4. 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 Process4. Hon TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) to the Minister for Trade and Export Growth: Will this House debate and vote on the revised TPP agreement before it is signed; if not why not?Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for Trade and Export Growth): The member will be aware that the process for the parliamentary examination of treaties is set out in Standing Orders 397-400. The final text of the agreement together with its national interest analysis goes to the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee. I expect the committee to call for public submissions. The committee then reports to the House. In addition the Government will introduce enabling legislation needed for the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership. This will provide several opportunities for parliamentary debates and votes. In addition this Government is willing to hold a parliamentary debate prior to signing—something that the National Government never did—but I do understand that the Opposition may have trouble deciding who will lead the debate for them.Hon Todd McClay: Why didn't he instruct negotiators to strengthen the Treaty of Waitangi clause in the revised Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPPA) as promised?Hon DAVID PARKER: We didn't promise to change the text of the Treaty of Waitangi clause. The most important—[Interruption]—the Labour Party—SPEAKER: Order! Order! Nick Smith will stand withdraw and apologise.Hon Dr Nick Smith: I withdraw and apologise.SPEAKER: I'm going to issue a general warning. This is a question that is very important to many New Zealanders and I think the House deserves to be able to hear the answer.Hon DAVID PARKER: As I was saying we had five bottom lines; we met 4½ out of five. We thought 90 percent was a decent pass mark and for us the most important issue was protecting the right of a future New Zealand Government and this New Zealand Government to ban foreign buyers of New Zealand homes.Hon Todd McClay: Why didn't he instruct negotiators to improve the labour and environment chapters in the revised TPPA as claimed?Hon DAVID PARKER: The labour protections in respect of the revised TPPA are the best that we have had in any prior agreement and they include enforcement mechanisms. The only change that has been made in recent times was one to enable Vietnam to have a transitional period to meet the rules.Hon Todd McClay: Why didn't he instruct negotiators to improve the market access chapter in the recently concluded TPPA negotiations as promised?Hon DAVID PARKER: We made no such promise. What I would say is that in our negotiations we parried attempts that would have been detrimental to New Zealand's interests very effectively.Hon Todd McClay: So is the Minister saying that the market access Treaty of Waitangi protection and environment and labour provisions are the same as negotiated by the last Government in the Trans-Pacific Partnership 12 agreement—some of the highest standards ever negotiated in a New Zealand free-trade agreement?Hon DAVID PARKER: What I'm saying is that we're not North Korea. We don't need to have a revisionist history. The last Labour Government had a parliamentary debate on the China free-trade agreement. The last National Government refused to debate its trade agreements in this Parliament. This Government is going to have a debate on the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. The Opposition is in no position to either lecture or hector us on fair process.