24 Mar Maori of New Zealand call the signature of the TPP a “death sentence” for Indigenous rights
Trade ministers of 12 countries, including New Zealand, Canada, and the U.S., are travelling to Auckland, New Zealand this week to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement on February 4th. The TPP will create the largest free trade area, covering four continents and representing 40 per cent of the world’s economic output. Media reports around the globe have focused on the pros and cons of the TPP for economic and political matters ranging from labour rules, such as whether the agreement will result in well-paying jobs being exported to low-wage economies, to the limited impact on the long-protected dairy sector, and to pharmaceuticals. What is often missing from those reports is consideration of the impact of the TPP on Indigenous communities and Indigenous rights. Read more…