Protestival, Auckland 31 January 2016
The campaign is building and the government is sounding more and more desperate. Across New Zealand members of the public are waking up to the dangers of the TPPA. The Don’t Sign speakers tour and campaign actions have mobilised and informed supporters. Now, with a few days before signing, we need to ramp up the pressure.
Events coming up soon
Up to date information is on www.itsourfuture.org.nz. Please let me know if there are any events to add at itsourfuturenz@gmail.com.
Auckland
3 February: We welcome visitors from outside Auckland and will hold a meeting on Wednesday evening. Meeting place to be advised. Please let us know if you are involved in organising TPPA actions in your community and you are coming to Auckland at itsourfuturenz@gmail.com.
3 February: There will be an Unwelcome to Auckland protest at Auckland airport for the Trade Ministers and their entourages arriving in Auckland, with banners, chants and a message that we don’t want them to sign the TPPA. Details will be posted on our website closer to the time. Let us know if you want to participate.
4 February at 12pm: Assemble at Aotea Square (Queen St side). Join the TPPA Don’t Sign march down Queen St. We invite the people of Aotearoa to join us in protest against the TPPA. This will be a family friendly event! Children and elderly will be present on the day and their safety is paramount. This will be BIG. Now is the time to unite and take a STAND!
4 February: The Trade Ministers will meet at Sky City (although they might not sign the TPPA there). There will be civil disobedience happening around Sky City. We request that any group who does so respects the principles of non-violence and does not damage the property of citizens. We have huge support from the public for the campaign and the media will be looking for photos and stories to discredit our movement.
Hikoi
The hikoi will assemble at Te Rerenga Wairua on February 1, travel through Kaitaia, Moerewa and Whangarei and will head for Auckland to protest the signing of the TPPA at Sky City on February 4 and participate in the march down Queen St at 12 midday. The hikoi will then return to Northland for the traditional welcome on to Te Tii Marae on February 5 and the march on to the Treaty Grounds on Waitangi Day. More details at Hikoi.
Waitangi
There will be actions against the TPPA in Waitangi and it is clear that the governmentis not welcome at Waitangi if they sign. There will be protests against the TPPA. The message is that all people are welcomed to join on 4-6 February. Bring your tents as accommodation will be at a premium, and please bring their flags and banners.
Raglan
1 Feb at 4pm: Raglan footbridge at Raglan beach, join the #TPPAfreeZoneChallenge.
Whakatane
4 Feb at 8am: Information centre, walk to the Council office.
Tauranga
Actions will be at TPPA Tauranga FB page.
Hastings
4 February at 5pm: Hastings Town Clock: Anti-TPPA rally.
Taupo
4 February at 10am: Rally at Tongariro Domain. See Facebook event.
Wellington
4 February at 12 midday: Rally for Democracy and Sovereignty – assemble at the Cenotaph outside Parliament with banners, cardboard heads of government Ministers and speeches. Lunchtime.
More info on Wellington actions at TPPA Wellington FB page.
Christchurch
4 February at 12.30pm: Declare ChCh TPP Free at Christchurch City Council, 53 Hereford St.
More info on events at TPPA Christchurch FB page.
Dunedin
Info on events at TPPA Action Dunedin FB page.
The Campaign continues
They will succeed in signing the TPPA (they could do it by Email if they had to), but we will make it clear that the New Zealand public rejects the TPPA. The campaign will continue.
Governments still need to ratify the TPPA and that is looking very shaky in the US and in Canada. It is likely to be several years before ratification (if ever). This means we will be able to make the TPPA a crucial issue in the next New Zealand election.
There will be Waitangi Tribunal hearings in March. Legal experts have mounted a strong case exposing the weakness of the so-called ‘exception’ for the Treaty in the TPPA.
We will be targeting opposition political parties to strengthen their commitments to reject the TPPA, building a strong campaign around Parliamentary process to ratify the TPPA (including Select Committee hearings), winning the arguments through research and fact sheets, doing a speakers’ tour around New Zealand and getting to over 100,000 signatures on our petition. We will raise the stakes on TPPA for the election and we will defeat the TPPA, just as we have previously defeated previous attempts to get pro-corporates rights in international treaties. The campaigning ramps up from now on!
TPPA Free Zone
Congratulations to Waiheke for becoming a TPPA Free Zone (thanks Local Board rep Shirin Brown and others), along with the Octagon, Auckland Town Hall, venues across New Zealand, homes, workplaces etc. Take action and declare your community or personal space a TPPA Free Zone. See links at Facebook and Website for downloadable materials and ideas for action.
Campaign Round up
Events have already taken place in many other centres including Dunedin, Christchurch, Nelson, Blenheim, Palmerston North, 6 events in Wellington, New Plymouth and Rotorua cars against the TPPA, Auckland and many others. Let us know at itsourfuturenz@gmail.com if you’ve had a ‘Don’t Sign TPPA’ event.
There’s no space for a full round up of the great campaigns undertaken over the past week, but here are a few highlights.
Handover of the petition to the Governor-General: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3t1TIIgrIA&feature=youtu.be
http://www.3news.co.nz/politics/large-protests-in-lead-up-to-tpp-signing-2016013013#axzz3yl09zkba
Dunedin declared the Octagon TPP Free with around 400 people, music, speeches and poetry
http://www.dunedintv.co.nz/interview/nightly-interview-jen-olsen-1
Christchurch mourned the death of democracy at a rally with over 1500 peoplehttp://www.stuff.co.nz/national/76413819/democracy-buried-at-antitppa-protest-in-christchurch
Several hundred protestors marched down Nelson’s main streethttp://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/76416320/Police-thwart-TPPA-protesters-attempt-to-chain-off-Nelsons-main-street
Lori Wallach and Jane Kelsey: Don’t sign speaking tour 26-29 January
Thanks to everyone who helped organise events for the Don’t Sign speaker tour. Auckland Town Hall had an audience of around 900, then Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin were packed out. It has helped to lick the campaign up a level. Thanks especially to Lori Wallach for making it over to New Zealand at an incredibly busy time in US political lobbying, and huge thanks to Jane Kelsey who made it happen.
Sign the petition(s)
The Don’t Sign petition is close to 50,000. The petition will be kept open during ratification so sign now and we will push it up to 100,000.http://www.actionstation.org.nz/dontsign
After declaring itself to be opposed to the TPPA (eventually backed by all MPs except for Phil Goff), Labour launched a petition against the TPPA with a target of 50,000. It has been reached in a week! They must have been surprised. Labour petition
Funding the campaign
We launched a Give a Little page to fund the speaker tour and ongoing campaigning. Please donate generously.
We acknowledge the generous support of individuals and organisations for the speaker tour: It’s Our Future; First Union; Public Service Association (PSA); and theCouncil of Trade Unions (CTU). If you have other fundraising suggestions, contact Barry Coates at itsourfuturenz@gmail.com. Now is a good time to donate!
Research
We are winning the arguments and exposing the government spin on the TPPA. If you want to find out more, visit TPPA research. There are expert, peer-reviewed research papers on:
· The Parliamentary process
· Investment
· Te Tiriti
· Environment
· The Economics of the TPPA
Also see facts sheets at our partner ActionStation TPPA facts.
Thanks to all for your fantastic campaigning. Kia kaha!
Barry Coates, It’s Our Future spokesperson
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