Apec Schools: The opponents

By Campbell McIlroy and Rachael Whittle

Trade Aid, the Alliance Party, the Greens Party, Trade Union Federation, Methodist Mission, Apec Monitoring Group, Amnesty International, Prout, Unemployed Workers Rights, Anti-Apec Youth Alliance, and even the Witches High Command all oppose Apec to varying degrees.

Most commonly they feel free trade is a danger to the well being of small Apec countries like New Zealand because it focuses on the needs of the market, not the needs of people.

According to Aziz Choudry, the spokesman for the Apec Monitoring Group, free trade sees people, the environment, education, and health as commodities that can be traded in the market.

Most opposition groups say big business is the only winner in the type of world Apec promotes. They feel that Apec is driven by large multi-national corporations that stand to make a great deal of money from free trade.

Opponents say this creates an economy run by corporations accountable not to the public, but to their own profit-driven shareholders. They see this as undemocratic.

"It's a system that provides rights for big business to plunder and increase profits without any pesky Government controls," says Mr Choudry.

Apec opponents say the social effects of this plundering have been widespread.

Rev Keith Taylor's Methodist Mission on Queen St serves 30,000 meals a year to the homeless and underprivileged right across the road from where the leaders' meetings will be held. He said that was more meals than were necessary during the depression in the 1930s.

"The current economic policies are increasing the fragmentation and erosion of the social structure of New Zealand," said Mr Taylor.

Helen TeHira of the Anti-Apec Youth Alliance said: "If you look at things in terms of economics you don't have to deal with the social implications." The group says Apec stands for Anti People Economic Control.

Many groups feel these social problems stem from New Zealand's embracing free trade when many other countries have not.

"It's a case of the Emperor's new clothes - we've taken all our clothes off and gone out on a winter's night butt naked," said Mr Choudry.

Maxine Gay, the Trade Union Federation president, said Apec could be used for a better purpose. "We should be sharing expertise, working towards raising standards of living in countries where it is low, not stripping our own to match those levels."

During the Apec leaders' meeting many groups plan their own conferences. They hope to generate debate over the issues they feel Apec is neglecting, such as alternatives to free trade.

Many will hold demonstrations. Some plan to occupy offices of state-owned enterprises. Church groups will hold an Apec vigil in the Aotea Chapel.

Trade Aid spokesman Steve Attwood said publicity so far had already made a difference. "From what I can see New Zealanders as a whole are much more sceptical about free trade and the roller coaster ride the Government has put us on as the world's guinea pigs."

* Campbell McIlroy and Rachael Whittle are journalism students at the Auckland Institute of Technology.