Allan KiritapuKIRITAPU ALLAN (Labour): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker for allowing me to take a call in respect of this Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (CPTPPA). Before I commenced my remarks in the House tonight I had the privilege of sitting through only the last few speakers from the Opposition but what I have taken away is that there's a lot of conjecture and hyperbolic statements that are used to describe the contents of this agreement. I think it would be remiss as the final speaker on behalf of the Government if I didn't just make some remarks about the journey by which the CPTPPA has come into this House and make a few comments in respect of its predecessor the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPPA). But in particular I really rise to speak to the implications of this agreement in respect of my region the East Coast the Eastern Bay of Plenty the impacts that trade agreements such as the CPTPPA will have on our region's development and specifically—through an industry that is close to my heart—the kiwifruit industry. Finally I want to make a few remarks in respect of the implications of this agreement on Crown and Māori relationships and the implications of Te Tiriti—the Treaty—and this agreement.But before I commence my remarks in that respect I do want to make a number of acknowledgments. I want to acknowledge the fact that these types of agreements—one they are extremely complex nuanced and go through years of negotiations to get to a final end point. In the process of those negotiations I want to acknowledge the fact that so many New Zealanders from all walks of life have stood in support of and in opposition to the various iterations of this agreement.I note the comments from one of my colleagues from across the Chamber who discussed how there were members from this side that spoke at protests and other such things against the former agreement that didn't get over the line the TPPA. I myself didn't attend any of those protests but what I can say to those that did: good on them. Good on them for being passionate enough about our country to make a stand in respect of things that are important to them. And good on my colleagues who spoke out against the previous TPPA that was insufficient for our country and did not reach the objectives that the current CPTPPA has achieved for our country and in particular the lynch point that the Opposition said that they could not achieve—that foreign investors could not be banned from speculating in our country. Well that has to be a victory for this brand new Government and I want to commend the efforts of our Minister for Trade and Export Growth the Hon David Parker.In hindsight thinking about why people become so impassioned about these types of agreements—and actually I draw on the previous remarks of my colleague David Seymour—we are a small trading nation at the bottom of the South Pacific but we're also a very proud country. We're an extremely proud country about the way in which Brand New Zealand"—Brand Aotearoa—is projected to the world.I remember prior to my role in this House when I was a lawyer I wasn't sure. I remember there were people who were in extreme opposition and people in extreme support in my close circles of confidants. I said to myself "Well I can't really just go off what anybody else says." So for two weeks my household shut its windows and we went through thousands and thousands of pages of papers to go through the exact detail of the prior TPPA to form our own views. Again when the text of this agreement the CPTPPA was released last week we did the same. We shut up house and we went through the details in order to form our own views.Look I admire people immeasurably on both sides of the debate but where I've landed—I'm proud to stand on this side of the House in light of the significant traction that has been made over the past four months.Seventy percent of New Zealand's trade flows through the Asia-Pacific region. We're no longer an island in the middle of the South Pacific but rather we're a dynamic economy that is integrated into a globally connected world.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Well who knew that!KIRITAPU ALLAN: Since there was an interesting remark from over the other side there I was noticing you know Peru is one of the eleven signatories to this agreement and I was reflecting on the peruperu—the potato. My tīpuna from mai rānō actually were trading those peruperu—native potatoes—for generations and generations.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Put this in a book. Put it in a book.KIRITAPU ALLAN: Put it in a book. Nah how about I just keep on going?This side of the House managed to get things over the line that your Government couldn't. The simple fact is—and when we actually go down the track: how many trade agreements have the Opposition gotten over the line? How many? How many? How many? How many? How many? How many? It's been this side of the House every single time that's had to seal the deal. The Opposition puts themselves out there as being the guys that are the champions of business. They're the champions of the regions. The champions champions champions—but they can never get the deals over the line. Anyway I digress.I really want to turn to the applications of this CPTPPA on our region's development. Before I came into this House I've been a proud product of the Eastern Bay of Plenty. The kiwifruit industry is one of the backbones of our regional economy.Hon Gerry Brownlee: It's very traditional.KIRITAPU ALLAN: It is. It's a very traditional industry. My grandparents have been in it and pretty much all of my family is. It's a fantastic industry. I had the opportunity to participate and be a part of greenfield developments all up the East Coast.Now the thing is that the kiwifruit industry currently contributes $2.6 billion to New Zealand's GDP and in the Bay of Plenty that's $867 million alone. Currently the kiwifruit industry generates over 10000 jobs in the Bay of Plenty and approximately 2500 of those jobs are held by Māori. The projections by 2030 are that our growth projections will be an additional 14000 more jobs created in the Bay of Plenty and Māori grower revenue is estimated to increase from $271 million to $638 million per year by 2030. Bay of Plenty Māori wages and salaries are set to double from $22.1 million to $52 million an increase of approximately 135 percent. The CPTPPA will reduce tariffs by $26 million per annum. That has huge fiscal implications for our region that we share.I briefly want to just pick up on some of the comments of the Hon Nanaia Mahuta in respect to Crown-Māori relations. There's been a lot of commentary that the CPTPPA will undermine the Crown's ability to give effect to its Treaty obligations. The Waitangi Tribunal under urgency found that the development of the Treaty exception clause and its successful incorporation into the Singapore free-trade agreement and every free-trade agreement since demonstrates leadership and is a credit to successive New Zealand Governments.The issue before the tribunal was whether the Treaty exception clause was an effective protection and their finding was that overall they concluded that the exception would be likely to operate in the prior TPPA substantially as intended. The exception in the tribunal's view could be said to offer a reasonable degree of protection to Māori interests affected by the TPPA. Does that mean it's perfect? No it doesn't. But what this Government has undertaken to do is to work closely with Māori in the evolution of these Treaty exception clauses moving forward.I'm proud to be working with this Government and I'm proud of the achievements made under the leadership of the Hon David Parker. I am pleased to commend this agreement to the House.Motion agreed to."