The new Government has been true to its promise in one respect on the TPP, the public has been kept more closely informed of the detail of negotiations over the weekend than previously.
Consequently, we can see how difficult trade negotiations between multiple negotiations truly are, and what an achievement it is when they succeed.
Near the end of last week, trade ministers of the 11 remaining negotiating partners were slapping each other's shoulders and celebrating an agreement at last, according to our Trade Minister, David Parker.
Then Vietnam, hosting the talks, baulked over an issue he would not specify.
That was solved by Saturday, by which time the leaders arrived in Vietnam and looked certain to confirm the agreement until Canada's Justin Trudeau failed to attend their meeting, an extraordinarily rude way to behave in diplomatic dealings.