The Trans Pacific Partnership Roadshow rolled through Dunedin yesterday, attracting attention and the odd spot of indignation.
Dozens gathered in the Fullwood Room, at the Dunedin Centre, to hear Minister for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Paul Goldsmith and New Zealand's chief TPP negotiator David Walker explain the intricacies of the 12-nation free-trade agreement.
A small handful of protesters occupied the Octagon and handed out fliers outside the entrance to the Dunedin Centre in Harrop St. However, despite one small sign of dissent during the morning session, the roadshow ran without a hitch.
As Mr Walker was welcomed to speak by moderator and right-wing pundit Sean Plunket, TPP protester Rosemary Penwarden played circus music and began chanting ‘‘This is a circus''.
She was accompanied from the room by the security guards, who were a notable feature of the event.
The roadshow was also marked by a heavy police presence outside the Dunedin Centre and those wishing to enter had to offer photo identification.
Inspector Kelvin Lloyd, of Dunedin, said the event had gone smoothly with no arrests and only two minor interruptions, which were handled by Mr Plunket.‘‘It didn't require anything further,'' he said.
Inside the meeting, Mr Goldsmith said the TPP was a ‘‘big deal for New Zealand''.
‘‘New Zealand needs to trade with the rest of the world,'' he said.
‘‘We won't be prosperous without it.''Without the TPP, New Zealand was ‘‘at risk of marginalisation or decline'', he said.
The cost in comparison was small, with copyright extension obligations, valued at $55million when they came into effect, comprising most of the country's financial obligations, he said.
Mr Walker said the TPP would be worth $2.7billion to New Zealand in 2030 and would save exporters $274million in tariffs, with many tariff cuts, many taking place on day one of the partnership.
The agreement would come into effect when six countries - which must include the US and Japan - signed the supporting legislation into law.
‘‘It's very important that we are part of the first group of countries joining TPP,'' he said.
