FROM THE EDITOR

When the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) was signed in Auckland last year the central city ground to a halt.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets, blocking off Queen Street and motorway ramps in opposition to the deal that many feared would align New Zealand too closely to the United States. None of that mattered in the end, after US president Donald Trump wiped the deal of the table. But now it’s back on. On Sunday 11 Asia-pacific nations, including New Zealand, agreed to forge ahead with the TPPA without the US.

This is good for New Zealand because, as a small island nation at the bottom of the Pacific, we rely heavily on trade. Partnering with the 10 remaining nations in the deal will foster strong trade relationships and give us a competitive advantage against countries outside of the deal.

If the TPPA is resurrected, it will be interesting to see whether there will be the same public outcry against the deal now it excludes the US.