Trans-Pacific Partnership - High Stakes in Secret

The TransPacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) currently under
negotiation between New Zealand, the US and seven other countries, has
the declared aim of eventually encompassing most of the Asia-Pacific
region and thus has huge economic and political stakes for the US as
well as New Zealand. However the agreement is becoming increasingly
complex and intrusive into countries' ability to choose domestic policy,
particularly progressive alternatives. Examples of its proposed ambit
include State-Owned Enterprises, medicine pricing, public health,
internet and other digital intellectual property right enforcement,
government procurement, and the balance of power between investors and
sovereign governments. It also has implications for relationships with
China, and raises important democratic questions about the treaty-making
process given the secrecy surrounding the text of the proposed agreement
and the right of Cabinet to ratify any final agreement. Bill and Jane
will outline what is known of the proposals and their wider geopolitical
and economic implications.