Māori will be the losers if a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal is eventually agreed on, according to the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) Māori Vice-President.
TPP opponents in the United States have mounted campaigns including ads on the streets of Washington, DC. Photo: AFP
Negotiations among the 12 nations stalled in Hawaii over the weekend, but further talks are expected.
Syd Keepa said the good news was that the delay gave the CTU more time to protest against the TPP, but the bad news was that it was still on the agenda.
He said Māori had been left in the dark and he disputed any suggestion that the Government had consulted iwi.
"I belong to three iwi, actually, and none of them have come back to me and said the Government has spoken to them about TPP."
He said he did not know whether what they were saying about the TPP was a lot of hot air.
"I am really, really concerned about what will happen to our tino rangatiratanga."
First-nation people in other TPP countries were also opposed to any agreement, said Mr Keepa.
