Legislation to implement the NZ-India Free Trade Agreement has passed its first reading in Parliament, with Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay describing it as an historic deal.
McClay said the Agreement would reduce or eliminate tariffs on 95% of New Zealand’s exports to India, with 57% becoming tariff-free from day one. He said the FTA secured better access for wine and priority services and would now be considered by Parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee.
However, NZ First leader Winston Peters claimed the Government had quietly changed immigration settings in ways that targeted Indian citizens, while treating them differently from other free trade agreements. According to Peters, the deal could lead to an “open slather” of more than 20,000 additional Indian migrants once family members and student work rights were taken into account. He also criticised provisions relating to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Paris Climate Agreement and planned New Zealand investment in India.
Peters said officials had warned ministers the proposed changes could harm New Zealand’s reputation as a place to do business and expose Wellington to legal action or retaliation from India. He also alleged officials had suggested not announcing the changes because of concerns about India’s reaction. “We look forward to the Prime Minister, Trade Minister and Immigration Minister clarifying these matters publicly with urgency, so as to avoid any potential trade retaliation, legal action or reputational damage,” Peters said.
The Times of India reported that McClay rejected Peters’ allegations as misinformation, saying NZ First had consistently opposed trade agreements that were in New Zealand’s best interests.
Read more at Winston Peters on X, Beehive.govt.nz and Times of India.
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Peters, calling the new NZ-India trade deal a “disgraceful sellout” is classic Winnie. We are in an election year, so the NZ First leader has dusted off his favorite playbook: bash globalism, rail against immigration, and attack “woke social engineering” to fire up his gullible base. How often do u people need to be fooled????
This FTA will profit wine makers and other corporates but the normie New Zralander will have LESS jobs because of a flood on Indians!!!!!!!!!!!
Look at his actual career. he’s the Foreign Minister! He literally spent the last two years flying to India to smooth over diplomatic relations. Winnie laid the groundwork for this entire relationship. Acting shocked and outraged that Trade ministerTodd McClay actually closed the deal is pretty rich when his own ministry helped build the bridge to get there.
It’s the same story with his anti-globalist stance. Peters loves to slam National AND/OR Labour for selling out Kiwi sovereignty, but he has spent decades acting as the ultimate kingmaker to put those exact parties into power.
And he doesn’t just put them there; he accepts high-ranking cabinet jobs from them. WHAT DO U NOT COMPREHEND???
When he was Deputy Prime Minister in 2018, his government signed and ratified the CPTPP, one of the biggest globalist trade pacts on earth! !!
Then there’s the immigration BS ruse. He’s warning NOW that the India FTA’s visa clauses are going to open the floodgates to mass migration. But remember the 2017 to 2020 Labour-NZ First coalition?? Peters promised to slash net migration to 15,000 a year. Instead, under HIS watch, it skyrocketed to an all-time record of over 90,000, let THAT sink in, you gullible senile nz1 voting fools!
So, why is he doing this now? Pay attention nuckleheads: >>>Because it’s COMPLETELY RISK FREE, …DOH! Chris Shitkins and Labour already confirmed THAT THEJ WILL VOTE WITH NATIONAL globalists to pass the India FTA. Peters knows his FAKE ‘opposition’ won’t actually sink the deal. He gets to sit comfortably inside the Government, enjoy the perks of being power, and simultaneously pretend he’s the lone rebel fighting the establishment.
It’s not a stand on principle. This is just cunning electioneering, pulling again and again and again and again and again the wool over dumb livestock voting cattle. Baaaaah