Release the draft text of the TPPA

Edward Carter made this Official Information request to Minister of Trade

The request was refused by Minister of Trade.

From: Edward Carter

December 05, 2014

Please release the text that is inside the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I believe that if signed, the TPPA will threaten the sovereignty of New Zealand, and all the negotiations have been secret.
This international agreement could curb New Zealanders' internet freedom and intellectual property rights among other things. But New Zealand still doesn't know everything that TPPA contains, and we want to know what it means for us if our government were to sign it.
If Malaysia can release TPPA text before it’s signed and say no deal without “fast track”, why can't NZ?

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From: T Groser (MIN)
Minister of Trade

December 05, 2014

On behalf of Hon Tim Groser, thank you for your email. Your
correspondence has been noted and will be recorded.

All correspondence, including email, is routed through our mail tracking
process. Although e-mail increases the speed of delivery, the
“behind-the-scenes” efforts of the Minister’s staff in responding to
mail cannot always provide the kind of speedy response users of email may
anticipate.

While the Minister considers all correspondence to be important, if it is
obvious that you are writing only to express a personal view your opinion
will be noted but a response beyond this acknowledgement may not be sent.

Thank you again.

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From: Bibiana Marsh

January 21, 2015

OIA TPP.pdf
56K Download View as HTML

Dear Edward Carter

Please find attached the response from Hon Tim Groser, Minister of Trade, to your OIA request.

Yours sincerely

Bibiana Marsh
Office of Hon Tim Groser
Minister of Trade | Minister for Climate Change Issues
Parliament Buildings | Private Bag 18041 | Wellington 6160 | New Zealand

-----Original Message-----
From: Edward Carter [mailto:[OIA #2252 email]]
Sent: Friday, 5 December 2014 3:03 p.m.
To: T Groser (MIN)
Subject: Official Information Act request - Release the draft text of the TPPA

Please release the text that is inside the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I believe that if signed, the TPPA will threaten the sovereignty of New Zealand, and all the negotiations have been secret.
This international agreement could curb New Zealanders' internet freedom and intellectual property rights among other things. But New Zealand still doesn't know everything that TPPA contains, and we want to know what it means for us if our government were to sign it.
If Malaysia can release TPPA text before it’s signed and say no deal without “fast track”, why can't NZ?

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From: Edward Carter

January 21, 2015

Dear T Groser (MIN),

You are a filthy liar. Do you have Internet where you are now? Because you might want to look at this link. http://i.imgur.com/nt0yOMu.png

That's a screenshot of exactly what you sent to me under the guise of writing a real explanation under the OIA. But that's not what you did. All you told me is what I and millions of other people already know: You don't want to tell us what's in the TPPA. One would think that when asking for information about something as important as TPPA via a service that legally requires you to spill the beans on whatever earth-shattering secrets you're hiding would actually get a real response, and not just more legal jargon explaining how telling us what's inside the TPP might "damage seriously the economy of New Zealand" or "prejudice the international relations".

I'm tired of the secrecy. When something like this is so important and not being discussed with the people it's going to affect, that's not democracy. That's Fascism.

Yours sincerely,

Edward Carter

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Liam left an annotation (January 21, 2015)

Please refrain from sending replies that are abusive and opinion based from this site. Not only is it inappropriate to respond to a legitimate refusal by abusing the Minister but it is not what this site is designed for. Your actions bring shame on the thousands of NZers who use this site within the rules and with dignity.

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