Fairbrother Russell: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Fairbrother Russell: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:607;Page:4539] 
7.  
RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER (NZ Labour—Napier) 
 to the  
Minister for Trade Negotiations 
: What progress has the Government made in finalising an initial offer in the current General Agreement on Trade in Services negotiations? 
Hon JIM SUTTON (Minister for Trade Negotiations) 
: 
 Cabinet has carefully considered the recommendations on New Zealand’s initial offer to the World Trade Organization General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) negotiations and our offer was submitted to the World Trade Organization yesterday. I will be holding a media briefing on our GATS offer later this afternoon. I will table our initial offer immediately following this question in the form in which it will appear on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website later this afternoon. 
Russell Fairbrother 
: What service sectors has the Government made offers on? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: The initial offer included some new sectors such as postal and courier services credit-reporting and collection agency services environmental consultancy urban planning consultancy landscape architecture consultancy and services relating to the placement and supply of personnel. In addition to these new sectors New Zealand has offered to strengthen its existing commitments in areas such as engineering computing veterinary financial telecommunications and transport services. The inclusion of these sectors reflects broad discussions with key stakeholders. 
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith 
: Will the Minister assure the House that in pursuing New Zealand’s interests in liberalising trade in services the Labour-led Government will neither bow to pressure from its friends in the trade unions nor kowtow to the Greens as it has on other important issues such as toll road legislation? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: This is not a kowtowing sort of Government nor will we succumb to pressure from people on the opposite side of the House who want us to send our armed forces to war in order to earn negotiating coin for trade negotiations. 
Stephen Franks 
: Given the announced reservation of powers to limit GATS so as to discriminate in favour of Maori precisely what kinds of projects involving Maori are contemplated as needing that reservation and why is that not forbidden by article 3’s guarantee of the same rights and privileges under the same British law for all New Zealanders? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: I am aware of the member’s desire to stop honouring the Treaty of Waitangi and stop addressing historical grievances. All that the Government’s reservations in this area do is allow us— 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I have two objections. Firstly the Minister has no responsibility for the ACT party’s policies. Secondly the Minister cannot authenticate that. In fact Mr Stephen Franks is actually in favour of upholding the treaty—not the made-up one but the real one. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The first part of the member’s point of order was valid. I now ask the Minister to continue his answer. 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: All that the Government’s reservations in this area do is allow us to honour the Treaty of Waitangi and to address legitimate historical grievances. 
Rod Donald 
: Does the Minister have even the slightest misgiving about the fact that New Zealand’s initial offer was tabled at the World Trade Organization in Geneva before the New Zealand public had become aware of it and before this Parliament had had a chance to debate it and does his offer include any new reservations to protect exposed non-commercial services? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: The offer does include a declaratory statement on New Zealand’s interpretation of article 1.3 of GATS which provides protection for the Government’s ongoing right to regulate supply and if desired subsidise public services. I have no reservations whatever about the wisdom of the Government’s initial offer. 
Darren Hughes 
: What steps have been taken by the Government to ensure that public services are not included in this GATS offer? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: Firstly we have adhered to article 1.3 of the GATS treaty which makes that clear. Secondly we have included in our initial offer a declaratory statement of our interpretation of that article that we believe is shared by all other members of GATS. Finally the whole scheme of GATS is designed to preserve the sovereignty of Governments and their right to regulate services in pursuit of broad public policy objectives. 
I seek leave to table New Zealand’s new and improved commitments under GATS. This document will be made available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website later today. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.