THE NEW FRONTIER

When Kiwis took to their boats to refuse entry to the USS Buchanan in 1985, we saw the promise of a new age of independence and activism that gave hope to Māori and made a strong statement of sovereignty to all.  Today it is hard to fathom the extent to which that sovereignty has been bartered away to global corporate interests as a term of trade. 

After 9/11, the Clark led Labour government bought back into the corporate power circle by passing the Terrorism Suppression Act of 2002 and committing New Zealand defence forces to the US led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  They then demonstrated their willingness to use force domestically under that Act by raiding Ngāi Tūhoe and other communities in October 2007. 

Although Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s visit to Auckland during the election year of 2008 didn’t save Labour, the Key led National government has been able to take full advantage of the deluge of American interest in New Zealand since then; and global corporates are the main beneficiaries. 

 

Like Clark, John Key has demonstrated a willingness to use force domestically in favour of global corporates, as seen in the deployment of the Navy and Police against Te Whānau-a-Apanui when they stopped Petrobras from fracking in their customary fisheries of the Raukumara Basin.  

He has also shown his willingness to sell New Zealand sovereignty in exchange for trade concessions.  Within months of Hilary Clinton visiting New Zealand in April 2010 and signing The Wellington Declaration with foreign minister Murray McCully, Key brokered The Hobbit deal that changed employment laws and turned over more than $60m of taxpayer money to Warner Bros. 

18 months later, at the behest of the US entertainment industry and based on the illegal spying activities of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), New Zealand resident Kim Dotcom was arrested.  As pointed out in last week’s Campbell Live feature, the new GCSB Bill extending that agency’s powers to spy on all New Zealanders and share information with foreign governments can be directly linked to The Wellington Declaration.

The cost of protecting global corporate interests will soon be felt in other facets of New Zealand life as well.  A February 2011 white paper: Pacific Partners – The Future of US – New Zealand Relations, details cooperation in manufacturing, medicine, mining and resources, as well as culture.  And the American Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand Inc, which maintains four offices in New Zealand, provides industry by industry updates on the growing US footprint in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, the 18^th round of negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement will take place in Malaysia this week.  Once signed, all our international relationships and agreements will be subject to new laws that over-ride all sovereign protections, including Te Tiriti o Waitangi; again in favour of the global corporate interests. 

It seems the promise of 1985 is dead, the TPP will be Key’s legacy, and Kiwis are about to join Māori and Dotcom on a new frontier.