Two views of how the war in the Ukraine is impacting on a small country in the Pacific

Last  year,  when she  was  still Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern described the state of world affairs as “bloody messy”. Since then there have been few, if any, signs of improvement.  The   war in Ukraine delivered an economic  jolt to NZ, and  its effects  have  barely  dissipated. The war’s expansion would bring more pain for local business and consumers.

Without the military or economic scale to influence events directly, NZ relies on its voice and ability to persuade.

But by placing its faith in a rules-based order and United Nations processes, it also has to work with – and sometimes around – highly imperfect systems. In some areas of international law and policy, the machinery is failing. It’s unclear what the next best step might be.

Ardern greets UN General Assembly in te reo before stating NZ’s stance on the big issues – including the wretched veto

Buzz from the Beehive

The Beehive website treats us today to the speech – or “national statement – which our PM has delivered to the United Nations General Assembly.

The speech has been posted along with news about the government …

• investing around $19 million to support upgrades at 30 of the 32 “potential” sporting facilities earmarked for New Zealand co-hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: and
• announcing a strategy to enlist all government agencies in preserving Pacific languages.

The $19 million investment announced by Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson will support upgrades at “30 of the 32 potential sporting facilities earmarked for the tournament”, including pitch, lighting and facility enhancements, and gender-neutral changing spaces.

This suggests the Government does not know which sporting facilities will be used for the tournament but is investing the money regardless – just in case.

At least taxpayers aren’t picking up the full tab.  The venues and local councils are also contributing to the costs of these upgrades.

A breakdown of the Government’s investment by region/venue can be found in the press statement which also points readers to a full list of venues earmarked by FIFA for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 on FIFA’s website.

No, we are not a member of the Friends of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty – but we are on friendly terms with them

We reported yesterday on the speech – a short one of around 500 words – which the PM delivered to the 10th meeting of the Friends of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty.

She said the gathering provided an important opportunity to reiterate New Zealand’s unwavering commitment to achieving a world without nuclear weapons and she gave her audience a rundown on  our position.

But Point of Order could find no announcement that we had joined the group.  We were left to wonder if the PM was speaking as the representative of a member country or whether she had been invited among other guests who were attending.

We can now affirm that New Zealand is not a member.

Some Ministers head overseas while others are aiming for the stars (giving their strategy its thrust with a $16m investment)

Buzz from the Beehive

The news from the Beehive featured announcements of ministerial travel plans and law-and order initiatives along with news that our government is aiming for the stars with a strategy given some thrust with almost $16 million of public funding.

New ministerial posts also deal with:-

The monitoring of marine reserves –

A new monitoring programme for marine reserves, coupled with a network of marine reserve rangers, will boost protection for the country’s special marine areas.

Congratulating Britain’s new PM – 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated Liz Truss on her election as Conservative Party leader, and pending appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

The new Aerospace Strategy – which has been opened for public consultation – will be supercharged with

• $9 million for research partnerships with NASA
• $3 million for research projects under the Government’s Airspace Integration Trials Programme
• 3.7 million for the Civil Aviation Authority to establish an Emerging Technologies Programme, which will help the CAA to increase its regulatory capacity.

The strategy was announced at the inaugural New Zealand Aerospace Summit in Christchurch.

PM traces shift in our independent foreign policy under Labour – and rails against ‘morally bankrupt’ United Nations

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, enjoying her  global celebrity  status  in Australia,  has  also succeeded in  clawing back  her  poll  ratings  in New Zealand.   According  to the  Roy Morgan  poll,  Labour has  risen  a  couple  of  points  to   33.5%  while  National has  edged  back a  point  to 39% since  May.

On the  Roy Morgan  sampling, the  Maori Party  would  hold  the balance  of  power.   Given the  apparent distaste of that party’s two members  in Parliament  for  parties  of the  Right, this could ensure  Labour  has  another term .

Ardern brushed off  a  question on the  ABC  about her  global celebrity  status, saying  her  total  focus  was  at  home.

“That  is  what matters  to  me”.

Nevertheless  her major  speech  in  Australia, to  the  Lowy Institute,  centred on  NZ’s  foreign  policy  and  traced  how  far   NZ  has moved since  Labour  took office in 2017.

Bold ambitions – Govt aspires to rid us of bashers and the Security Council veto while building a “great” workplace for women

 

Buzz from the Beehive

The Government has declared or reiterated three bold ambitions, one of them (the elimination of family violence) probably unachievable.

Whether progress is being made towards the achievement of another (ensuring New Zealand is “a great place for women to work”) raises measurement issues. No matter what is accomplished, there are bound to be demands for more to be done – and what is “a great place” for women to work?

A third bold ambition – which looks like another mission impossible – was declared in a speech headed PM’s comments to NATO session. 

Jacinda Ardern said Russia’s use of its UN Security Council position to block consideration of its invasion of Ukraine is morally bankrupt “and demonstrates why we must continue to seek reform of the UN”.

NZ is beefing up its defence commitment to UN work in South Korea (a reminder that the Korean War has not technically ended)

Three of the latest Beehive announcements pertain to this country’s relationships with countries in South-east and East Asia, giving pointers to our foreign affairs geopolitical priorities.

One statement signalled “a suite of meetings” between Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and her ASEAN and East Asia Summit counterparts, starting with the 11th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting last night.

Mahuta said she would be urging action on Myanmar and she said tensions in the South China Sea continue to be a concern for New Zealand.

Another statement hailed the opening of the New Zealand High Commission in Colombo next week.

And then there was the announcement of an increase in New Zealand Defence Force commitment to the United Nations Command in the Republic of Korea and its Military Armistice Commission.

Moreover, the mandate for New Zealand’s longstanding deployment to the Republic of Korea has been extended to August 2023. The NZDF has contributed the United Nations Command and its Military Armistice Commission since 1998.

Peters goes hard on China – now let’s see if NZ falls prey to Beijing’s intimidating pack of “wolf warriors”

Foreign Minister Winston Peters has been challenged over his robust approach to China.

First, he disclosed this week that Beijing’s foreign minister had tried to talk him out of NZ’s coronavirus lockdown.

Second, China’s diplomats in Wellington have become much more active.  The ambassador has already been called into MFAT over some of her remarks.

Now the NZ ambassador in Beijing has been called into the foreign ministry to “explain” why NZ supports admission of Taiwan as an observer to the World Health Assembly, run by the World Health Organisation.

NZ joins other countries in making its case for Taiwan to join the World Health Assembly, because of Taiwan’s record of handling the Covid-19 pandemic.  Neither Wellington nor other capitals challenge China’s “one China” policy.

The UN is at the heart of NZ’s foreign policy, our leaders say – so where’s the fuss when Trump gazumps diplomats?

Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters – confirming that no Kiwis had been hurt during Iranian missile attacks on US bases in Iraq on Wednesday –  expressed New Zealand’s deep concern at the escalation in hostilities.

But he made no mention of the role the United Nations might or should play (at least, not in the Newshub report referenced here).

“The Government is working actively with our partners through military and diplomatic channels, and we continue to keep the security situation under close review, including implications for our personnel,” Peters said.

“Now is the time for restraint and de-escalation, and for diplomacy to take over.”

New Zealand troops were sent to Iraq – significantly – as part of a US-led coalition, not as part of a UN presence.

But the government claims to be putting the UN at the heart of its efforts to create a better world.

So why is it silent about Trump’s administration policies and practices which reflect contempt for the UN?

Why a birthday bash was called off on Mauritius – and why NZ sat on the fence on Chagos Islands vote

If we heard the BBC correctly this morning, Queen’s Birthday celebrations were cancelled in one of Britain’s diplomatic outposts this year.  The knees-up at the UK embassy in Mauritius was called off because the Ambassador reportedly sensed the celebrations might be inappropriate.

The cancellation might also have been an expression of British miff after the UN overwhelmingly voted (116-6) that Britain should return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

New Zealand joined France, Germany and 53 other countries in abstaining.

The wellbeing of the Chagos Islanders, we may suppose, is not quite as high in priorities in foreign affairs policy as our relations with countries like Britain, the US and Australia (among the few to vote against the resolution).

Between 1968 and 1973, these islanders were forcibly removed from their homeland to make way for an American military base.

New Zealand’s regard for the International Court of Justice came into considerations during the vote at the UN, too.