Today is Pink Shirt Day, an international campaign aimed to raise awareness about the power to prevent bullying. Pink Shirt Day aims to reduce bullying by celebrating diversity and promoting the development of positive social relationships.

As TPP negotiations got underway in Dallas USA on 8 May, American public advocacy group Public Citizen launched an animated video “TPP: The Ultimate Corporate Power Tool”, a parody based on the classic Jackson 5 song “ABC”. Although it’s US focused it is a great clip and the message works for us too. The ‘Yes men’ gatecrashed the official reception and presented the US negotiator with the ‘Corporate Power Tool Award. They replaced the hotel’s toilet paper. There was a big rally, and actions by the Occupy movement. ‘’TPP – Why so secret?” was projected on the side of the hotel where the negotiations are happening. 

Inside, the US has chopped the already minimalist ‘stakeholder presentations’. The US Trade Representative (the Trade Minister), a former Dallas Mayor, turned receipt of a petition of 24,000 people demanding release of the TPPA text into evidence of their openness to ‘stakeholders’ views’! He dismissed a letter from 30 law professors demanding an end to the secrecy, saying there has been an unprecedented level of openness.

Critics registered as stakeholders are using the limited space to  challenge the agressive demands on the table, mainly from the US, and provide increasingly wary negotiators with analyses and proposals to help them to resist these demands. The rally was streamed live into the room of ‘stakeholder’ tables and onto a big screen!

Open Letter from Lawyers says ‘No Investor- Enforcement in TPP’

More than 100 jurists from NZ and other countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, including eminent judges Sir Ted Thomas and Sir Owen Woodhouse, and former Speaker of the House Margaret Wilson, sent an open letter to the negotiators calling for the right of investors to sue governments directly to be excluded from the TPP.  Lawyers can still sign on. A specialist website has been created with background information. There was lots of media, including Bryan Gould in the NZ Herald, Jane Kelsey on TV3 and, with Bill Rosenberg, on Court Report. The Herald followed with a bizarre editorial. The mainstream media debate has begun!

Hikoi, Asset Sales and TPPA

The Aotearoa Not for Sale Hikoi stopped in Johnsonville on 3 May to visit the electorate office of Peter Dunne, who holds the key vote on the energy asset sales bill. The Ohariu-Belmont group is keeping the pressure on him, but he doesn’t seem inclined to bow to this. The next day the hikoi was joined by a crowd of over 5000 as they marched to Parliament. After representatives from Labour, NZ First, Green and Mana parties spoke to the crowd, a series of women spoke very eloquently, including Francie, a previously silent immigrant of 20 years, who has been galvanised by the Johnsonville campaign.

Protests Continue in Wellington

Zombies danced outside the Wellington Stock Exchange on Thursday May 10 drawing attention to privatisations, asset sales and the TPP. A very long anti-TPP banner imitated the rolling stock exchange neon information that circles the building endlessly.

Asset Sales Petition

The petition against asset sales is available everywhere. Links were clearly made to the TPPA at the launch at Turnbull House, Wellington on 10 May. Make sure you sign. You could volunteer to help with signatures.

SOE Minister Guarantees no Investor-State disputes in TPPA

In a Radio NZ interview Tony Ryall said “you can be quite sure that the government is not going to agree to provisions that mean any foreign company can come and litigate everyday governing decisions by the New Zealand government to the detriment of the people of New Zealand. Why would you agree to that?”. So we now expect him to join the campaign to against investor-state disputes in the TPPA and all other FTAs …

TPPA on Intellectual Property threatens Sovereignty

A blog by Susan Chalmers of Internet NZ, from the TPPA negotiations in Dallas, took issue with the trade-off John Key outlined at the NZ-US Council: if NZ gets better access to US dairy and meat markets, the US gets to change NZ’s intellectual property laws to suit, namely, the film and music industries. NZ is then effectively stripped of its sovereignty when it comes to shaping aspects of its own IP policy.

NZ-US Council Conference Downplays Prospects for TPPA

The NZ-US Council’s 10^th anniversary conference at the Sky City Casino was dominated by the TPP negotiations – not surprising, as it was formed to push for a NZ-US FTA. A report that the TPPA would boost the NZ economy by $2 billion wasn’t taken seriously. An American business lobbyist gave a sober assessment of progress in the TPP talks, citing a ''chasm'' between leaders' ambitions and their negotiators' positions and asking ''How can any product, service or core rule be excluded from the final package by one or more countries without the house of cards falling? We do not believe it can.'' John Key talked down the supposed benefits and timeline. Former Labour Trade Minister Phil Goff was still pushing his old pro-FTA line. Seems a bit out of touch.

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This report is an interesting discussion about academic freedom and about autonomy of institutions and researchers

CTU Media Release
24 April 2012 An  international trade union conference on maternity protection has adopted the extension of paid parental leave to 26 weeks as a priority for the Asia/Pacific/Middle East region. Participants at the International Trade Union Confederation and International Labour Conference held last week in Singapore also signed a collective letter calling on Finance Minister Bill English not to veto Labour MP Sue Moroney's PPL Bill and to work instead to implement the objectives of the Bill. Rebecca Matthews from FIRST Union, who represented the Council of Trade Unions at the conference said that extending the length of paid parental leave was important to working women and their families throughout the region. "Longer paid parental leave supports breastfeeding and baby and maternal health. It supports the return of women to the workforce,  and takes the pressure off family income around the birth of a new baby."
Rebecca Matthews said that the conference showed that parental leave was not a luxury for rich countries or rich families, but was an essential work right that supports best outcomes for families with young children. "New Zealand can and should adopt a longer period of paid parental leave. Unionists in New Zealand and overseas will be working alongside community organisations to make longer paid parental leave a reality. Here, that means building support for Sue Moroney's Bill, and making sure that Bill English knows that voters want him to deliver 26 weeks paid parental leave, not veto it." The letter supporting 26 weeks paid parental leave in New Zealand was signed by representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Fiji,  Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan,  Korea, Mongolia, Nepal,  Palestine, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. ENDS

Press Release

Parker's generosity a lesson for us all

Dr George Parker, manager of Te Puna Toi, the research arm of Canterbury University's Theatre and Film Studies programme has rejected a pay increase from the University of Canterbury. The pay increase would have seen Parker's salary leap from $7000 to $7322 per annum and his tutor pay rate increased by .92c per hour. "Given the current financial climate and the difficulties the university is facing in post-earthquake Christchurch, it would be irresponsible to accept a .92c increase". A university spokesperson commended Parker for his generosity and said the extra funds would go towards a mid-winter Christmas party for the university's over-worked HR department. "They need the relief", the spokesperson said.

Parker rejected that this move was in any way based on bad publicity surrounding the pay rise of Christchurch City Council's CEO Tony Marriott, which caused a wave of protests in Christchurch earlier this year. "No, I'm just a nice guy", said Parker.

Parker also categorically denied that he was considering the role of Governor of the Reserve Bank with current governor Alan Bollard standing down. "I don't think I even have an account at the Reserve Bank" Parker claimed.