Pen will finally go to paper on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal in Auckland today as trade ministers from 12 countries sign the landmark agreement.
As the ink dries on the ceremonial signing of the multi-billion-dollar deal, those representing the Pacific Rim countries will not only walk away with the purported benefits of the agreement, but also with a free gift.
They will each get a personalised pen engraved with the TPP logo and the respective minister's name on it to sign the deed with, and also to take home as a "memento" of the day.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) would not discuss which brand of pen the ministers, including New Zealand's own Todd McClay, would receive, other than to say it was a "well-known" brand and was a "quality pen".
But if you were hoping it would at least be a New Zealand-made pen, that's unlikely, according to the MFAT spokesperson -- Kiwis aren't particularly known for making pens.
While the signing will likely go ahead as planned today, each respective country -- New Zealand, Australia, Japan, the US, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam -- will need to ratify the deal in their respective parliaments.
Newshub.
