New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters alleged that the National Party has quietly proposed immigration changes under the India-New Zealand FTA that specifically target Indian nationals.
Peters claimed officials warned the government the changes could harm ties with India, while accusing ministers of keeping New Delhi uninformed.
Trade Minister Todd McClay rejected the allegations as "wrong" and defended the trade pact as a major economic opportunity for New Zealand.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters has accused the ruling New Zealand National Party of quietly altering immigration provisions linked to the recently signed India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA), alleging that the proposed changes would impose stricter conditions specifically on Indian nationals.
The India-New Zealand FTA, signed in April this year, is currently before the New Zealand Parliament for ratification.
Speaking during the bill's first reading on Thursday, Peters alleged the government had "covertly" changed course after negotiating initial migration concessions with India. He said his claims were based on a confidential briefing provided to Immigration Minister Erica Stanford, though he declined to disclose details citing Cabinet confidentiality rules.
"We have recently discovered that there has been an abrupt change of course – with changes being made to immigration settings which target Indians and Indians alone," Peters said.
Claims Of Keeping India Uninformed
Peters alleged that the National Party was deliberately withholding information from the Indian government and claimed officials had warned ministers that publicly announcing the changes could trigger a negative reaction from New Delhi.
According to Peters, the proposed measures would subject only Indian citizens to a labour market or economic needs test, prevent them from applying for temporary work visas from within New Zealand, restrict visa provisions for accompanying partners and children, and exclude work done on temporary visas from residency eligibility calculations.
He argued that if such restrictions were introduced, they should apply equally to citizens of all countries with which New Zealand has FTAs, including China, Thailand and South Korea.
"The Indian Government has the right to know about National's intention to treat Indian citizens in a discriminatory manner relative to citizens of other FTA partners," Peters said.
Government Rejects Allegations
Trade Minister Todd McClay rejected Peters' allegations, calling them incorrect and accusing his coalition partner of spreading misinformation ahead of the country's general election later this year.
"They've consistently failed to support important trade agreements that are in the best interests of New Zealand. Whilst they are free to differentiate themselves in respect of the FTA, they should stop promoting misinformation for the sake of gaining votes," McClay said to New Zealand-based broadcaster, RNZ.
Defending the agreement in Parliament, McClay described the India-New Zealand FTA as a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity that would provide exporters access to India's 1.4 billion consumers and help diversify New Zealand's export markets.
He said the agreement marked "the start of a new and exciting chapter" in bilateral relations with India.
