Flavell Te Ururoa: Tariff (New Zealand-Hong Kong China Closer Economic Partnership Agreement) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Tariff (New Zealand-Hong Kong China Closer Economic Partnership Agreement) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
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TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker. Kia ora tatou katoa i tenei po. The mere fact that we have a split vote in the Maori Party obviously indicates that there is a degree of support but also that an opportunity has arisen through our vote to register some serious issues we had raised. I cannot say that they align with Dr Norman’s too much but certainly there are some concerns nevertheless. 
The Maori Party is on record as having a range of concerns about the impact of free-trade agreements. Our major concern is the long-term prosperity of workers and businesses. We are concerned also about the protection of New Zealand’s markets tariff rates biosecurity environmental issues including climate change and overseas investment. 
As has been spoken about this bill implements a bilateral trade agreement—namely the New Zealand - Hong Kong China Closer Economic Partnership Agreement. The amendment to the tariff will enable the application of preferential tariff rates to be applied to goods imported from Hong Kong. The New Zealand - Hong Kong China Closer Economic Partnership Agreement largely mirrors as Dr Norman talked about New Zealand’s prior free-trade agreement with China. 
Due to liberalising our laws we have a concern about businesses and workers including Maori that may be forced to produce their goods at the lowest cost by taking production offshore. Of course the logical consequences of taking production offshore are both job losses at home while also willingly providing New Zealanders with an opportunity—as if they needed it—to buy overseas goods rather than those made in New Zealand. 
So where will the impact be most profound? Well the free-trade agreement’s greatest negative impact has been on the manufacturing sector which has a high Maori and Pacific Island workforce. Although there has been some comment passed that Maori businesses may stand to be disadvantaged by this approach the impact is felt more by Maori workers in the manufacturing sector regardless of who owns the businesses. From what we can work out the loss of the manufacturing base has had an impact only on Maori businesses in the manufacturing sector. Two examples I can cite are those located in Opotiki owned by Te Whakatohea and in South Auckland. The name of the firm is KT Footwear and the person who led the company was Karroll Brent-Edmondson. Both firms manufactured footwear and both closed as a result of cheap imports. 
By far the most enduring legacy of the free-trade agreement will be on the Maori workforce. As at June 2008 12000 Maori were employed in the agriculture forestry and fishing primary production area; and 29000 Maori were employed in the manufacturing area. Maori laid off from a factory in New Zealand did not get jobs in New Zealand - owned factories that relocated to low-wage Asian economies. 
We know full well that the huge appetite the world has for primary produce in emerging super-power Asian countries like China will not change as a result of some of the Maori Party voting against this bill. We also know that many Maori businesses are looking to advance the promise of prosperity. This is a key objective of our policy manifesto  
He Aha Te Mea Nui? He Tangata He Tangata He Tangata 
; we will incentivise whanau and family businesses to grow. We want to see Maori businesses develop and also to increase employment but we cannot ignore the fact that in the latest household labour force survey Maori unemployment went up from 14.2 percent to 16.4 percent. That means 26400 Maori are now without jobs—an increase of 3600 since the previous quarter. 
I need to say that another part of our  
He Aha Te Mea Nui? He Tangata He Tangata He Tangata 
 manifesto was to invest in development programmes that will forecast the long-term opportunities and skills required to increase productivity and economic growth. This is where we get caught between a rock and a hard place. Maori concerns in regard to manaakitanga and how workers in both countries are being treated in regard to workers’ rights and minimum standards on labour issues have long been an issue for our party. The lack of recognition of tangata whenua in free-trade agreements and in incidental tariffs with overseas partners undermines the Treaty of Waitangi but on the other hand we will never stand in the way of allowing Maori businesses to thrive. That is why we obviously have arrived at a position of voting: two members opposed and three members in favour.