It’s great to be here today. Can I first of all acknowledge the Right Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand for that generous welcome, and also Melanie Thornton of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs and the whole team there for hosting this event today here in Parliament.
Can I acknowledge my parliamentary colleagues here today – in particular our international affairs experts Todd McClay, Mark Mitchell, Gerry Brownlee, Tim Macindoe, Simon O’Connor and Chris Penk.
I would like to welcome all the Ambassadors, High Commissioners, and representatives from embassies, high commissions and missions from around the world here today. We are delighted to have you with us and appreciate you taking the time to be here.
And to our panellists – Charles Finny, Tracey Epps, John Martin and Anna Powles – thank you for taking the time to help us today with your expertise. I look forward to hearing your contributions later on.
As you may be aware, National is currently running the ruler over all of our policies. This year we are launching our discussion documents, phase two in our policy development.
We’re focused on being a constructive and hardworking Opposition, holding the Government to account and putting forward ideas to improve the lives of New Zealanders.
Today we are launching National’s International Relations Discussion Document. It covers our approach to Foreign Affairs, Defence, Security, Trade, and Overseas Development Assistance.
Foreign Affairs
It is tempting, as a small country, to look at the geopolitical and trade tension between the great powers, conclude that there is little we can do to affect the global environment, take fright and duck for cover.
As Fran O’Sullivan noted in her Herald column last week, the risks and threats of a prolonged trade war between the United States and China “will have huge ramifications for New Zealand business, the economy and global harmony”.
The risks and threats are real, but as a country we must look beyond them. Where there is uncertainty we mitigate by doing what New Zealanders expect us to do. We just have to confidently roll up our sleeves and seek out new opportunities.
I am unapologetically optimistic about what New Zealanders can continue to achieve on the world stage, and what the Government can do to represent our interests.
Every day, New Zealanders seek out opportunities to travel, work, and play in every corner of the globe. The New Zealand passport is among the most powerful in the world. Our reputation as honest, friendly, engaging, unthreatening people carries over to our privileged position on the world stage.
We have fought hard for this position, and we must work hard as a country to maintain it.
One of the features of New Zealand’s foreign policy is its consistency. We have always preached the virtues of democracy, human rights, a liberal trading system, the rule of law, and a robust multilateral rules-based order as the best mechanism to promote peace, prosperity and security.
There has been broad consensus between the two major political parties on these values. In turn, our international partners generally know what we will say. We will stand against aggression. We will aim for global collaboration on issues that can only be advanced globally. We will push for free and fair trade rules.
Those values are rooted in our country’s long history of unbroken democracy, embrace of political and economic freedoms, tolerance, a staunch defence of fundamental human rights, and a recognition of the need to provide security and safety to our people at home and abroad.
Our friends, partners, and allies need to know where we stand. And so do New Zealanders.
National’s positioning on international relations issues is anchored in our values. We don’t need to consult with ourselves for days and weeks to determine our position on Russia’s aggression on Ukraine. We don’t need to pause and think about our response to Syria’s use of chemical weapons against its own people. We don’t need to anguish over whether we recognise the illegitimate re-election of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. These are reflexive positions that the Government should be able to speak out on immediately.
International relations is not a great game. It is not a subtle art of hoodwinking competitors and saying as little as possible. It is not a shadow-dance. In its most simple form, it is about achieving greater security, prosperity, and benefits for New Zealanders. It is about engaging with like-minded countries to focus on mutually positive outcomes. It is about speaking out for, and acting on, the values and concerns of New Zealanders.
We believe that as a Government we can and should demystify international relations. Our foreign policy interests are straightforward. It is up to Government to constantly articulate what our interests are, and what we are doing to deliver gains for New Zealanders.
The balancing and prioritising of competing interests is the basis of any effective foreign policy.
We acknowledge that as a political party, and when in Government, we need to continue to make the case with New Zealanders for our economic and diplomatic relations with other countries.
And we also have to be much clearer with our friends, allies and partners on where we stand.
There have been recent examples where the present Government has not delivered a clear position to our friends and partners. I will not dwell on those, except to say that we must continue to use foreign policy as a vehicle to improve the opportunities for New Zealanders, and must continue to anchor our policy positions in our values. We must be clear about those positions.
If New Zealanders do not understand our interests, then we cannot expect our friends and partners to understand them.
And if our positions are confused, as long as we are explaining and clarifying those confusions, then we are not advancing our relationships. We do not have the luxury of having Washington, Beijing, Canberra or London waiting on the end of the line until we’ve decided what it is we want to say.
Greater Engagement
