Lee Melissa: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLee Melissa: General Debate[Sitting date: 14 October 2015. Volume:709;Page:7215. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MELISSA LEE (National): It is a great pleasure to participate in this general debate. I begin by saying how disappointed I am at the contribution of the member who just sat down. I expected Mr Parker’s contribution to be a little bit more focused on the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement considering the fact that he is a proponent of free-trade agreements.As previous speakers have said this Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement is a historic event for New Zealand. It is bringing together one-third of the world 40 percent of the economy and 800 million people. The market is humungous for a tiny country at the bottom of the South Pacific and that is following a major deal with my former motherland Korea. The free-trade agreement with Korea was signed earlier this year in March and I have to congratulate the Minister of Trade Tim Groser. I had the pleasure of being there at the signing. What that free-trade agreement with my motherland actually brings is a total of $229 million a year in savings in duties alone.What happened in Korea was that New Zealand manufacturers who were exporting New Zealand products whether they were wine cheese milk or agricultural products were paying in excess of 187 percent in duty for some. It ranged from 36 percent I think it was for some of the products; for cheese it was 89 percent and for butter and milk powder. It was a major disappointment when a baby food manufacturer in Korea wanted to import New Zealand baby milk powders but it found that its deal in Australia was much much better because it could access those products much cheaper.So not signing a deal with Korea would have actually meant that New Zealand manufacturers and New Zealand producers could not compete with their counterparts. Those are the countries that already had a free-trade agreement with Korea and so this Trans-Pacific Partnership deal is also another thing. We had to be part of the deal because if we did not sign the deal we would have been left behind. Our producers could not access those markets and our producers could not access that money. These wealthy countries are willing to spend a fortune on the proteins that we actually produce and we do such a great job.After signing the free-trade agreement—we have actually ratified our free-trade agreement but Korea has yet so do so and the agreement is that it will do so by the end of this year. I have an opportunity to visit my motherland next week and I shall be impressing upon the Korean counterparts that they actually have to get on with it but it is immediately possible. Sixty-five million dollars will come off in the first year and if they in fact ratify it by the end of the year 1 January 2016 becomes year 2. That is the benefit that only New Zealand producers will take great benefit from because there are humungous savings immediately.The free-trade agreements and the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement that this Government has actually signed with our partners are something to be celebrated by not just this Government not just this Parliament but all of New Zealand. It meansthat it is the growth of this country’s economy; the growth of New Zealand as a whole nation. It means we have a better standard of living and we have better incomes. I am very proud to stand on this side of the House and say we are doing our very best and shame on Opposition members for opposing—well what seems like opposition—free-trade agreements. I believe that they will probably will come to the party and say yes and celebrate the Trans-Pacific Partnership as well. Thank you.