The Great Intellectual Property Sellout

Vision New Zealand is sounding the alarm over the systematic giveaway of New Zealand’s agricultural DNA. The India Free Trade Agreement is not a trade deal. It is a technology transfer dressed up as a partnership, and it will leave our primary industries vulnerable to global competitors using our own secrets against us.

Under this agreement, New Zealand is obligated to share proprietary rootstocks, high yield plant varieties, and advanced production techniques for apples, kiwifruit, and honey. We are even building "Centres of Excellence" on Indian soil to train their growers in our specialised methods that is New Zealand intellectual property.

Once this knowledge is transferred, it is gone forever. "If this FTA is cancelled, we cannot get our rootstocks back," warns Vision New Zealand. While we give away our "secret" methods for maximising MGO levels in Mānuka honey, India is free to replicate our industry and undercut us globally.

Furthermore, we are being held hostage by a $20 billion private investment obligation. If New Zealand businesses do not deliver this massive sum into India over 15 years, India has the right to revoke our tiny, taxed quotas. This is a ransom note, not a fair trade. Vision New Zealand believes in "Kiwis First" and protecting the hard earned intellectual property of our farmers. We will not trade our agricultural future for a rounding error in the GDP.