11. Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership—Changes and ProcessHon TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) to the Minister for Trade and Export GrowthComprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership—Changes and Process11. Hon TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) to the Minister for Trade and Export Growth: Will he release the full text of the revised Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and the national interest analysis before it is signed on 8 March this year; if not why not?Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for Trade and Export Growth): New Zealand is pushing for the release of the text as soon as possible. The formal text in English is currently being checked to ensure it reflects what was agreed last week. The English text will then be translated into French and Spanish which is important to the countries that don't speak English as their first language. These translations will then need to be legally verified and all of this has to be completed by 8 March. In the meantime the 2016 text is available in detail as is a summary description of the suspensions agreed. In respect of the national interest analysis I've directed that that be released prior to 8 March.Hon Todd McClay: Is he telling the House and the public that they should read a text that was published first in 2016 that his party hasn't voted for?SPEAKER: Order! Just before the member answers I will indicate that a further two supplementaries have been granted to the National Party as a result of Government bench interjections.Hon DAVID PARKER: What I'm saying is that the bulk of the text is in this form of this long-published agreement that the suspensions have been well described and that there is nothing being hidden from the public.Hon Todd McClay: Will he put the revised Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) text before Parliament for debate and a vote prior to signature as proposed in a New Zealand First member's bill which Labour the Greens and New Zealand First all voted for in Opposition last year?Hon DAVID PARKER: The 600 pages of text have already been before this Parliament. The suspended provisions are well described on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade site. I don't envisage that the revision including those two will be put to Parliament before it's signed on 8 March.Hon Todd McClay: When claiming that the agreement has some of the highest standards ever negotiated by New Zealand were the Treaty of Waitangi labour environment or market access provisions improved in the revised TPP agreement?Hon DAVID PARKER: Speaking to the Treaty provision I would say that most Māori were most concerned that the Treaty provisions be given effect to not just through the Treaty clause but through companion legislation which did something that's very important to Māoridom which is protect the New Zealand land homeownership market as a New Zealand market. Māoridom suffered a greater decrease in homeownership rates than the general decrease that was experienced under the last Government.Hon Todd McClay: I ask again: when claiming that the agreement had some of the highest standards ever negotiated by New Zealand were the Treaty of Waitangi the labour the environment or the market access provisions improved in the revised TPP agreement—the actual clauses not anything else he may claim to have done?Hon DAVID PARKER: The market access provisions are substantially unchanged. We did have to parry attempts by both Japan and Canada to push back New Zealand but were successful in opposing those measures. There are significant changes in the agreement including the breadth of the investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses. For me the most significant point is that we have managed to do what the last Government said was impossible which is to protect New Zealanders' right to control who buys our homes at the same time as having trade agreements.Dr Duncan Webb: What reports has he received regarding the compatibility of a ban on overseas house buyers with our trade agreements including the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership?Hon DAVID PARKER: I have read a number of reports incorrectly claiming that we had to choose between banning overseas buyers and our trade relationships. That's clearly not the case. One report claimed and I quote: A ban would force New Zealand to renegotiate many of our trade agreements. We would be likely to lose some trade access as a result of renegotiations which would harm New Zealand companies and Kiwi jobs." The same member who said that last month said the TPP is now not going to be signed because Canada has decided they don't want to do it. Sadly former Minister Todd McClay was wrong on both occasions.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is it not a fact Minister that we have taken the totally unacceptable in terms of sovereignty on land and house acquisition in this country and on the investors disputes provisions—we've taken them from the unacceptable to the acceptable so much so that even Donald Trump's now talking about joining back in?Hon DAVID PARKER: Indeed we have made major improvements. I've already covered the land ones. The ISDS clauses are narrowed as to scope. Under the last Government a foreign company building the Waterview Tunnel could avoid New Zealand courts and take the New Zealand Government to court through an ISDS tribunal. They no longer can.Hon Todd McClay: Can the Minister give the business community an assurance that the Government has a majority to pass the revised TPP legislation or will he be seeking support from the National Party to help get the agreement over the line?Hon DAVID PARKER: I can give the business community that assurance unless the National Party resiles from what it's already said in the media."