Council takes no position over controversial TPPA

Rotorua Lakes Mayor Steve Chadwick

Rotorua Lakes Council has "no position on the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement" and has referred submissions on the issue to their strategy team, Mayor Steve Chadwick says.

This comes after the TPP Action Group presented a 12-point resolution to the council during its recent Long-term Plan hearings.

As a response to the potential agreement, 11 local councils, including Auckland Council and Wellington City Council, have signed the 12-point resolution to reassert their rights against the controversial trade deal, which seeks to set investment and trade deals between 12 Asia-Pacific countries to cut tariffs, improve market access, and set common ground on issues such as the environmental and intellectual property rights.

TPP Action Group member Greg Rzesniowiecki presented the resolution to the council in June.

"The resolution came out of Auckland Council. It just retains what we have at the moment - if we are going to negotiate an agreement, what's in it for us? Local government has a mandate to look after the public's interests," she said.

TPP Action Group member Jen Olsen said it was important people understood the implications of the agreement.

"Some of the local councils feel that things like the agreement really belong with central Government, but we believe it affects everybody and will have strong affects on local government in terms of their procurement of services.

"There's quite a few elements of it which will affect people right the way through the spectrum of life."