In the end, literally, it doesn't matter who thinks they are in charge-'progress' the lure of money without regard is the boss-this bites the big one-
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/295574/tpp-what-you-need-to-know
So what is the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement?
A set of trade and investment negotiations among 12 Asia-Pacific countries to cut tariffs, improve access to markets, and set common ground on labour and environmental standards and intellectual property protections.
The twelve countries represent 36 percent of the world economy.
After more than five years of negotiations, an agreement was finally reached last October in the United States.
And which countries are in it?
New Zealand, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.
New Zealand does not have free trade agreements with the US and Japan, two of the three biggest economies in the world, nor with Mexico, Canada and Peru.
What are the benefits for New Zealand?
Agricultural tariffs either disappear or fall sharply, particularly in the heavily protected but lucrative US and Japanese markets.
However Fonterra described the outcome as far from perfect for the dairy industry - the country's biggest export owner.
A government-commissioned study estimates the elimination of tariffs will save exporters $274 million a year when TPPA is fully implemented.
Overall, the government estimates it is worth at least an extra $2.7 billion a year in GDP by 2030.
Opponents are unimpressed.
They labelled the gains as modest, and argued the potential benefits are exaggerated.
They also say the analysis fails to account for the costs such as higher prices for medicines, recordings, books and other products affected by longer copyright periods, and more stringent patents.
Indeed, a number of groups - including political parties, unions, environmental organisations, Maori and health workers - are worried about the TPP undermining New Zealand's sovereignty.
Loss of sovereignty; I thought this was a trade agreement?
It is, but it is about much more than trade.
Remember this is also about a common set of standards to make it easier to do business in the region.
TPP critics say corporations, not workers or consumers, will be the winners.
ANTI TPP PROTESTERS
One of the most contentious provisions is corporations gaining greater rights to sue governments for introducing legislation that harms their investment.
Detractors say it will deter governments from legislating in the national interest in areas such as environment and health policy.
Not so say TPP supporters.
They point out these type of rules already exist in many free trade agreements signed by New Zealand, including the one with China.
Prime Minister John Key says no case has ever been taken against this country, and there's no expectation New Zealand will be sued in the future.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2005/11/01/8362817/
MEGAPOLITANS
(Business 2.0) – There has been an impressive amount of construction in the United States over the last three centuries: All told, we've built more than 300 billion square feet of homes, offices, factories, and other structures. But according to new studies from the Brookings Institution and Virginia Tech urban planning professor Robert Lang, we're about to pick up the pace--it will take just 25 years to erect the next 200 billion square feet, which we'll need to accommodate 70 million more people and to replace homes and offices erased by everything from disasters like Hurricane Katrina to plain old obsolescence.
If you think the real estate boom of the past decade was bounteous, peek a little further over the horizon: Researchers estimate that the massive buildout will constitute a $25 trillion development market by 2030, more than twice the size of the entire U.S. economy today. According to Lang, the bulk of that money will flow into 10 major metro regions he has christened "megapolitans." On the following pages, we've assembled exclusive growth forecasts for each of these regions and--based on interviews with dozens of regional planners, developers, and investors--identified the savviest angles to play in the near and long term.
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