New trade deal

Bruce Elliot queries the lack of protest against the revamped TPP. There is a world of difference between protesting against an arcane agreement negotiated in total secrecy and the still-developing situation where the key principles are being openly discussed and important changes have been made or are under consideration.

The last Government kept claiming it had achieved a high-quality agreement but it was anything but. In return for relatively modest gains for our exporters they agreed, without any domestic debate, to all sorts of non-trade rules such as the investor-state dispute regime which would have restricted the ability of all future governments to legislate or regulate in the interests of all New Zealanders. The ISD rules now appear to be gone altogether or replaced by more acceptable conditions.

Graeme Easte, Mt Albert.