Prebble Richard: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Prebble Richard: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:611;Page:8658] 
1. Hon RICHARD PREBBLE (Leader—ACT NZ) 
 to the  
Minister for Trade Negotiations 
: With the failure of the World Trade Organization talks at Cancun and New Zealand’s exclusion from the Australia - United States free-trade negotiations what if anything does the Government propose to do to promote our trade interests? 
Hon PETE HODGSON (Acting Minister for Trade Negotiations) 
: 
 Firstly the member’s question is arguably predicated on errors. The Doha round remains alive. Cancun was a failure to agree not a failure as such. Secondly New Zealand has not been excluded from negotiations with the US; it is that we are not yet on the list. 
Opposition Members 
: Ha ha! 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: Finally New Zealand promotes our trade interests continually and with vigour. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I realise I am guilty of laughing along with everyone else but I did not hear the Minister’s answer after he claimed we were not excluded but just not on the list. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I thought that the Minister addressed the question. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: The Minister just carried on talking. I put down this question on notice and I would like to hear what the answer is. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Could the Minister please give the last part of the answer. 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I am happy to repeat my answer. I did pause for a time. Finally New Zealand promotes our trade interests continually and with vigour. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: As New Zealand is the only member of the Cairns group not to be either part of the now G22 group or one of the countries that already has an agreement with the United States to hold bilateral trade talks is it not time for the Government to repair our relationships with the United States so that we can get bilateral talks with that nation? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I think the member misses the point again. We chose not to join the G22; we were not excluded from it. We are welcome to join the group if we choose. We did not want to leave Australia hanging out because it chairs the Cairns group. The reason for that is that Cairns is in Australia. 
Martin Gallagher 
: What has the Government been doing to advance the case for a free-trade agreement in Washington? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: There is encouraging support amongst the US business community and in Congress for a free-trade agreement with New Zealand. Our embassy in Washington and the business community in New Zealand have been making considerable efforts to advance our case. We have continued to promote the need for a free-trade agreement in discussions with the US administration including in talks that the Minister for Trade Negotiations has had with US Trade Representative Bob Zoellick. 
Hon David Carter 
: Is the Minister for Trade Negotiations satisfied with his achievements over 4 years; if so what of significance has he achieved for New Zealand exporters? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: Yes the Minister for Trade Negotiations is satisfied with progress over 4 years and would instance progress with Chile and Singapore and prospectively with Mexico and Thailand and I think that that in addition to closer economic relations with Australia is not a bad list to be going on with so far. 
Rod Donald 
: Did the Minister support the push by developing nations to take the investment agreement off the agenda at Cancun; if not why does the Government support an investment agreement that gives more power to multinational corporations and takes away the rights of democratic Governments to set their own rules on investments? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I regret to advise that I am not aware of our green room position on that matter. 
Hon Peter Dunne 
: With regard to the rise of the G21 or G22 at Cancun does the Government have any concerns about the impact of the emergence of this group—and its potential ongoing influence in the future—on the future of the Cairns group and particularly given New Zealand’s involvement with that; if so what steps is New Zealand prepared to take to ensure that the Cairns group set of initiatives remains on the table and is progressed through future discussions? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: As the Minister himself said—I read it in the paper anyway—we are not sure whether the G22 is a fleeting star or something that will be more permanent. If it is the latter then New Zealand may want to reconsider its position. However that is much further down the track. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: On 11 February in the Prime Minister’s statement this House was told that the Labour Government’s trade priorities were free-trade agreements with Hong Kong and Chile neither of which has occurred and a free-trade agreement with the United States which thanks to the Prime Minister’s statements will never occur; then we were told it would be the Doha round and that has failed—is not the conclusion that this House reaches that this Government has no trade policy? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: Most certainly not. The various agreements the member refers to are all under discussion. The Doha round has not failed. 
Rod Donald 
: Will the Government admit especially in the light of the Minister’s comments that he does not know what happened in the green room that World Trade Organization processes lack transparency deny participation and are anti-democratic; and will the Government now stand with the developing countries so that they are not again put in the position of vetoing a ministerial statement because they were not allowed to participate in the negotiation of that statement? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: The reality with international negotiations is that if one seeks to hold them in the WestpacTrust Stadium one is unlikely to get an agreement. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Why is it that the leader of the United Future party Peter Dunne was not able to save the Cancun round; if not why not—and if not what was he doing there in the first place? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: The leader of the United Future party chairs the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee and was present in that capacity.