Mitchell Mark: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMitchell Mark: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 10 February 2016. Volume:711;Page:8836. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.MARK MITCHELL (National—Rodney) to the Minister of Trade: What progress has been made to advance New Zealand’s trade links with the rest of the world?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Acting Minister of Trade): On 4 February representatives of 12 Asia-Pacific countries met in Auckland to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This is a very positive development for our country. Successive Governments have worked very hard to achieve free-trade deals with large economies like the United States Japan and Canada for more than 25 years. The Trans-Pacific Partnership is estimated to boost our economy by at least $2.7 billion a year by 2030. It will provide much better access for our goods and services to more than 800 million people across 11 countries. These countries account for 36 percent of the global economy.Mark Mitchell: How will the Trans-Pacific Partnership create significant new trade opportunities for New Zealand companies?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: Tariffs will be eliminated on 95 percent of New Zealand’s trade with its new free-trade agreement partners once the Trans-Pacific Partnership is fully phased in. This will ultimately represent $274 million of tariff savings a year around twice the savings initially forecast for the New Zealand - China Free Trade Agreement. As an example of this tariffs on beef exports to Japan will reduce from 38.5 percent to 9 percent; tariffs on beef exports to other Trans-Pacific Partnership countries including our largest beef market the United States will be eliminated.Mark Mitchell: What misinformation has he seen on the Trans-Pacific Partnership?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: Quite a lot. In fact it is hard to know where to begin. For example I have seen reports that because of the Trans-Pacific Partnership the Government will be sued by overseas corporations. In fact investor-State dispute settlement provisions have existed in New Zealand free-trade agreements for the past 25 years including the China and ASEAN free-trade agreements. These provisions have never yet been invoked against the New Zealand Government. The hurdle for breach is very high indeed. At the same time these provisions help protect New Zealand businesses investing offshore.Dr David Clark: Why has his Government not undertaken any analysis of the labour market impact from the Trans-Pacific Partnership when a study out of a US university has found the deal will see a smaller portion of our national wealth going to working people and a loss of 6000 New Zealand jobs?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: There is a very careful national interest analysis which I would exhort the honourable member to read that will be of much more value than a couple of left-leaning marshmallows in an American university.Dr David Clark: I seek leave to table a document.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member is seeking leave to table—Dr David Clark: To table a document.Mr SPEAKER: What is the document—a brief description?Dr David Clark: It is economic modelling commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade that shows that that market analysis—Mr SPEAKER: Order! What is the source of the document?Dr David Clark: It is the document to which he is referring.Mr SPEAKER: Then if he is referring to it he already has it. Is it freely available?Dr David Clark: Yes.Mr SPEAKER: Yes it is. Then we are not tabling it.