Fitzsimons Jeanette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Fitzsimons Jeanette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:606;Page:3857] 
5.  
JEANETTE FITZSIMONS (Co-Leader—Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Local Government 
: Has he been advised of any expressions of concern by local government about current negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services; if so what steps is he taking to ensure the Government listens to Christchurch City Council’s request that no commitments are made in environmental services? 
Hon JIM SUTTON (Minister for Trade Negotiations) 
: 
 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been consulting with Local Government New Zealand for 2 years and with local authorities including Christchurch City Council. In response to the council’s request ministry officials travelled to Christchurch for a meeting last night. Only two people attended neither of whom were Christchurch city councillors. The options that will be put to Cabinet on an initial offer will include making no further commitments on environmental services. I do not intend to pre-empt Cabinet’s consideration of that. 
Jeanette Fitzsimons 
: Was this question transferred from the Minister of Local Government to the Minister for Trade Negotiations because the Minister for Trade Negotiations is not informing his colleagues of the true implications in their portfolio areas of the requests that have been made of New Zealand under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) as we saw yesterday with the Minister of Broadcasting who was unaware of requests that had been made to abolish the New Zealand Film Commission and Maori broadcasting funding? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: The question was referred to me because the matter is my portfolio responsibility. 
Nanaia Mahuta 
: Can the Minister explain the Government’s position on its participation in the GATS negotiations? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: The Government’s position is set out clearly in the discussion document. The Government has agreed to 10 guiding principles for New Zealand’s participation in these negotiations which I tabled last week. I would recommend that all members read them and in particular the statements on public health public education water local government and Maori. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Will the Minister be taking some time to inform the Green Party that its unsympathetic attitude towards economic growth and trade liberalisation is not helpful to New Zealand’s prospects and will he also be telling his counterpart the Minister of Local Government that local government will not dictate New Zealand’s trade policy? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: The Green Party of course is a niche party and need not concern itself with the 75 percent of the New Zealand workforce employed in the services sector. It is this Government’s concern to enhance the opportunities for those 75 percent of New Zealand workers to increase their earnings by means of exports if they choose. 
Jeanette Fitzsimons 
: Given that last night the Waitakere City Council passed a motion expressing its concern at the lack of consultation on the GATS and hence we now have North Shore City Christchurch City and Waitakere City—together representing over 18 percent of the nation—plus Local Government New Zealand all saying that there has been inadequate consultation how can he possibly maintain that local government has been consulted properly over the GATS? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: The Government has been consulting intensively including with Local Government New Zealand for the past 2 years on these matters. It seems however that even if Local Government New Zealand passed the information on to its constituent members some councillors do not read the stuff. 
Jeanette Fitzsimons 
: Will the Minister accede to the request in the GATS submission by the Christchurch City Council asking the Government to abandon the 31 March deadline for the submission of New Zealand’s initial GATS offer in order to allow time for consultation; if not why not? 
Hon JIM SUTTON 
: The Government will do its best to adhere to the 31 March deadline because we have undertaken with our negotiating partners to do so. However the exact timing of our tabling of our initial offer will basically be set by our own convenience. 
Jeanette Fitzsimons 
: I seek leave to table the submission of Christchurch City Council to the Trade Negotiations Division Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on New Zealand’s approach to the next stage of the World Trade Organization’s services negotiations. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.