Superb upcoming anti-TPPA events in New Zealand
Today I spoke with TPPA expert Professor Jane Kelsey and with Barry Coates, organiser with itsourfuture.org.nz, about upcoming anti-TPPA events around the TPPA signing ceremony at Sky City Casino, Auckland, New Zealand on 4 February 2016.
I thank Jane and Barry for their generosity in updating me on their plans, some of which goes beyond what has been public. I came away relieved and excited about the events they have planned, as follows.
1. TPPA Don’t sign tour (click for details)
Both Lori and Jane are outstanding communicators. Just take 10 minutes to listen to Lori Wallach here — “A Corporate Trojan Horse”: Obama Pushes Secretive TPP Trade Pact, Would Rewrite Swath of U.S. Laws (YouTube) — and you will quickly come to appreciate that New Zealand should not even be poking this agreement with a barge pole.
The tour starts tomorrow! In my view, it is not to be missed when these two world experts come to your town.
2. “Protestival” all-day music festival, Auckland, Sunday 31 January 2016
This is the part that hasn’t yet been publicised, while Barry and others are still working hard on organising it.
I can reveal it will be held in the Tahaki Reserve Park at the base of Mount Eden. Barry has already assembled a line-up of top musicians and predicts a large turnout.
I have been tweeting hard about the importance of family event that New Zealanders can attend on the weekend before the signing, including tweet exchanges with Barry and ItsOurFuture. I was thinking mass marches like in August 2015. But this event fits the bill for me and I am grateful to the organisers and musicians for making it possible.
Does anyone want to organise something similar in any of the other main centres? Or marches on the weekend? The eyes of the world will be upon us and any such events will be just great!
3. TPPA Don’t Sign March, Auckland
Barry was at pains to reassure me that this is to be a mass peaceful family-friendly march that will go down Queen Street rather than entangling with the signing ceremony at the casino. I hope you can attend!
4. Other events
Organisers throughout New Zealand are coming together to organise other anti-TPPA events as well. A list of events around New Zealand is available at TPP Watch/It’s Our Future NZ Bulletin #82 19 Jan 2016 (.docx format). Here is just one example that has already taken place:
This is fantastic spirit! Today’s conversations with Jane and Barry have left me further buoyed as New Zealanders fight for our sovereignty and democracy against this oppressive agreement. I encourage New Zealanders up and down the length of the country to join in these events with resolve and a spirit of celebration.
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My articles on the TPPA:
UPDATED on 2019–01–22: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Mexico, Japan, and now Vietnam, have recently fallen under a TPP Federal Government — 7 November 2018
To the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand: please call a national referendum on the CPTPP treaty — 25 October 2018
New Zealand’s democracy hangs by a thread as Parliament’s consideration of TPPA treaty enters its final day — 24 October 2018
We have one hour! Or New Zealand will be overthrown by a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Super-Government — 23 October 2018
We have 5 hours to save New Zealand from overthrow by a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) super-Government; here’s how — 23 October 2018
How New Zealanders can win a referendum on the (CP)TPPA treaty — 9 October 2018
CPTPP Treaty with ISDS now an Existential Threat to New Zealand — 18 August 2018
Superb upcoming anti-TPPA events in New Zealand — 25 January 2016
BREAKING: release of full text of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) fuels concern over potential loss of sovereignty for TPPA member countries — 5 November 2015
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