Vision New Zealand Exposes $20 Billion KiwiSaver Raid in India Trade Deal

Vision New Zealand is today sounding a massive alarm for every Kiwi with a KiwiSaver account. The New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is not a simple exchange of goods. It is a calculated raid on our national wealth, disguised as a "private investment" target.

Under the terms of this deal, New Zealand is obligated to promote $20 billion of private investment into India over the next 15 years. This is not a "best efforts" goal. It is a formal performance obligation. If our private sector does not hand over $20 billion to build India’s economy, India has the right to revoke the tiny, taxed quotas they have offered our farmers.

"We are being forced to choose between our farmers and our retirees," says Vision New Zealand. Because the government cannot force private businesses to invest, they are instead becoming high-pressure promoters to the investment firms that manage our KiwiSaver funds. They are effectively asking KiwiSavers to bankroll India’s growth just so the government can save face on a lopsided trade deal.

This is a gamble with our future for a negligible gain. The government’s own modelling shows this deal will only grow our GDP by a tiny 0.07% by 2027. We are being asked to export $20 billion of our hard-earned capital for a "rounding error" in economic growth.

Vision New Zealand stands for "Kiwis First" and financial sovereignty. We believe our retirement savings should be invested right here in New Zealand to build our own infrastructure, our own hospitals, and our own future. We will not stand by while the government uses our KiwiSaver accounts as a "ransom payment" to a foreign power. We demand an immediate halt to this deal before our financial security is exported permanently.