Labour is demanding to see the official advice behind the Government’s Free Trade Agreement with India before signing off on the deal - a move that could decide its fate in Parliament.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins on Sunday laid out his conditions - stronger protections for migrant workers, clarity around a $33 billion private investment in India commitment and the unredacted advice - before putting Labour’s weight behind the FTA.
The Government needs Labour’s support following NZ First’s “regrettable” opposition to the deal, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters saying it gives too much away for New Zealanders.
“Given that the Foreign Minister has felt strongly enough to say he won’t support the deal, we also want to understand exactly what advice officials have provided to Ministers,” Hipkins said in Auckland on Monday.
“We ask that it is provided, in full, in the spirit of bipartisanship and the best interest of New Zealanders.”
Hipkins said the difference between the India FTA, and the UK and EU FTAs was that Labour had a majority in Parliament, so did not need the then-Opposition’s support to get the deals through.
“But we still involved them in it, probably in a similar time frame to the one that they have involved us.”
Hipkins said with the European Union FTA, by the time it came to passing the legislation through the House, National was the government, “so they had access to all of the advice”.
“We're simply asking to see all the advice that they have relied on in negotiating [the FTA]. Winston Peters has seen all of that advice and says that it's a bad deal. I think we've got a responsibility to do some due diligence.”
He did not answer if the Government had given National unredacted advice on the United Kingdom FTA.
Trade Minister Tood McClay told Q+A on Sunday there are clauses in the deal on both sides about respecting international labour laws, but would be going through Labour’s concerns with them this week.
He gave Labour an assurance around the quality of education visas, saying the deal would give incentives around PhD students, but did not go as far as committing to provide the unredacted advice.
“I’ll sit down and talk to them about that and see where we go,” he said.
“It’s not a no, but I want to sit down and work through it with [Labour] first, I’m not saying yes or no on TV.”
McClay said a lot of advice they receive is redacted when released as "we will be doing trade negotiations with others, and some of that may have information that could harm us or a future government's negotiations."
McClay previously described the deal as a “once-in-a-generation
“This deal is in New Zealand’s best interest and will deliver thousands of jobs and billions in additional exports.”
Interest approached McClay on Monday for comment.
11 Comments
This is the Labour that couldn't wait to sign our self-control away via the TPPA. right?
Tarred with exactly the same brush as the current sell-Granny-for-a-buck lot.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins on Sunday laid out his conditions - stronger protections for migrant workers
Turning the virtue signal dial to 11. Of course, anyone who bothers to take any notice will be aware that Indian migrant workers are exploited by those of their own ethnicity (and not of their own) in Aotearoa. The white woke in particular like to think of themselves as worldly and progressive because they can work their way around and know the difference between a North and South Indian menu. In reality, they care more about how they're perceived than the known secret that many of these people are simply cheap economic widgets. Does Chippie really care? If he did, then why is so much worker exploitation accepted by his team?
I have a grin when the words woke and aotearoa are used in same sentence.
I wonder how the openly racist antics of Brian Tamati and his ilk are helping our relationship with India and its people here and abroad. Not a good look I would suggest when overt racism such as " NZ is for New Zealanders" goes unchallenged in our media, and such racist statements seem are quite acceptable and normal in NZ. Nothing to see here, racism is ok if it comes out of the mouths of minorities. NZ inc in 2026.
Our "relationship with India & its people" has long been questioned wrt blatant student education rorts involving work permits & residency pathways, repeated workplace employer & business malpractice, mass falsification of truck driver licenses etc etc
Nothing racist about that.
What is more racist? 1. The explicit expression of Tamaki and his ilk; or 2. The importation of people for cheap and / or indentured labor?
racism is ok if it comes out of the mouths of minorities. NZ inc in 2026.
You can also add the "nothing to see here" attitudes of the mainstream Pakeha culture who want to be perceived as wholesome and prefer to ignore that many of these migrants are essentially treated as 2nd-class citizens.
As overall systems though, NZs is far less prejudicial than the Indian one. Hence part of the reason they migrate somewhere like NZ.
Pakeha Aotearoans seem to think they're morally superior on the whole P, even if they don't explicitly express it as such. They like to think of Aotearoa as a 'fair go' society.
Most people everywhere feel they're morally superior. There's nothing unique about the NZ psyche in that regard. Although I believe NZ is in the top 5 countries worldwide in terms of global aid contribution per head of capita.
If you understood how many other cultures and societies worked, if there was a spectrum of "fair go", ours is a lot closer to the positive end than the negative one. It's something that should be recognized and fostered rather than naively torn apart at every juncture.
I'm pleased that more sunlight is being shone on this deal by NZF & Labour. Like most trade agreements the devil is in the details not the spin. It's been suggest that some aspects of the deal publicised here are being reported quite differently in India (eg the $33B investment "commitment").
No footwork, playing across the line…. And we let this guy run the country ..sheesh
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