A group calling for the release of the negotiating text of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement will gather this morning outside the offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in Auckland.
Spokesperson Lizzie Sullivan says the group consists of concerned citizens who are operating under the term ‘Show us your text’ and they plan to present their demands to the offices of MFAT at 9am this morning.
According to the group, the New Zealand Government has chosen to negotiate the TPPA in secret and not release the text for public and media scrutiny. We are demanding the release of the TPPA text by August 31st or we will conduct a non-violent citizens' search and seizure of the document in Wellington."
Sullivan says, “Democracy is the issue here and we are hoping the government will embrace it and release the text by the 31 of August or we will conduct a non-violent citizens’ search and seizure of the document in Wellington.”
The group will gather outside the MFAT office with a 2 meter long comical magnifying glass. It will then read out the full demand and issue this in written form to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.