Feroz Ali: National did a great job with India FTA

Labour is hesitant to put their support behind an India FTA without the government meeting certain conditions. 

It says free trade is a net positive, but agreements shouldn't cause harm to New Zealand - which is what we risk with this FTA. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks, i'd.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Be as you may have heard, Labor's hesitant to put
their full support by Pine the Indian the India FTA,
the free trade agreement without the government meeting certain conditions.
It says, free traders are net positive, but agreements shouldn't
cause harm to New Zealand, which is what we risk
with this FDA apparently, And for oz Ali, he's an
executive chairman at Whitecliffe and works with export education and

(00:31):
students from India. And he joins me enough for us,
good afternoon.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
Good after the tim How are you good? Good?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
So, actually, what's your take on the agreement? Is it
better for India or New Zealand? This deal?

Speaker 1 (00:46):
You know, it's a good agreement for both countries especially
it's been in decades in making, so I think it's
as the other commentators saying, it's net positive.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
So what do you make of all the sort of
doing and throying about this and the fact that you know,
I mean New Zealand first have said they won't support it.
Now we've got Labor, I've got a few qualements. He
nervous about, you know, the thing falling through or what's
your take?

Speaker 1 (01:10):
No this is this is this political retric on an
election year starting from Winston, you know, blowing the horns saying,
you know, there's going to be back door for international
students coming and proliferating or you know, coming in masses,
which is absolutely false. You know, we've got to trust
the system that immigration New Zealand filters and does risk

(01:30):
assessments when allowing students or visitors, both temporary and permanent
into New Zealand. So I think it's a lot of
noise actually election yeer.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
What some A bit of a chat in the newsroom
with some of my colleagues, and so often the question
comes up. He's India with one point four billion people,
and here's with us with I think point zero zero
five percent of a billion. What if they get why
are they doing this deal with us? Do you what's
your take?

Speaker 1 (01:59):
You know, I was listening to Marcus Beverage the other
day and you know he quoted that one third of
the world's global workforce is going to be supplied by India,
just the growing population and the masses. Unfortunately, you know,
when you look look at trends around the world, there
are populations in decline, and you know, New Zealand has

(02:19):
prospered well in the past from migration or legal immigration
as we call it these days. So I don't think
we have anything to fear. But at the same time,
there's a lot to be gained from our New Zealand exporters,
not just education, but all the other industries having access
to a large market like India and great example, look

(02:41):
at what China did for New Zealand for agribusiness and
tourism and education.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Is labor right to be his a couple of questions,
Are they right to be hesitant or is it fair enough?
And you sort of think, well, you know, you're right
to ask some questions. But also they want to see
the redacted parts of the agreement. I would have thought
that that should be in the spread of bipartisanship and
no brain and what do you think.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yes, but they can also use it as a political football.
I mean, labor is in a very difficult position. It's
you know, the entire base, actually quite a large population
is made out of Indian immigrants going back decades. And
now if you're going to turn ten against them and
saying actually we don't want an India Free Trade Agreement.
It's going to be quite punitive for them in the

(03:27):
election year. I do, however, agree that I think that
the government perhaps you know in confinement, can actually share
their full details. But these agreements take years in making,
and you know, you need to make sure that there's
the commercial sensitivities does not get out in public before

(03:49):
the deal is done.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
What's your take on Winston's talking about look, this and
that allows an unlimited number of students from India and
all that sort of stuff. I mean, there are no
limitations on any country in terms of coming to study
as far as I understand. But what's your take on
all that rhetoric.

Speaker 1 (04:05):
Once again instance, you know, creating momentum, which he loves
to do during election year. But look, we have nothing
to fear around a lot of Indian students coming into
New Zealand because immigration New Zealand has quite a fitness
test from living costs, from tuition fees and affordability. But
the reality is that the Indians students choose other countries

(04:29):
first before they're coming into New Zealand. I mean, you
can get of either in the UK within five days.
So and we operate in multiple countries, and we see
this firsthand that we have to work really hard to
attract students, be it from India, for South America, from
even China.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Just in a way, you sound quite relaxed about the
politics and the rhetoric that's around us. If you had
to put a bet on it, would you be reasonably
confident that this deal is going to get done once
all the shouting's over.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Absolutely. I about one hundred percent on this one, because
it is the bird in the hand rather than two
in the forest kind of metaphor. Because you know, we
might as well have a deal, and FPAs often get
revised and tweaked in the years to come. We've got
to start somewhere, and I think minister maclay and Primis

(05:22):
to Luxeon have done a great job in securing this deal.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yeah, good stuff, Hey for us. I really appreciate your
time steppening. Thanks so much.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
For more from the Weekend Collective.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
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