One of the privileges of my job is I get to talk with some of the most interesting people not only in New Zealand but the World.
Back in 2017 the then National led government was about to sign New Zealand up to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnerrship Agreement that would link the economies of eleven countries - Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand,Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
It had evolved from the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership agreement to which a lot of New Zealanders took to the streets in protest because they were concerned about the financial chapters in the agreement that would allow Big Money to wash across New Zealand’s border with the consequent loss of our nations sovereignty. (If people can buy up your country then who are you? And what do you stand for as a nation?)
So I called Nobel Prize Winning economist Prof. Joseph Stiglitz who graciously agreed to a remote onscreen interview about the Neoliberal economics of selfishness and Globalisation of the world by Big Business which his research shows greatly benefits the large wealthy economies at the expense of the poorer and agrarian based economies.
This conversation of course happened Pre-Covid which, when it struck, broke supply chains so badly that there were hopes that the grip Globalisation had the economies of the world would be broken.
But the CTPP was ratified and signed by a Labour led coalition. Big Business has indeed used the agreement to buy up things like our iconic food brands as well as our homes and land.
In short what Prof. Stiglitz had to say and the concerns he raised back in 2017 is as relevant today as it was then.
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