12. Question No. 12—Trade and Export GrowthGOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN (Green) to the Minister for Trade and Export GrowthQuestion No. 12—Trade and Export Growth12. GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN (Green) to the Minister for Trade and Export Growth: Does he agree that New Zealand has a responsibility to make COVID-19 vaccines accessible to everyone worldwide; if so what work if any has the Government done with its trade partners to progress a TRIPS waiver to support equitable access for developing world nations?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister for Trade and Export Growth): Yes I agree that New Zealand has an international responsibility to help make COVID-19 vaccines accessible to everyone worldwide. This Government supports a waiver of intellectual property protections in relation to COVID-19 vaccines under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights or what is called TRIPS" and the "TRIPS waiver". As chair of APEC New Zealand used its APEC host year to encourage engagement on this issue. It sits alongside New Zealand's efforts in APEC and at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to address other elements of supply chain issues for vaccines and COVID-19 products. Following our efforts 17 APEC economies have now either lowered or completely removed tariffs on vaccines and related products making them easier to access.Golriz Ghahraman: Will he commit New Zealand to a strong position to extend the waiver to all COVID-19 vaccinations related equipment and materials and ensure that those negotiations are transparent about the language of the waiver at the TRIPS Council meeting next week; if not why not?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: As I said New Zealand has always been committed to assist with the roll-out of vaccines across the world. We are not safe until everyone is safe. New Zealand has taken a position—a realistic one—that believes that there should be a TRIPS waiver for vaccines but if the request that has come from two nations in particular extends across all medical products related to it that will be very difficult to get through the WTO. We would rather push for and successfully get a TRIPS waiver on vaccines. It will be very difficult to go beyond that. So we believe that it's better to get the first rather than to lose out on all of it.Golriz Ghahraman: Does he agree with the World Health Organization that "Worldwide access to COVID-19 vaccines offers the best hope for slowing the coronavirus pandemic saving lives and securing a global economic recovery."; if so does he consider that working toward a global vaccine equity that reduces the emergence of new variants will also ensure that trade policy delivers for all New Zealanders?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: Yes absolutely. I do agree with all of that. That's why we will push at every international forum for those things to progress. As I said we believe we cannot be safe until everyone is safe and vaccines offer the best way forward. I wish that message would get outside of Parliament into some places too.Golriz Ghahraman: Has the TRIPS waiver been raised in discussions between New Zealand and the representatives of the United Kingdom and European Union during respective bilateral negotiations on trade agreements; if not why not?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: The issue of TRIPS waivers is a multilateral solution not a bilateral one. We know that most of the European countries if not all and certainly the UK support not exactly our position but support the view that vaccines must be rolled out across the world. Each of those countries or some of them have a slightly different view. That's why we believe that consensus can be reached on a vaccine TRIPS waiver but on some of the other products it will be more difficult. Ultimately it's a multilateral decision and solution that is required.Golriz Ghahraman: Given the significance as we've both agreed of the TRIPS waiver and vaccine equity will Cabinet take the stances of the European Union and United Kingdom on the TRIPS waiver into consideration when it makes decisions on any final trade agreements New Zealand may reach with either; and if not why not?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: Our Trade for All policy is one that ensures that whatever trade agreements we sign up to and we're progressing them—and I want to thank the teams doing a lot of hard work particularly on the UK and the EU ones—we have a Trade for All policy that says whatever agreements we sign up to and progress must benefit all New Zealanders. As I say we ultimately depend upon the benefits particularly of vaccine roll-out across the world to give us the opportunities to travel once again and to engage internationally as we used to without fear of some kind of infection.Golriz Ghahraman: Does the Minister think that New Zealand should block the United Kingdom's attempt to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) if the United Kingdom does not agree to support a TRIPS waiver; if not why not?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: No I don't think that that's one of the levers that should be used. We welcome the UK into the CPTPP agreement as long as they reach the standards that the other members have set down and negotiated through some fairly tough negotiations. I'd like to acknowledge my predecessor the Hon David Parker in that area. CPTPP is a valuable agreement. We hope that the UK can come into that. Collectively it will assist us to get the multilateral agreement on the vaccine TRIPS waiver that we require."