Health organisations are concerned the new government will follow the old when it comes to negotiating the Trans Pacific Partnership deal.
The government needs to be reminded that New Zealanders took to the streets two years ago to express their dissatisfaction over the TPP deal, said Erik Monasterio. Photo: RNZ / Mohamed Hassan
Three organisations have sent a letter to the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, before her meetings on the 11-nation trade deal in Vietnam next week.
Erik Monasterio is the spokesperson for one of those groups: Doctors for Healthy Trade.
He said many of the troubling elements of the TPP remained the same as before the United States withdrew, and health professionals want to remind the government what those are.
"New Zealanders took to the streets two years ago to express their dissatisfaction with the previous government's dealing of the TPP and it would be ironic ... if a new government signs essentially the same international trade deal."
Dr Monasterio said Labour seemed to be quite opposed to TPP at the time that National was negotiating it.
