are completed and the agreement is signed	14%
02           I think the New Zealand Government should make the contents of the agreement public before the negotiations are completed and the agreement is signed	65%
03           I have no opinion on this matter	21%