NZ-DPRK Society
The official website of the NZ-DPRK Society, working to increase awareness, understanding and contact  between the people  of New Zealand and the DPRK

• Truck donated to NZ Friendship Farm
  An update from Peter Wilson
• Small Tractor for the New Zealand Friendship Farm in North Korea
  The NZ - DPRK Society raised funds to provide a small tractor for use in the livestock activities of the NZ Friendship Farm outside Pyongyang.

• NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade DPRK page
• Letters and press releases

  The DPRK embassy in Canberra has been temporarily closed for financial reasons and visas for New Zealanders are now handled by the embassy in Jakarta (or Beijing).
  Contact Secretary Mr. Hong Il Guang at the DPRK Embassy in Indonesia E-mail: dprkorea@rad.net.id

• Letter to Kim Jong Un re 8th Congress of Korean Worker’s Party
  The NZ-DPRK Society sends its greetings to the people of the DPR Korea, the members and delegates of the Workers' Party of Korea and to Chairman Kim Jong Un on the occasion of the 8th Congress of the WPK
  2020 has been a difficult one for the people of the world with the onslaught of the Coronavirus Pandemic. It has been especially testing for the DPR Korea because of the relentless hostility policy of the United States and the sanctions it has been able to impose. The DPR Korea has successfully handled both challenges but it is clear that formulating strategic responses for 2021 will be a daunting task, requiring imaginative and courageous thinking and determination in implementation.
  The WPK has shown in the past that it is capable of that so we can approach the upcoming Congress with confidence that Chairman Kim Jong Un and the leadership of the Party will forge a path through the thorns of 2021
  At the same time we must recognize the difficult circumstances facing the DPR Korea and so we send our hopes and support for a successful Congress and our best wishes for 2021

• NZ Police Raid Of Society Members
  Tuesday, 10 November 2020, 6:06 am Press Release: NZ DPRK Society Three weeks ago today the NZ police executed a search warrant in the homes of the two signatories of the NZ DPRK Society’s bank account and confiscated bundles of documents, bank statements, cell phones and laptops.
  The search warrants stated that there were reasonable grounds to suspect a breach of United Nations Sanctions Regulations. Twenty-one days later, we have not been informed what the reasonable grounds for suspicion are, nor what the supposed breach of United Nations Sanctions might possibly be.
  Cell phones and laptops are still being held by theNZ Police. There have been no responses to requests for their return.
  We are guessing that the police raid was triggered by a US$2,000 donation to the DPRK Red Cross Society in March 2020 for purchase of PPE gear to protect border quarantine services personnel against the Coronavirus.
  https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2006/S00021/nz-ngo-provides-ppe-gear-to-north-korea.htm
  A lawyer claiming to be an expert in UN Sanctions was subsequently interviewed by Radio NZ. She stated that the NZ DPRK Society had been sadly naive and that "the United Nations Sanctions prevent cash transfers to North Korean entities".
  Something is very wrong if a cash donation to the DPRK Red Cross is against UN Sanctions!
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/123176312/police-confirm-kiwis-investigated-for-un-north-korea-sanctions-breach
  https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/10/28/police-raid-humanitarian-group-over-pandemic-aid-to-north-korea/
  

• Police Raid Humanitarian Group Over Pandemic Aid to North Korea
  BY GREGORY ELICH
  An Interview with Peter Wilson
  United Nations and U.S. sanctions targeting North Korea prohibit almost all trade and transactions with the nation, resulting in collective punishment of the entire population. Ostensibly, humanitarian aid is exempt from sanctions. Still, many humanitarian groups have been compelled to curtail or halt assistance to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK – the official name for North Korea). U.S. officials regularly contact officials abroad, urging them to crack down on businesses, organizations, and individuals having any dealings with North Korea. One such group is the New Zealand-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Society (NZ DPRK Society), which over the years, has provided aid and engaged in educational exchanges with North Korea. Among its projects, it has provided farm equipment, diesel fuel, flood relief, and fertilizer to the NZ Friendship Farm, supplementary food to the SeungHo Home for the Elderly, and multiple shipments of medical supplies. These are only a few examples of the group’s many activities. This year, the NZ DPRK Society fell afoul of the U.S.-driven effort to strangle the North Korean economy when it provided the DPRK with personal protective equipment to help it deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Peter Wilson, the Society’s secretary, shared his experiences with me. Elich: You are the secretary of the NZ DPRK Society, an organization that was established in 1972. What are the organization’s general aims and activities? Your group has provided an impressive array of humanitarian aid to North Korea over the years, too many to go into here. But tell us more about some projects that particularly stand out in your mind. [NZ-DPRK Society] [Aid] [Coronavirus] [Sanctions] [Police Raid] [US dominance]
• NGO raided over North Korea Red Cross donation
  From Morning Report, [21 October 2020]
  An 80-year-old retired humanitarian worker and a presbyterian minister have had their homes raided by police over a donation used to purchase PPE. Laptops, mobile phones and paperwork were seized after police turned up without warning with a warrant to search their homes. Both men are members of the New Zealand Korea Friendship Society who say the police are investigating a US$2000 donation they made to the North Korean Red Cross Society in March. The society's Secretary, Peter Wilson, had his home raided on Monday morning. He speaks to Susie Ferguson. [Sanctions] [Aid] [Police]

• Malcolm McKinnon on New Zealand’s engagement with the Asia-Pacific Region in the wake of the 2020 general election.
  The Asia Forum in collaboration with the Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence, Victoria University of Wellington invite you to its first face to face discussion after COVID-19 lockdown. Also, in memory of Professor Athol Mann who we remember for his passion for and contribution to our relationship with Asia, Asia Forum is delighted for Dr Malcolm McKinnon’s acceptance of the invitation to speak to the forum on New Zealand’s engagement with the Asia-Pacific Region in the wake of the 2020 general election.
  Guest Speaker: Dr Malcolm McKinnon Historian and International Relations Scholar Event Date: Wednesday 28th October 2020 Event Time: 5:30 pm-7:00 pm Event Location: Room RH105, Mezzanine Floor, Rutherford House, Victoria University of Wellington - Pipitea Campus, 33 Bunny Street, Pipitea, Wellington, 6011. Registration is essential and by invitation only Register in advance for this meeting: https://asiaforum-2020-10-28.eventbrite.co.nz

• The courage to make life better
  Hayden Donnell | Contributing writer Opinion Labour has made an extraordinary ascent in the polls and is now clinging to a mostly non-threatening brand of centrism. Hayden Donnell counts the cost of that strategy. Cast your mind back to 2016. As Bill English rolled out his budget, Grant Robertson issued what looked like a criticism. In an article headlined “a Budget that lacks vision and courage to make life better”, he accused English and prime minister John Key of “refusing to take on the housing crisis”. He wrote: “It is astonishing that nothing has been introduced to tackle demand in the housing market and that there’s nothing for first home buyers locked out of the Kiwi dream of homeownership.” Many people would have taken Robertson’s words as a promise to be more visionary and courageous once he became finance minister. They made a big mistake. Last week, Robertson issued a release clarifying his position: Key and English were actually good at running budgets, he said, before excoriating his National Party rival Paul Goldsmith for clumsily misplacing $4 billion in his financial plan. “There is no John Key or Bill English there any more. No one who knows how to run a budget would have made a basic mistake like this.” Robertson’s implied pitch to Key and English’s voters is that Labour is the real heir to the fifth National government. It’s him – not Goldsmith – who’s really carrying on the proud traditions of the pair who, in his own words, lacked the “vision and courage to make life better”. There’s at least a grain of truth to the sales pitch. Over the last few months, Labour has presided over New Zealand’s biggest upward redistribution of wealth since Key and English paid for tax cuts that primarily benefited the rich by adding the cost onto poor people’s grocery bills. While keeping people in work, the $14 billion Covid-19 wage subsidy has delivered huge, government-subsidised profits to the shareholders of some of New Zealand’s richest companies. [Labour Party]
• New Zealand Groping Victim of Korean Diplomat Demands Justice
  By Roh Suk-jo August 20, 2020 13:06 A New Zealander who accuses a Korean diplomat of sexual harassment in 2017 sent a letter to President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday seeking "fair and just process." The letter was emailed to Moon by a lawyer for the man, who had been a locally hired staffer at the Korean Embassy in Wellington at the time of the alleged groping in 2017. The diplomat, identified as Kim, has been served with an arrest warrant by a court in Wellington but enjoys diplomatic impunity. The victim claimed that Korea's Foreign Ministry denied him a chance "to speak to any investigators with support persons present" and requested another "fair independent investigation." He claimed he tried to resolve the issue through talks with the ministry, but the efforts were derailed by the ministry's decision to let Kim off with a slap on the wrist. Kim had one month's pay docked and was sent to the Philippines, where he was consul general until the ministry buckled under a media storm and recalled him last month. Kim is accused of groping the victim on three occasions. The case was dug up recently by the New Zealand media, and the country's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern brought it up in a phone call with Moon on July 28. New Zealand Media Welcomes Recall of Korean Diplomat New Zealand Keeps up Pressure over Diplomat's Sexual Harassment Korea Asks Philippines to Extradite Ex-Ambassador New Zealand PM Raises Diplomat's Sex Assault Scandal with Moon [Sexual harassment]
• Covid 19 coronavirus: #NZhellhole - New Zealand Twitter users respond to overseas criticism
  23 Aug, 2020 New Zealand has been the target of criticism by lockdown opponents overseas who have slammed the Government's Covid policies as too strict. When an overseas Twitter account yesterday described New Zealand as a "hellhole" because of the country's current lockdown rules, Kiwis on Twitter responded in the best possible way: by sharing photos of their day and describing what life is like in the New Zealand "hellhole" with a good dose of Kiwi sarcasm. "You can't leave. And you can't easily have people in. And you're back in lockdown in major parts of the country. And the quarantine camps are public knowledge. Your country is a hellhole," the account @LockdownNo replied to a New Zealander on Twitter. The reply led to a flood of #nzhellhole posts, featuring the many ways Kiwis are making it through lockdown in the country. The posts featured the many ways New Zealanders are allowed to be out and about closer to home, despite level 3 restrictions in Auckland and level 2 restrictions for the rest of the country. [Coronavirus] [Twitter]

• Celebrating August 15, 1945 – Korea’s independence from Japan
  August 15, 1945 is a historic day when the Korean people achieved the national independence by putting an end to the colonial rule by the Japanese imperialism under the wise leadership of the great leader President Kim Il Sung. Meeting to this day, the Korea Asia Pacific Exchange (KAPE) would like to highly appreciate those organizations and individuals in the Asia Pacific region for their proactive support and solidarity to the Korean people's struggle to achieve its independent and peaceful reunification.
  • Mr. Tim Beal, chairman of the New Zealand DPRK Society published an article to "International Critical Thought", and Chinese Social Science Journal. In his work, he critically analyzed the foreign policy of the current American administration and stated that its policy towards the DPRK is basically the same with that of its predecessors but more maladroit.
  • The New Zealand-DPRK society sent an open letter to the Chief Executive and secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand stressing that it is imperative for New Zealand to play a positive role that this can only happen when they are in full diplomatic dialogue with Pyongyang. This letter has been posted on Scoop. • In another statement on the 48th anniversary of July 4 Joint Declaration it stipulate that detente between the two parts of the Korean peninsular leading to peaceful, mutually acceptable reunification can only be achieved by the Koreans themselves free of foreign interference in particular, disengagement of the United States. [Korea] [Independence]
• Nicky Hager welcomes the Op Burnham Inquiry report
  Friday, 31 July 2020, 11:07 am Press Release: Nicky Hager Nicky Hager welcomes the Op Burnham Inquiry report, the most serious findings against the NZSAS and NZDF in their history “The Operation Burnham Inquiry report, released today, concludes that a child was killed and other civilians were injured during Operation Burnham, and that NZSAS officers denied and hid evidence of the civilian casualties. It finds a prisoner was handed over to torture and the same prisoner was assaulted by an NZSAS trooper. Thus, after nearly ten years of denials, the Inquiry has confirmed the main allegations in the book Hit & Run.” The report says the book has “performed a valuable public service”. [NZ] [Afghanistan] [War crimes]
• New Zealand’s Opposition Leader Judith “Crusher” Collins says she will crush the government of Jacinda Ardern
  By Max Hayton | On 21 July 2020 Even her supporters use the nick-name “Crusher”. The Opposition National Party’s fourth leader since Jacinda Ardern became Prime Minister in late 2017 aims to live up to her moniker. Judith Collins became leader of the NZ National Party this month after a turbulent period for her party. Dirty tricks and an apparent effort to undermine the national effort to defeat the Corona Virus played a part in the chaos. [Crusher Collins]

• UN watchdog takes aim at Helen Clark over her World Health Organization role, says she's too close to China
  14/07/2020 Matt Burrows A prominent human rights lawyer has taken aim at Helen Clark after she was appointed the head of a review into the World Health Organization's (WHO's) handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hillel Neuer, executive director of watchdog group UN Watch, says New Zealand's former Prime Minister is too close to China and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to carry out the role effectively. He also describes her as "an apologist for WHO wrongdoing" and took issue with her blocking him and UN Watch on Twitter. [Front] [Zionist]
• Winston Peters 'welcomes' end to 'shameful period' of Chinese Communist Party-linked National MP Jian Yang
  10/07/2020 Winston Peters 'welcomes' end to 'shameful period' of Chinese Communist Party-linked National MP Jian Yang Zane Small Winston Peters has "welcomed" the news that National MP Jian Yang is retiring from politics, describing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked politician's tenure in Parliament as "shameful". Dr Yang said in a statement on Friday that after "careful consideration" and talking to his wife and children, he came to the decision not to stand at the September election as a list MP. Peters, leader of New Zealand First, said with Dr Yang's retirement National "now has the opportunity to publicly commit to not take any more donations facilitated by individuals with links to the Chinese Communist Party". [Winston Peters] [China confrontation] [Sinophobia] [Jian Yang] [Allegiance]
• 'Historic' motorbike that passed through North Korean border stolen in Napier
  16 Jul, 2020 3:13pm Soonki Lee with a member of the 'legendary' Golden Bay Riders Group. Hawkes Bay Today By: Sahiban Hyde Soonki Lee's "historic" Suzuki motorbike has travelled across the border from North Korea to South Korea. It's seen more of the world than most would ever dream of. But It had never been stolen. Until it arrived in Napier. In a little more than 12 hours, the bike, registration B2JFS, was gone. Lee arrived in Napier from Wellington at 6pm on Wednesday and by 7.30am on Thursday his Suzuki DR650 was gone. Lee reported the theft to police at 8am. "I've been travelling around New Zealand for 32 days on the bike, and done about 9000km," he said. "It didn't happen anywhere else and it happened in Napier." Lee said the bike held a special place in the hearts of the Korean community, which is why he decided to buy it from Kiwi biker Jo Morgan's son's friend six months ago. "This was the very first bike that crossed the border from North Korea to South Korea. "The Suzuki belonged to Jo Morgan and she was the one who travelled from North Korea to South Korea on the bike," he said. The bike's rego is is B2JFS and it was stolen from Napier in less than 24 hours. Photo / Supplied Lee got his hands on the bike through TradeMe and paid about $5000 for it. "I went to Jo Morgan's house to get the bike," he said. In the book Kimchi Kiwis: Motorcycling North Korea, Kiwi motorcycle adventurers Gareth and Jo Morgan talk about being frequent visitors to South Korea before they were invited to North Korea in 2012. They told the North Korean authorities of their wish to ride their motorbikes the length of the Korean Peninsula, as the fitting climax to a ride they were planning along the Road of Bones, the Kolyma Highway in Siberia, Russia. The North Koreans were willing to help — and in 2013, the Morgans' dream came true. They made their way around the Kolyma Highway, the main road of the Soviet gulag archipelago and they crossed the demilitarised zone between the Koreas, one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world. Lee, who is a beekeeper in Auckland, is a seasoned biker who has travelled from Seoul to Portugal on a bike, although not the same one.
• Defence chief says it 'appears' three-year-old Fatima killed in SAS-led raid
  Thomas Manch19:41, Oct 18 2019 Three-year-old Fatima was one of those said to be killed in an SAS-led said in Afghanistan, in 2010. The Chief of Defence has accepted a three-year-old Afghanistan girl appears to have been killed during an SAS-led raid in Afghanistan. Air Marshal Kevin Short on Friday told the Operation Burnham inquiry it "appears" the girl, Fatima, had been killed and accepted the Defence Force appeared to do nothing for other civilians possibly injured. Though he said it was not proven civilians were killed and injured, under questioning he confirmed this was because the Defence Force had not looked for such evidence. The admission is a first for the Defence Force, which has responded combatively to allegations of civilian deaths that have persisted for nine years. It came after former Defence Minister Wanye Mapp, facing allegations of a cover up, admitted to knowing of possible civilian deaths after an SAS-led raid and deciding not to tell the prime minister or public. [Afghanistan] [SAS]
• Five Eyes membership threatens New Zealand’s foreign policy independence
  By Bob Rigg | On 5 July 2020 Because of our membership of the Five Eyes, New Zealand’s ability to act independently is seriously restricted. As World War II drew to a close, the anti-Nazi alliance which had won the war was already imploding. The United States and Great Britain, the two major western members of this alliance, began to cooperate closely on anti-Soviet intelligence-gathering at an early stage. What we today know as the Five Eyes began life as the two eyes. In the meantime both Canada and Australia were invited to join, making up a total of four members. While Canada was already a military middle power of some significance, Australia then played second fiddle to a weakening Great Britain. In terms of military and intelligence-gathering capacity it is not immediately apparent why New Zealand was invited to join, in 1956. We were not a military power by any stretch of the imagination. Nothing is officially known about the rationale for New Zealand’s inclusion in this exclusive white post-colonial club. A former head of New Zealand’s intelligence services valued the fact that he was welcomed into the homes of his counterparts in the Five Eyes club, frequently enjoying golf with them and dinner with their families. In the 1950s, especially where the British were concerned, spycraft was still a gentlemen’s occupation. [Five Eyes] [Subservience]
• The July 4 Joint Declaration
  This year marks the 48th anniversary of the Joint Declaration signed by senior officials of the two Koreas on 4th July 1972.
  The DPRK has commemorated this agreement by noting that ‘The July 4th Joint Statement clarified three principles of independence, peaceful reunification, thus providing a fundamental guarantee for Korean reunification.’
  The key provisions of the declaration are:
  1. The two sides agreed on the following principles as a basis of achieving unification:
  First, unification shall be achieved independently, without depending on foreign powers and without foreign interference.
  Second, unification shall be achieved through peaceful means, without resorting to the use of force against each other.
  Third, a great national unity as one people shall be sought first, transcending differences in ideas, ideologies, and systems.
  The NZ-DPRK Society believes that détente between the two parts of the Korean peninsula, leading to peaceful, mutually-acceptable re-unification can only be achieved by the Koreans themselves, free of foreign interference. This means, in particular, the disengagement of the United States.
  We call on the New Zealand Government to endorse the ‘principle of self-determination of peoples’ enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations by supporting détente in Korea and the end of foreign interference
  • The July 4 Joint Declaration
    Sunday, 5 July 2020, 7:22 am Press Release: NZ DPRK Society This year marks the 48 th anniversary of the Joint Declaration signed by senior officials of the two Koreas on 4th July 1972. [19720704]
• New Zealand and China: Contending with words and actions
  Guest Speaker: Dr Dick Grant Former Executive Director of Asia New Zealand Foundation and Chair of NZIIA, Hawke's Bay Branch Event Date: Wednesday 15th July 2020 Event Time: 5:00 pm-6:00 pm Registration is essential and by invitation only Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApf-uuqzsrGtUj_omvcUOIH6aitBNU3VPG [China confrontation] [US dominance] [Asia Forum]

• Open Letter Requesting Re-activation of Diplomatic Relations with the DPRK
  Chris Seed,Chief Executive and Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
  Dear Mr. Seed,
  We are approaching the formation of a new Government in New Zealand following the September General Election. We are aware that at this time all Ministries are preparing advice/briefing papers for the new Government. This letter is to request that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade recommend that New Zealand re-activate full diplomatic relations with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in such advice.
  In our entire Pacific/Asian region the most volatile hotspot at risk of an outbreak of war is the Korean Peninsula where international geopolitical factors of the 1940’s split Korea into two separate countries.
  A re-ignition of the Korean War which would necessarily involve the United States and probably China would be disastrous for New Zealand’s economy, not to mention the loss of human life on the Peninsula. The situation is clearly exacerbated by the ineptitude of the Trump administration.
  It is strongly within New Zealand’s interests to be studying the situation very closely with a view to identifying and advocating pathways towards a peaceful resolution. To do this requires understanding the position of all parties directly and indirectly involved in the situation. New Zealand is handicapped in attempting to achieve this understanding because there have been no exchanges of Ambassadorial visits with the DPRK since 2014.
  We feel that it is imperative for New Zealand to play what positive role it can in these circumstances and that this can only happen if we are in full diplomatic dialogue with Pyongyang, as we are with Seoul. We need to utilise the experience and skills of MFAT so that our government can advance peace proposals based on a full understanding of the issues involved and the positions of both Koreas.
  Sincerely,
  Tim Beal (Chairman); Peter Wilson (Secretary)
  NZ-DPRK Society
• Transparency International New Zealand and Asia: Challenges and Opportunities
  Guest Speaker: Suzanne Snively Chair, Transparency International New Zealand Event Date: Thursday 18th June 2020 Event Time: 5:00 pm-6:00 pm Registration is essential and by invitation only Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkdu-qrjsoGdQx2PzEgzVpjOWQaTSyyuGH [Asia Forum]
• Dear New Zealand, please don’t bring your war games to my Hawaiian home
  Emalani Case The biennial Rimpac military exercises in Hawai’i devastate the environment and disregard the rights of its Indigenous people. New Zealand should not participate, writes Emalani Case. When I was growing up, I learned the 3 Rs. Yes, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, and lessons in how to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle were part of my school’s curriculum. But, those aren’t the Rs I’m talking about. I also learned the 3 Rs of Explosives Safety: Recognise, Retreat, and Report: recognise when you’ve stumbled upon unexploded ordinance, retreat immediately, and report it to an adult. I grew up in Hawai?i in a small town called Waimea. Whenever I say this, people smile, imagining palm trees, white sandy beaches, perhaps a few hula maidens and surfers, and lives that must be good because they’re being lived out in “paradise”. What people don’t imagine when they think of Hawai?i are bombs, submarines, tanks, military attack helicopters, and live-fire training. What they don’t imagine are the large tracts of land that were stolen from Hawaiian people and then used by the US military. They don’t imagine ongoing colonialism and certainly don’t imagine military occupation. [Hawai'i] [Imperialism] [Joint US military]
• Five Eyes membership threatens New Zealand’s foreign policy independence
  By Bob Rigg As World War II drew to a close, the anti-Nazi alliance which had won the war was already imploding. The United States and Great Britain, the two major western members of this alliance, began to cooperate closely on anti-Soviet intelligence gathering at an early stage. What we today know as the Five Eyes began life as the two eyes. In the meantime both Canada and Australia were invited to join, making up a total of four members. While Canada was already a military middle power of some significance, Australia then played second fiddle to a weakening Great Britain. [Five Eyes]
• NZ NGO Provides PPE Gear To North Korea
  Thursday, 4 June 2020, 5:01 pm Press Release: NZ DPRK Society PPE gear being unloaded for delivery to Quarantine Services The DPRK Red Cross Society has used funding from the NZ DPRK Society to purchase 87 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) for supply to North Korea’s Quarantine Services. North Korea was the first country in the world to lockdown. On 20th January flights to and from China were stopped. On that date only 278 confirmed cases of the as yet unnamed coronavirus had been reported in China. Within the next few days, tourism was stopped, all flights and trains cancelled and the borders sealed off. Some 7,000 foreigners and North Koreans returning home were placed in a 30 day quarantine. North Korea which has a record of accurately monthly reporting of disease cases to the WHO, has not to date reported a single case of Covid-19. In February the NZ DPRK Society received a request from North Korea for financial help to purchase Covid-19 testing kits and other associated medical supplies. Through the Donald Borrie Memorial Scholarship Fund US$2,000 was raised and sent to the NZ DPRK Society’s sister society in Pyongyang, the Korea NZ Friendship Society. On advice from the DPRK Red Cross that Quarantine Services were in urgent need of PPE gear, it was agreed that the New Zealand funding be used to meet this need. Letters of appreciation from the Kim Ho-yong, Secretary General of the DPRK Red Cross Society and Pak Kyong-il, Vice Chairman, DPRK Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. [Coronavirus] [Aid] [NZ-DPRK Society]

• COVID-19 responses in Asia: maintaining healthy lives and livelihoods
  Guest Speaker: Professor Siah Hwee Ang Director of SEACAPE, Victoria University of Wellington Event Date: Wednesday 27th May 2020 Event Time: 5:00 pm-6:00 pm
• New Zealand edges back to normal after quashing coronavirus in 49 days
  Hair salons like this one in Auckland were among the most popular businesses on the first day of New Zealand’s limited reopening Thursday. (Cameron McLaren for The Washington Post) By Anna Fifield May 16, 2020 at 11:00 p.m. GMT+12 WELLINGTON — Half of New Zealand’s cabinet gathered this past Monday morning in the round meeting room on the top floor of the Beehive, the tiered 1970s landmark here that houses the government’s executive branch. The other half called in on Zoom. Running the meeting was Jacinda Ardern, the liberal prime minister who has won international renown for her empathetic leadership during the global coronavirus pandemic. Next to her was Winston Peters, the wily politician almost twice her age who heads the populist party in the coalition government. [Coronavirus] [Media]

• Global military spending increases, New Zealand ranks in report
  Peace Movement Aotearoa· Sunday, 26 April 2020· Global military expenditure increased for the fifth year in a row to according to figures released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) today, during the Global Days of Action on Military Spending. World military expenditure totalled an estimated $1,917 billion (US) in 2019 - an increase of 3.6% from 2018 and the largest annual growth in spending since 2010. [1]
  New Zealand's military spending Shamefully, this year New Zealand is ranked at number 13 in the SIPRI table ranking the highest increases in military spending around the world. The SIPRI figures, which are based on self-reporting by the government, put the 2019 increase at 19%. However, the government figures do not include military spending across all three of the Budget Votes where it is mostly itemised: Vote Defence, Vote Defence Force and Vote Education. The increase in military spending in the 2019 Budget - the first ‘Wellbeing Budget’ - when compared with the allocation in the 2018 Budget was 24.73%.[3] The allocation for military spending in last year’s ‘Wellbeing Budget’ increased to a record total of $5,058,286,000 (NZ) - an average of $97,274,730 (NZ) every week. By way of contrast, more than 20% of children here are estimated to live in a family with an income below the poverty line, and an estimated one in one hundred New Zealanders are homeless. [Military expenditure]
• DEPA lacks added value
  10 April 2020 Author: Jane Kelsey, University of Auckland Negotiations on the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) between Chile, New Zealand and Singapore were concluded on 21 January 2020. The Joint Ministerial Statement issued in May 2019 promised a ‘first-of-its-kind’ and ‘forward-looking’ agreement that would be a pathfinder for the WTO and APEC — offering new approaches to digital trade issues and exploring new frontiers in the digital economy. But significant new rules and obligations were never likely. The original plan to sign a final agreement just six months later inevitably required drawing heavily on existing agreements. This included borrowing from the electronic commerce chapters in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), to which all three parties are signatories (although Chile has yet to ratify). DEPA’s ‘new’ approach does little to address criticisms that the TPP and CPTPP’s binding and enforceable rules will entrench the market dominance of large technology companies while constraining the ability of governments to address a rapidly mounting array of regulatory challenges. It also fails to close the digital trade divide between developed and developing countries and offers only weak promises of dialogue on the topics of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), indigenous peoples, women and marginalised communities. Overall, there are substantial shortcomings across a number of areas. [FTA] [Digital economy]
• Three reasons why Jacinda Ardern’s coronavirus response has been a masterclass in crisis leadership
  April 6, 2020 6.05am AEST Author Suze Wilson Senior Lecturer, Executive Development, Massey University Disclosure statement Suze Wilson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Partners Massey University provides funding as a member of The Conversation NZ. Imagine, if you can, what it’s like to make decisions on which the lives of tens of thousands of other people depend. If you get things wrong, or delay deciding, they die. Your decisions affect the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people, resulting in huge economic disruption, mass layoffs and business closures. Imagine you must act quickly, without having complete certainty your decisions will achieve what you hope. Now imagine that turning your decisions into effective action depends on winning the support of millions of people. Yes, you do have enforcement capacity at your disposal. But success or failure hinges on getting most people to choose to follow your leadership – even though it demands sudden, unsettling, unprecedented changes to their daily lives. [Coronavirus] [Jacinda] [Leadership] [Eulogy]
• The next Bauer: What is the rescue plan for NZ’s devastated media industry?
  Duncan Greive | Managing Editor Analysis There’s a desperate scramble to stop more major media companies failing. Duncan Greive explains what’s going on – and how it might play out. The most recent edition of the reigning newspaper of the year, the Sunday Star-Times, was a pearler. It opened with a substantial analysis from political editor Luke Malpass about the tension between the downstream economic impact of an extended lockdown versus the real and present danger of a serious Covid-19 outbreak, the first of a half-dozen strong, focused news features. There was a diverse suite of guest opinion pieces from the likes of Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr, NZ Initiative chair Roger Partridge, along with MPs Chlöe Swarbrick and Judith Collins, assessing where we’re headed and how our institutions have responded. The columns from those prominent New Zealanders weren’t just the paper wanting to get strong, well-founded views in front of us. They were also the result of two other big changes at the paper. Firstly, that during the week, it had let go almost all its freelance columnists, meaning space given over to the beloved likes of David Slack was now replaced with the no-cost musings of politicians. Secondly, and this is what’s driving all the change, is that by my count the Sunday Star-Times had just four paid advertisements. One for Vodafone, one for Westpac, one for the government’s Covid-19 messaging and one for the IRD. Four is, to put it mildly, a catastrophically low number, as befits this catastrophe we’re living through. The Sunday Star-Times is the flagship newspaper of Stuff, New Zealand’s largest employer of journalists, and it bears repeating that for all Stuff’s eye-watering traffic numbers, newspaper advertising remains its most important revenue stream. So even though sources suggest the paper gained hundreds of new subscribers during the week, it didn’t come close to wiping away the pain of booking just a tiny fragment of an ordinary week’s advertising. [Media]
• Booming town's 116-year-old golf course to close because of decline in club member numbers
  Piers Fuller 11:31, Jul 29 2018 Featherston Golf Club club captain Charlie Fairbrother explains why the club is winding up and the course is being sold. Regular golfer Eric Manson, 86, is disappointed it has come to this. Featherston may have the second hottest property market in the country, but that hasn't helped boost its golfing numbers. The 116-year-old Featherston Golf Club is winding up and its 18-hole course a couple of kilometres south of the Wairarapa town is being sold, much to the disappointment of some stalwart members. With a course once described by prominent golfing author Tom Hyde as New Zealand's flattest, the Featherston club has been in steady decline. Club captain Charlie Fairbrother said the writing had been on the wall for several years and they just hadn't found a way to make it sustainable. [Featherston]

• Coronavirus business advisory panel set up in Auckland
  Todd Niall 15:46, Mar 30 2020 Auckland has become a ghost town during the level 4 lockdown, with deserted streets, motorways and beaches. A panel of senior business and public sector figures is being set up under Auckland Mayor Phil Goff to help canvass issues arising from the coronavirus shutdown and the eventual recovery. Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni will be the link to the government from the nine-member body, which includes the chief executives of Fletcher Building, Peter Reidy, and of Tourism Holdings, Grant Webster. "The Advisory Panel allows for regular communication between Auckland Council, key government sectors and the business community, even during the lockdown period," said Goff.
  Auckland Mayor Phil Goff will chair the Covid-19 business advisory panel. Other members include Robert Reid, the president of First Union, Brett O'Riley who heads the Employers and Manufacturers Association, and Ailsa Claire, the chief executive of the Auckland District Health Board. [Coronavirus]
• Donation To North Korea For COVID-19 Testing
  Friday, 20 March 2020, 9:52 am Press Release: NZ DPRK Society Trustees of the Donald Borrie Memorial Scholarship Fund announce that they have provided US$2,000 to the Red Cross of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) for purchase of COVID-19 testing kits and related medical needs. The COVID-19 related medical supplies are being procured by the Red Cross in China. The Donald Borrie Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in March 2019 to commemorate the work of the late Rev. Donald Borrie a co-founder of the NZ DPRK Society who tirelessly promoted people to people contact between New Zealand and North Korea for over forty years. In 2019 the Fund provided a high capacity irrigation lift pump to the NZ Friendship farm in South Pyongan Province and is currently raising funds to bring three scholars from North Korea to NZ to study teaching English as a Second Language and English Language Communications. [Coronavirus] [Aid]
• The Rise of China and the New East Asian Balance of Power
  by New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre and Wellington Branch of the... Event Information Professor Robert Ross will discuss the Evolving Security order in East Asia and the American Response About this Event The East Asian balance of power is rapidly changing. The Chinese Navy now possesses a larger fleet than the United States Navy and it possesses advanced military technologies. As China has expanded its naval capabilities, the U.S. Navy has experienced relative decline and the end of its maritime hegemony in East Asia. U.S. declining capabilities has prompted East Asia’s secondary powers to reconsider their alignments within the U.S.-China great power competition; they are rapidly moving toward equidistance between the great powers. Even as the United States has resisted China’s rise inside East Asian waters, there is little it can do to reverse the current trend in the power transition. Indo-Pacific strategy reflects acknowledgement of the changing East Asian balance of power and it is an effort to develop new defense capabilities outside East Asia’s internal seas. A bipolar region is emerging, with consequences for security policies throughout Asia. [China confrontation] [Military balance] [Seapower] [Spurious statistics]

• A crescendo of outcry just crushed the Concert restructure. So what next for RNZ?
  Toby Manhire | Editor An extraordinary week at the national broadcaster ends with a complete backdown on plans to downgrade RNZ Concert and make music staff redundant. Toby Manhire speaks to staff and Helen Clark, and asks: has RNZ’s embarrassment translated into RNZ getting a budget boost? Last Wednesday RNZ music staff were summoned to a meeting to hear the news. The long talked-about youth radio network was to become a reality, in the form of a “new music brand”, run out of Auckland. It came at a cost, however: RNZ Concert would be shunted off the FM band. It would be “automated”. Concert and much of RNZ’s Wellington music operation would be hollowed out, in weeks. Twenty positions would be scrapped, with at least a dozen staff likely to be made redundant. One of those present told The Spinoff they were left “shellshocked”. Almost exactly a week later, in a U-turn more dramatic and helter-skelter than the most elaborate of commercial radio pranks, the plan was abandoned. At about 2pm this afternoon, RNZ CEO Paul Thompson had been expected to accept a 26,000-signature strong petition demanding the Concert changes be abandoned. Shortly beforehand he cancelled that engagement. Instead he was with music content director Willy Macalister and head of radio and music David Allan, standing before affected staff in the Wellington office. The executives told employees their jobs were safe: the restructure had been torn up. The mood among staff at the meeting – many of whom had gone through the most upsetting, yet strangely buoying week of their careers – was more of relief than delight. It would take time to rebuild trust, staff told the management trio. [RNZ Concert]
• Minister, please Save RNZ Concert AND fund the new youth network
  Better Public Media Charitable Trust started this petition to Minister of Broadcasting Media and Digital Communications Kris Faafoi RNZ Concert has a special place in the hearts of many New Zealanders of all ages. Please don’t take it away. The proposed listening options for RNZ Concert won’t work. It’s dreadful to listen to classical music on AM. And many RNZ Concert listeners don’t have their computer setup to listen to music, or their TV, or in their car. This affects 70,000 regular listeners, but it also affects their wh?nau and friends, who care about them. We all deserve better. We understand that young people deserve non-commercial radio too. Why should they have to listen to noisy adverts and endless interruptions? It’s long overdue. But surely RNZ can provide FM services to more than just one music type? Of course it will cost more, but we think it's important. Governments of other developed countries with similar populations do much more for their people: [RNZ Concert \]
• Dame Kiri te Kanawa calls RNZ proposal to dial down Concert an 'inestimable blow to the arts'
  Tommy Livingston and Glenn McConnell20:45, Feb 06 2020 New Zealand opera legend Dame Kiri te Kanawa is leading the chorus of outrage over a proposal that will gut RNZ Concert in favour of a youth-focused radio station. In a statement, the world-renowned opera singer said losing the station would be "an inestimable blow to the arts in New Zealand". "So many of our young artists have become known to a wide audience thanks to broadcast on RNZ Concert. I sincerely hope that the powers that be in RNZ will reconsider the backward step announced in the media today." The decision has been described as "terrifying" and a "slap in the face" by several industry professionals, as well as former prime minister Helen Clark. [RNZ Concert]
• RNZ set to cut back Concert and launch new youth service
  From Mediawatch, 1:55 pm on 5 February 2020 Hayden Donnell, Mediawatch producer In the biggest overhaul of its music services in years, RNZ is planning to cut back its classical music station RNZ Concert and replace it on FM radio with music for a younger audience as part of a new multimedia music brand. Mediawatch asks RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson and music content director Willy Macalister to explain the move. RNZ Mediawatch's Colin Peacock interviews chief executive Paul Thompson and head of music Willy Macalister. It would be replaced on FM by a service aimed at a younger, more diverse audience as part of a new multimedia “music brand”. RNZ Concert would be taken off FM radio on May 29 and the youth platform would be phased in ahead of its full launch on August 28. RNZ's music staff were informed about the proposed changes this morning in an emotional, occasionally heated meeting with the RNZ music content director Willy Macalister, head of radio and music David Allan, and chief executive Paul Thompson. According to documents for staff, the move would eliminate 17 jobs at RNZ Music, including all RNZ Concert presenter roles, from late March. [RNZ Concert]

• What lies ahead: U.S. Foreign Policy with New Zealand and the Pacific
  Speaker: Mr Kevin Covert Chargé d'affaires a.i., U.S. Mission in New Zealand
  Event Date: Wednesday 26th February 2020 Event Time: 5:30 pm-7:00 pm Registration is essential and by invitation only Please use the button below to register (or go to https://asiaforum-2020-02-26.eventbrite.co.nz). [Asia Forum]
• Victoria University staff invited onto Chinese naval ship during unannounced NZ visit
  Harrison Christian05:00, Jan 19 2020 The Chinese navy ship Qi Jiguang, berthed at Aotea Quay in Wellington. ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF The Chinese navy ship Qi Jiguang, berthed at Aotea Quay in Wellington. Victoria University staff discussed keeping a "low profile" when invited on board a Chinese naval ship during its unannounced visit to New Zealand. The Qi Jiguang slid quietly into Wellington Harbour between October 26 and 30, with no explanation from the Government or NZ Defence Force (NZDF). The navy training vessel was on a two-month tour of the Asia-Pacific region. [Yellow Peril] [China confrontation] [VUW] [Media]
• Whether and how Labour might win a second term
  Bernard Hickey Bernard Hickey is the Managing Editor of Newsroom Pro based in the Parliamentary Press Gallery. He is a director and shareholder of Newsroom NZ Ltd. He has previously worked for Interest.co.nz, Fairfax NZ, the Financial Times Group and Reuters. Labour will probably win a second term leading a coalition Government, but don't rule out an atypical 'winner takes all' result. Bernard Hickey answers one of his eight big questions for 2020. Given current polling, personnel and policies, the Labour-NZ First coalition Government will probably win a second term with Green support and without mandates for big tax or structural reforms. But it will be closer than many expect and there are still non-negligible chances of an atypical 'winner takes all' result under MMP, where either a Labour-Green or National-ACT Government is formed with significant policy changes ensuing. Voters decided in the 1993 MMP referendum after a decade of 'elected dictators' and unmandated policy shocks to essentially solve New Zealand's lack of constitutional checks on executive power by bringing in a voting system that punishes big and/or unexpected policy changes. That has effectively locked in the policy mix present by the mid-1990s, albeit with tweaks that have benefited the bulk of the current median voters now at the expense of those on the margins and non-voters, both now and in the future. [Election2020]
• Keith Locke: NZ's response to Soleimani assassination is shamefully timid
  2:17 pm on 8 January 2020 By Keith Locke* for The Spinoff Opinion - How can New Zealand claim to have an independent foreign policy when it won't even criticise America's assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian leader? No caption The furthest foreign minister Winston Peters went was to express "strong concern" at the "heightening tensions in Iraq and the region". Peters' statement could also be read as a justification for the drone killing when he acknowledged "strong US concerns about Iran" and said "the US took action on the basis of information they had". In fact, the assassination took place against a background of falsehoods, reminding us of the lies previously peddled to justify the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. President Donald Trump even blamed Soleimani for "terror plots as far away as New Delhi and London" while Vice President Mike Pence fancifully claimed Soleimani "assisted in the clandestine travel" of those involved in the 11 September, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. All we have from the United States are vague assertions that Soleimani was planning imminent attacks on US interests. More credible is the assertion of the Iraqi prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi that Soleimani was in Bagdad at the invitation of the Iraqi government - for negotiations. His visit was apparently not a secret and he was at Baghdad airport in the presence of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a pro-government Iraqi militia leader, who was also assassinated. [Assassination] [Qasim Soleimani] [US dominance]
• Australian wildfires are turning the New Zealand sky an apocalyptic orange
  An orange sky over Auckland, New Zealand, from smoke caused by the fires in Australia (@ZIMENAJ on Twitter/Reuters) By Kayla Epstein January 5 at 12:24 PM The giant plume of smoke made its way across the Tasman Sea, spawned by the rampaging Australian wildfires and borne on a quick jet of westerly winds. By Sunday afternoon, it had blotted out the sun in Auckland, New Zealand, and tinted the light an ominous rust. It was, as one Auckland resident put it, “proper apocalyptic.” At least 200 fires are burning in southeastern Australia, and the impacts have ballooned to a global scale. Smoke pollutes the air as far away as South America, and images of residents and wildlife fleeing the blaze are rocketing across the social media world. New Zealand, which is just over a thousand miles from Australia’s southeast coast, experienced its fair share of side effects last week. Bands of incoming smoke caused eerie sunsets and turned snow on its mountains coffee brown. [Climate change] [Australia] [Bushfires] [Collateral]

• Ardern, stardust and a closer-than-you-would-think 2020 election
  20 December 2019 Author: Gary Hawke, Wellington Seldom has there been as big a gap between overseas perceptions of the New Zealand government and its domestic standing. There is surprise overseas that New Zealand’s 2020 election is expected to be a close call.New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern listens to questions during a media standup in the aftermath of the eruption of White Island volcano, also known by its Maori name Whakaari, at Whakatane, New Zealand, 13 December 2019 (Photo: Reuters/Jorge Silva). Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s response to a terrorist attack on Muslim mosques in Christchurch was superb. ‘They are us’ was a clarion call to decency and communal cohesion in a world where polarisation is much more common. [Ardern] [Election]
• 'Snot those guys': Secret GCSB emails reveal Operation Burnham chatter
  Thomas Manch19:57, Dec 16 2019 The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). In the emails, which the GCSB now say do not meet professional standards, an intelligence officer discusses the planning of the now controversial night-time raid with a colleague: "There aint gonna be much of those compounds left once they've finished. [sic]" Google Maps The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). In the emails, which the GCSB now say do not meet professional standards, an intelligence officer discusses the planning of the now controversial night-time raid with a colleague: "There aint gonna be much of those compounds left once they've finished. [sic]" Secret GCSB emails show Kiwi intelligence officers discussing a New Zealand military operation that could destroy a compound housing women and children in Afghanistan. ?The emails are part of the latest public disclosure of confidential records from the Operation Burnham Inquiry, which is inspecting allegations that Afghan civilians were killed in an SAS-led raid in Afghanistan in 2010. [Afghanistan] [Civilians] [Coverup] [SAS]
• New Zealand needed human skin to treat volcano burn victims. Help came from Ohio.
  Skin donations begin for New Zealand volcano victims On Dec. 11, Australia donated more than 20 square feet of skin to help New Zealand volcano victims with life-threatening burns. (Reuters) By Siobhán O'Grady Dec. 14, 2019 at 7:41 a.m. GMT+13 They packed the human skin in cardboard boxes lined with foam and dry ice, and shipped it off. With that, the workers at a facility in southwestern Ohio became part of an incredible drama unfolding 8,000 miles away. A volcano had just rained superheated ash, steam and gas over New Zealand’s White Island, a tourist site that dozens of people from around the world were visiting Monday. Some people perished before they could be rescued. Many of the survivors were badly burned. And doctors were now struggling with another huge problem. They were low on human skin to temporarily cover the burns. Urgent calls went out to skin banks — a vital but niche part of the world of rapid-response medicine. At Community Tissue Services in Kettering, Ohio — on a campus overlooking a quiet pond outside Dayton — a shipment was quickly pulled together of about 300 square feet of human skin, or enough to fully cover more than 15 bodies.
• Winston Peters says New Zealand won't respond to Russia alleging Defence Force committed 'crimes'
  Thomas Manch11:08, Dec 04 2019 Seven children are among 17 civilians killed or injured in incidents connected to unexploded ordnance left behind on New Zealand’s firing ranges, Stuff Circuit's documentary Life + Limb reveals. Foreign Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand won't respond to "some apparatchik" in the Russian foreign service who has alleged the Defence Force committed crimes in Afghanistan. Peters was questioned in the House on his response on Tuesday, after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova "condemned" New Zealand's actions last week. ?The spokeswoman said New Zealand must punish those responsible for "crimes" — appearing to reference a Stuff Circuit investigation, which revealed seven children were among 17 killed and injured by unexploded ordnance left behind on New Zealand-operated firing ranges in Afghanistan. [Afghanistan] [war crimes] [Russia confrontation] [US dominance]
• Legitimised Surveillance: Kim Dotcom’s Case Against GCSB
  by Binoy Kampmark Surveillance activities and the law are often at loggerheads. The former specialises in destroying privacy; the latter, in so far as it might be adequate, sometimes furnishes a means of preserving it. When it comes to exposing overly-eager surveillance activity, obstacles arise. Ironically, the privacy of agents, and the sacrosanct nature of their abuse, become points of issue. Public interest tests are employed, often against the public. To expose such conduct might be to compromise the State apparatus altogether. To prosecute an open case of fair spread and free access to evidence often requires material deemed sordidly compromising. When it comes to citizens specifically targeted for being persons of undue interest, redress can be monstrously difficult. On this point, the spooks and their backers have the upper hand. The case of Kim Dotcom is a study worth pursuing for that reason, not merely because of his notoriety for his cloud sharing service Megaupload and alleged copyright breaches of US law, but because he has been an object of nervous and paranoid persecution by New Zealand and US authorities for years. Given New Zealand’s status within the intelligence sharing arrangement with the United States, keeping up a front of severe authority is essential. Dotcom’s irreverence, his effrontery in challenging US copyright law and regulations, not to mention his unabashed backing of WikiLeaks and open information environments, has not earned him friends in Washington. [Kim Dotcom] [US dominance]
• New Zealand government flags significant infrastructure spending
  FILE PHOTO: A New Zealand Dollar note is seen in this picture illustration June 2, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo MELBOURNE (Reuters) - The New Zealand government plans a significant increase in infrastructure spending, making use of low borrowing costs to “build” the country, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said on Saturday. Economic output of the Pacific country has been ebbing this year with activity in the service industries, construction, mining and manufacturing - main contributors to gross domestic product (GDP) growth - idling. Year-on-year GDP growth slowed to 2.1% in the second quarter, the lowest since 2013, hurt by record low business confidence, headwinds from international trade tensions, a slowing Chinese economy and Brexit. The central bank, which surprised the market earlier this month by not easing monetary policy, has repeatedly called on the government to spend more to drive economic growth. “I can announce today that the government will significantly increase spending on infrastructure,” Robertson told his governing Labour Party’s annual conference, according to a transcript of the speech posted on the party’s website. “We are currently finalizing the specific projects that the package will fund but I can tell you this – it will be significant.” Robertson said more details would be presented in December, but added that this is the time to “take the next step forward in our legacy of building” the country. “Right now, we can borrow at an interest rate of 1.3% for 10 years. Just think about that for a minute,” Robertson said. “We have the lowest borrowing costs in New Zealand’s history, so it is time to invest.” [Infrastructure]

• Wellington’s arts festival aims to be “the most exciting in the world”
  November 7, 2019 News from New Zealand Festival of the Arts The New Zealand Festival of the Arts has launched a new-look programme designed to put Aotearoa on the map as the creator of innovative arts festival experiences. Traditionally, arts festival programmes are selected by a single artistic director. But in 2020, the Festival, which runs in Wellington 21 February – 15 March, is breaking the mould with a new approach that sees three high profile artists become Guest Curators. Each Guest Curator will offer a signature series of events across a week of the festival: contemporary artist and radical theatre-maker Lemi Ponifasio, Grammy Award-winning musician and multimedia artist Laurie Anderson and Academy Award-winning composer, musician, actor, and comedian Bret McKenzie. Executive Director Meg Williams says, “Our ambition is to make the New Zealand Festival of the Arts the most exciting arts festival in the world. After 32 years we feel the time is right for a change, and to do that we have invited artists to take the lead. “The outcome for audiences is that we have arts experiences in this programme you won’t be able to see anywhere else, thanks to the Guest Curators’ artistic networks and original ideas. This is a special opportunity for audiences in Wellington and we hope it will get people travelling from across New Zealand and further afield to experience the Festival”. Creative Director Marnie Karmelita says: “Our new Guest Curator model means the 2020 Festival has been shaped by three strikingly different artists – every week will have a different feel and flavour. The result is a programme of works that are more varied, surprising and inspiring than ever before. This Festival brings you arts that celebrate honesty, bravery and splendour and will bring an injection of creativity and debate into New Zealand.”
  • NZ Festival
    Programme for all events
• How desperate is North Korea really? Economic growth and the effects of sanctions
  Speaker: Professor Ruediger (Rudiger) Frank Professor, University of Vienna
  Event Date: Wednesday 4th December 2019 Event Time: 5:30 pm-7:00 pm Event Location: Russell McVeagh Level 24, 157 Lambton Quay, Wellington, 6011 [Sanctions effect] [Efficacy]

• Defence paper seen as pushing back on China's Pacific influence
  29 Oct, 2019 5:00am By: Derek Cheng Derek Cheng is a political reporter for the New Zealand Herald derek.cheng@nzme.co.nz A new paper outlining how New Zealand Defence will increase its attention on the Pacific is being seen as a push to ensure the region's security, as well as pushing back on influence from China. Defence Minister Ron Mark will today launch the Advancing Pacific Partnerships 2019 Defence Assessment during a speech at Te Papa. It outlines how the Defence Force and the Ministry of Defence will prioritise the Pacific region in line with the Pacific Reset, which Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters announced at the beginning of last year. The paper complements the 2019 Defence Capability Plan and focuses on climate change, the stability and security of the region, and people-to-people ties with Pacific nations. [NZ] [Allegiance] [China confrontation] [US dominance]
• $19,000 a year to live at Victoria University hall as fees soar
  Tom Hunt15:32, Oct 29 2019 ROSA WOODS/STUFF VUWSA President Tamatha Paul, who was recently elected to Wellington City Council, fears a class system will develop as Victoria University increases hall charges. Students are juggling two jobs on top of study to afford life in Victoria University halls of residence and that is before a price increase of up to $3956 a year. The Wellington university's quiet price increase - not notified of in a booklet handed out at a recent open day - has sparked concerns that only the well-to-do will be able to afford to live in the halls. One residential assistant (RA), who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said with top dollar being demanded for halls nearest to the university it was creating a "weird social hierarchy" between the halls. Te Puni resident Sophia Newsome has been working two jobs to make ends meet while studying at Victoria University. ROSA WOODS/STUFF Te Puni resident Sophia Newsome has been working two jobs to make ends meet while studying at Victoria University. "Victoria University is kind of introducing a class system in the halls," the RA said. [Victoria University]
• Ardern was supposed to be the anti-Trump, but she failed to speak truth to power
  The leader who said the climate crisis was her generation’s ‘nuclear-free moment’ did not raise the issue with the US president Bryce Edwards Wed 25 Sep 2019 01.47 BST Last modified on Wed 25 Sep 2019 02.17 BST A meeting with US president Donald Trump was always a fraught proposition for New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern. It was never going to deliver any clear wins, and was unlikely to do her progressive reputation any favours. And that’s the outcome – Ardern’s reputation has probably taken a hit, at least among her own progressive constituency. Ardern’s liberal supporters see her as the polar opposite of the US president, and she has even been labelled the “anti-Trump”. They expected her in some way to speak truth to power when meeting the man who has become synonymous with the most reactionary problems in politics today. More than anything, Ardern might have been expected to use the opportunity to push Trump hard on the issue of climate change. [Jacinda]
• First openly gay ambassador to S. Korea visits Blue House with partner
  Posted on : Oct.21,2019 18:11 KST Modified on : Oct.21,2019 18:11 KST New Zealand Ambassador to South Korea Philip Turner, the first openly gay ambassador to South Korea, also became the first homosexual ambassador to visit the Blue House with his partner, on Oct. 18. Philip and his husband attended a reception for foreign diplomats and met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook. On the same day, Turner posted a tweet thanking Moon for the opportunity to make history, “A great honor to meet President Moon and First Lady today with my husband Hiroshi. Thanks to President Moon first time this has been possible in Korea.”
• Pro-Pyongyang and gay
  Posted : 2019-10-21 11:34 Updated : 2019-10-21 15:27 By David Tizzard It's been an interesting couple of days for ambassadors based here in Seoul, South Korea. But the pleasing news came from New Zealand Ambassador Philip Turner. Ambassador Turner was appointed to his position here in March 2018, just after the aforementioned peace Olympics had finished. He also serves concurrently as his country's Ambassador to the DPRK. [USFK] [Protest] [Philip Turner]
• The NZ armed forces' toxic culture of impunity and cover-ups revealed
  By Nicky Hager Nov 13, 2018 War is hell. Soldiering is not for sissies. But is a defence force that regularly covers up and denies wrongdoings among its ranks – from war crimes and sexual abuse to drunkenness and battlefield souveniring – operating above the law? In this exclusive investigative report, Nicky Hager reveals a culture of impunity within the New Zealand Defence Force. There’s a former Special Air Service (SAS) member sitting at my dining table, Wellington Harbour below us, looking like he’s not certain yet about whether coming to meet me was a good idea. It is our first meeting after he very cautiously made contact a few weeks earlier. He says he enjoyed his time in the military and had left without feeling much concern about what had gone on there. Lots of things seem normal when you’re inside the organisation, he says, that look bizarre once you’re out. Then he saw the publicity about the book I co-authored with Jon Stephenson, Hit & Run, which described the death and injuries of children during a New Zealand SAS raid on two Afghan villages. He started thinking about other things he’d experienced in Afghanistan. He wants to talk about them. “The book came out,” he says. “I bought it and looked through.” When he saw then-Chief of Defence Force Major General Tim Keating on TV responding to the allegations, in his opinion Keating was effectively lying to the public. “I felt really uncomfortable.” [SAS] [Afghanistan]
• Burnham bombshell: 3-year-old girl appears to have died, NZDF chief admits
  18 Oct, 2019 5:50pm By: Boris Jancic Political reporter, NZ Herald boris.jancic@nzme.co.nz The head of the Defence Force has accepted that a 3-year-old girl appears to have been killed during a New Zealand-led raid in Afghanistan. The bombshell admission is believed to be the first time New Zealand's military officials have acknowledged the likelihood of the girl's death. Top military brass are this week facing questions about a "cover-up" and why the Defence Force until 2014 said allegations of civilian deaths during Operation Burnham were false, despite a report by coalition forces in 2010 concluding they were possible. The Government inquiry was spurred by the 2017 book Hit & Run, in which journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson alleged six civilians – including a young girl name Fatima - were killed and 15 others wounded during the NZSAS-led raid against insurgents in August 2010. [Afghanistan] [
• Evolving APEC and APEC21 Update
  Speaker: Andrea Smith Deputy Secretary, APEC21 Event Date: Wednesday 23rd October 2019 Event Time: 5:30 pm-7:00 pm Event Location: Bell Gully Level 21, 171 Featherston Street, Wellington, 6011.
• Poll showing fall in support dims election outlook for New Zealand's Ardern
  WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is pleased with her government’s progress, she said on Tuesday, after two closely watched opinion polls showed support for her ruling coalition at its lowest since 2017, and her own popularity waning. FILE PHOTO: Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern speaks during the Bloomberg Global Business Forum in New York City, New York, U.S., September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo Ardern, 39, faces a general election expected in the second half of 2020, after having taken the helm of the Labour-led government in October 2017 and won praise for her views on issues such as women’s rights, climate change and diversity. But domestic critics have questioned her leadership amid sinking business confidence, a slowing economy, governance issues and, most recently, her party’s handling of sexual assault complaints. Support for the center-left coalition government has dropped to its worst since 2017, while the opposition National Party has enough backing to form the next coalition government, a 1News/Colmar Brunton poll by state broadcaster 1News showed on Monday. [Jacinda]
• The NZ First leaks reveal a furious party fighting back against its leadership
  Danyl Mclauchlan | Contributing writer Opinion Documents and correspondence dripping out of NZ First paint a picture of a party in turmoil and invite questions about the mysterious foundation which funds it, writes Danyl McLauchlan. The email landed in the very early hours of Thursday morning, sent by an anonymous account, addressed to a handful of senior rightwing politicians and newsrooms around the country. [NZ First]
• NZSIS 'unlawfully' helped Defence Force target journalist Nicky Hager's source
  10/10/2019 NZSIS 'unlawfully' helped Defence Force target journalist Nicky Hager's source Zane Small The Acting Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security has determined that New Zealand spies helped the NZ Defence Force (NZDF) try to identify a source in a journalist's book. Investigative journalist Nicky Hager claimed the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) assisted the NZDF in efforts to identify sources for his 2011 book Other People's Wars. NZSIS director-general Rebecca Kitteridge has apologised to Hager for "these failings, any impact they had on him, and any distress that has been caused". [Nicky Hager] [Afghanistan] [Diversion]
• Spies unlawfully tried to uncover journalist Nicky Hager's sources
  Thomas Manch16:38, Oct 10 2019 Nicky Hager has been given an apology from Police Spies scraped a journalist's phone records in an unlawful attempt to uncover his sources, according to New Zealand's spy watchdog. Months of phone records from both journalist Nicky Hager and a suspected military leaker were obtained by the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) in a failed investigation. But the SIS used "intrusive investigatory powers" without caution and without the required threat to national security, Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Madeleine ?Laracy has ruled. SIS Director-General Rebecca Kitteridge? has apologised to Hager, who wants to see the spies change their practices. [Nicky Hager] [SIS] [Legality]
• The birth of a movement that divided NZ – and changed us forever
  By Trevor Richards July 15, 2019 Fifty years ago today the anti-apartheid group Hart – Halt All Racist Tours – was formed. Founding chairperson Trevor Richards looks back to the 1960s New Zealand into which Hart was born, and how it launched a battle for the country’s soul. It has been said that if you can remember the 1960s, you weren’t really there. No one is sure who it was that first said this. Robin Williams, Pete Townsend and Timothy Leary among others have all been credited, but it was probably none of them. It is a nice line, conjuring up some of the more colourful aspects – the drugs, sex and rock’n’roll culture – for which the 60s are renowned. But the 60s were about so much more. For many Baby Boomers – this one included – drugs, sex and rock’n’roll were not the decade’s defining aspect. I had grown up in Papatoetoe, Kaikohe and Paihia. By the time I arrived at university in the second half of the 1960s, it was the bubbling, almost frenetic political environment that most excited me. [NZ] [Protest]
• Former PM John Key may have to relinquish banking role
  Guyon Espiner of RNZ08:22, Oct 04 2019 Former prime minister Sir John Key could be forced to stand down from one of his banking roles because of a potential conflict of interest. Key chairs ANZ New Zealand and sits on the board of its parent bank in Australia. Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr said the trans-Tasman roles held by Key at ANZ and BNZ chairman Doug McKay, who holds similar roles, could raise questions over whose interests are pre-eminent. Orr said if an Australian parent company got into trouble and a director sat on the Australian and New Zealand boards and the Australian board wanted to bring money back from New Zealand, it would be difficult for a director to act in the best interests of both boards at the same time. [Banking] [Australian dominance] [John Key]
• Canaries and Coalmines: Foreign Interference, Political Resilience, and the Changing Global Order
  Add to your calendar Event type: Seminars 23 October 2019 from 5.00 pm - 6.00 pm AM103 (Alan MacDiarmid Room 103). In conjunction with Political Science and International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington. Presenter: Professor Anne-Marie Brady Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Canterbury, ?tautahi-Christchurch A new global order is emerging and New Zealand must work hard to adjust to the shift in global politics. China aspires to be a global great power and is seeking change in the global order. Getting the China relationship right is going to be one of New Zealand’s greatest foreign policy challenges in the next few decades. This talk surveys China’s global foreign policy agenda and assesses how it affects New Zealand’s interests. [China confrontation] [Allegiance]

• Prime Minister shines on the world stage
  5:52 pm on 27 September 2019 By Peter Wilson* It was a huge week for Jacinda Ardern on the world stage, probably the most intense and high profile any New Zealand prime minister has achieved. In New York she met US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, delivered New Zealand's speech to the UN General Assembly, opened the UN Climate Action Summit, which she had been invited to do, and announced significant new backing for the Christchurch Call. Those were the big events, there were other less important ones, and she didn't put a foot wrong. At home, Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters talked about "mega Monday" and described her meeting with President Trump as "stellar". There had been a niggle over whether it was a formal bi-lateral, which the government considered it was, or a "pull aside" as it was termed in the president's schedule. It lasted nearly half-an-hour and was attended by Vice-President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien. It was a lot more than a pull aside. [Jacinda] [Subservience] [Media]
• Crucial evidence suddenly upsets Operation Burnham inquiry
  Thomas Manch 18:25, Sep 19 2019 1 NEWS The inquiry relates to a New Zealand SAS raid in Afghanistan in 2010. Crucial evidence naming the SAS commander who handled a report confirming possible civilian casualties has suddenly emerged to upset the Operation Burnham inquiry. The evidence, a register which identifies when the report was placed in a safe in the office of the chief of defence, was obtained in 15 minutes by a Defence Force staffer, despite it being mistakenly or intentionally overlooked for years. This throws into question the evidence of numerous SAS commanders, causing the inquiry to end a week-long hearing early to prepare for re-examination of witnesses. The development comes as former Chief of Defence Force Tim Keating is accused of "a total lack of maturity", and letting down both his soldiers and New Zealand, by a lawyer for the inquiry. [Burnham] [SAS]
• Revolving Door Project Probes Thiel’s White House Connection
  by Max Moran September 20, 2019 Washington is awash with proposals for a new regulatory agency centered on Silicon Valley. Often lost in that important conversation is the fact that the executive branch already has some positions with a direct focus on the technology sector, though they are limited in scope and scattered across the alphabet-soup of agencies. Perhaps no tech-focused bureaucrat has the president’s ear quite like the Chief Technology Officer. The CTO is the White House’s top advisor on anything to do with technology and innovation, tasked with explaining the latest developments and guiding the thinking of the most powerful politician on earth. It should concern onlookers, then, that the current CTO, Michael Kratsios, got his job thanks to his long friendship with one of the most dangerous plutocrats of our age: Peter Thiel, founder of the Big Brother-esque software company Palantir and Trump’s most ardent supporter in Silicon Valley. Thiel’s explosive political beliefs, and his capacity to profit from White House policies set by his cronies, are why the Revolving Door Project has filed Freedom of Information Act requests for all email correspondence between Kratsios and any employees of Thiel’s technology and venture capital firms. It’s worth taking a moment to introduce you to Peter Thiel. He’s the unofficial leader of the Paypal Mafia, a gang of Silicon Valley colleagues who got filthy rich by selling Paypal to eBay, then founded their own companies drawing on each other as major investors. They are true kingmakers in the Valley, perhaps the best living proof that the tech sector is not the platonic ideal of bootstrap capitalism which fellow libertarian Charles Koch makes it out to be. But simply describing Thiel as a businessman and libertarian is woefully insufficient. He ultimately believes only in himself and his entitlement — to power, knowledge, wealth, and fame. He is so certain of his place on top of the food chain that he believes anything which hampers him — including the concept of democracy — must be crushed. [Peter Thiel]
• The SAS is telling a Government inquiry a story, and it's not going well
  Thomas Manch20:05, Sep 18 2019 COMMENT: The Operation Burnham inquiry is finding something remarkable in New Zealand's elite soldiers: red faces, vague memories, evasive answers, and a thin story. Consider what you're being asked to believe. A Special Air Service (SAS) led raid of Afghanistan villages in 2010 has nine insurgents killed, then possible civilian deaths are confirmed. But an SAS commander mistakes an acronym while glancing at a paragraph of a report, and emails headquarters to say everyone is cleared of the possible deaths. Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman stands with Brigadier Chris Parsons, middle, at Linton army base in 2013. Parsons was commander of the SAS in Afghanistan in 2010, when allegations of civilian casualties were being considered. (file photo) [SAS] [Afghanistan] [Civilians]
• Is New Zealand a leaky economy?
  Alan Bollard argues New Zealand needs to consider whether our economic policies are fit for purpose in a new world, and whether our government should be working in the interest of New Zealand or New Zealanders Alan Bollard's picture 11th Sep 19, 11:23am by Alan Bollard By Alan Bollard* When Donald Trump calls attention to the US trade deficit with China, he is selectively focusing on only one thing – the bilateral difference in merchandise trade with one trading partner. He ignores all the other US trade relationships, forgets the US services trade surplus, omits the returns on US investment abroad, and also the many other advantages that the US holds in its international economic relationships. Yet maybe he does us a service by drawing attention to the fact that globalisation has changed, and this is causing countries to think differently about cross-border economic flows. When it comes to New Zealand, this raises an interesting question: are we becoming a leaky economy? Is value that originated in this country now flowing to other countries at our expense? Our globalised world works through markets and international rules. The US played a key leadership role in promoting these rules: the Bretton Woods agreements and exchange rate convertibility, the GATT now the WTO, the post-war European alliance now the OECD, the Bank of International Settlements now the Basel banking supervisory system, and the rest of it, which we loosely called the Washington Consensus. Since the 1980s New Zealand has adapted to those rules, liberalising unilaterally, in order to open up its trade flows, reduce border barriers, and carry out domestic economic reform, all in the context of growing globalisation. Overall, these policies have benefited Kiwi consumers and pushed local producers to be more efficient. [NZ] [Globalisation]
• The ASEAN dimension
  Speaker: Alison Mann Divisional Manager, Asia Regional Division, MFAT
  Event Date: Wednesday 25th September 2019 Event Time: 5:30 pm-7:00 pm Event Location: Bell Gully Level 21, 171 Featherston Street, Wellington, 6011. Registration is essential and by invitation only Please use the button below to register (or go to https://asiaforum-2019-09-25.eventbrite.co.nz). Seating is strictly limited We monitor attendance at our events. Please cancel your registration if you cannot attend, so the seating can be released for others who would like to attend. Your cooperation will help us ensure our events adequately accommodate and cater for attending Asia Forum members. PLEASE NOTE: Each attendee will be required to register individually. Signing up to the mailing list If this email was forwarded to you, please sign up to the mailing list to receive invitations for future Asia Forum events and registration instructions: http://eepurl.com/bolI29 [ASEAN]
• New Zealand to continue deployment to South Korea
  30 August 2019 Winston Petets Rt Hon Winston Peters Ron Mark Hon Ron Mark Leader of the House Defence Foreign Affairs Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron Mark have announced that New Zealand will continue its current deployment of six New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel to South Korea. “Continuing our deployment in South Korea demonstrates New Zealand’s strong commitment to supporting the maintenance of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” said Mr Peters. Five NZDF personnel are deployed to the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC), where they help administer the terms of the Korean Armistice Agreement through conducting inspections, education programmes, and providing support in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. One further NZDF officer is deployed into the United Nations Command Headquarters, in the Multinational Coordination Centre. “New Zealand has been contributing to UNCMAC since 1998, making it one of our most enduring deployments in the Asia-Pacific region. The renewed deployment mandate will extend until August 2021,” Mr Peters said. “NZDF personnel deployed to the United Nations Command and UNCMAC play an important role in supporting the implementation of the Korean Armistice Agreement. They also contribute to confidence-building through supporting engagement with North Korea in the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone,” says Mr Mark. [UNC] [US dominance] [Subservience]

• John Armstrong's opinion: Ardern's struggle from now on will be to keep her head above the water
  The glitter of Jacinda Ardern’s crown no longer sparkles or glistens quite so gloriously as it did not that many months ago. The Prime Minister’s political wizardry likewise no longer casts quite the spell over her opponents it once did. She no longer walks on water. Her struggle from now on will be to keep her head above the water. She's been swamped by the backwash from her mishandling of matters mundane. Her legacy is at risk of being a long list of monuments to failure. Her political epitaph might turn out to be all about what she did not achieve rather than what she did achieve. In short, Ardern’s extraordinary stint as Prime Minister looks ever more ordinary by the day. [Jacinda Ardern]
• What makes Britain great? Fewer Brits up sticks to head our way
  5:02 pm on 27 August 2019 By David Cohen* Opinion - When a man is tired of London he is tired of life, Samuel Johnson famously held, but in 2019 the aphorism of choice might have been less about Brits who aren't excited about their capital than those who are feeling a bit over New Zealand. no caption British annual departures from New Zealand currently constitute the third largest by nationality. Photo: 123rf Not only are fewer people in the United Kingdom upping sticks and heading our way, more and more of those who already have are reportedly having second thoughts about remaining on in the Antipodean sun. Call it a case of out with the new and in with the old. British annual departures from New Zealand currently constitute the third largest by nationality, according to the latest figures. And the 8929 British arrivals over the year to this past June was nearly a quarter down on the previous 12-month period. The turnaround appears especially newsworthy when seen in the light of the UK's imminent divorce from the European Union. Three years ago, in the aftermath of the dramatic Brexit vote, Immigration NZ received more than 10,600 registrations of British interest, more than double the figure for the same period a year earlier. A year on, net migration to New Zealand surged to an all-time high of 72,000, with Britons accounting for nearly one in 10 of the new arrivals and only China and India contributing more. Anecdotal accounts gathered from social media variously blame the change of heart on costly rentals and heavy Auckland traffic (have any of the complainants tried driving along the M5 recently?), not to mention New Zealand's dubious reputation as one of the developed world's only nations where the major commercial city lacks so much as a light rail connection from the airport to the CBD [Brexit] [Migration]
• How New Zealand's land mass compares to Europe
  11:38, Aug 06 2019 Compared to European countries, we're not so small. NEW zEALAND EMBASSY IN IRELAND Compared to European countries, we're not so small. New Zealand is just a small country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, right? A map comparing the size of New Zealand to Europe shows the land of the long white cloud is not as small as we may think. Former Prime Minister Helen Clark sparked an enthusiastic reaction when she tweeted an outline of New Zealand over a map of Europe. In her tweet on Friday, Clark said New Zealand was sometimes thought of as a small country, so it was interesting to see a map of New Zealand put over the top of a map of Europe. New Zealand sometimes is thought of as a small country, so it's interesting to see juxtaposed on a map of Europe. This shows its length from the north of the North Island to Stewart Is comparable to the disatnce from north of Copenhagen to southern France & maybe a bit below! pic.twitter.com/NpLsn5wWJD — Helen Clark (@HelenClarkNZ) August 4, 2019 "This shows its length from the north of the North Island to Stewart Is comparable to the distance from north of Copenhagen to southern France & maybe a bit below," Clark said. The map had been posted a few days earlier on the Facebook page of the New Zealand Embassy in Ireland, comparing the size of New Zealand with Ireland, which is around just 84,000sq km.

• Talisman Sabre gives New Zealand military chance to work with allies
  5:30 pm on 20 July 2019 Jonathan Mitchell, Defence Reporter New Zealand troops are participating in military war games off the coast of Australia. Soldiers from 2nd/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, Bravo Company conduct an assault as part of force integration training during Exercise Talisman Sabre. Soldiers from 2nd/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, Bravo Company conduct an assault as part of force integration training during Exercise Talisman Sabre. Photo: Crown Copyright / NZDF The Talisman Sabre exercise is hosted by the Australian military and supported by the United States and involves more than 30,000 people. It is the third time New Zealand has been involved and the war games test combat readiness, as well as war-fighting skills in a controlled environment. New Zealand's military has sent more than 600 troops from the three services - Army, Navy and Air Force. Twenty-seven light armoured vehicles, three NH90 helicopters and the HMNZS Canterbury will be involved. The games have caught the attention of the Chinese, with one of their ships watching closely from international waters. NZDF Brigadier Jim Bliss said the event was running smoothly, despite the Chinese attention. "You've seen in some media coverage out of Australia, it's in international waters. "It's well known that it is in the local area. I suppose it just puts a new complexity or a new spin on the activity." Brigadier Bliss said it was an important chance to work with other the country's allies. "We have a mindset and we have a culture around how we operate that allows us to be very effective in the battle space," he said. "So that provides I think a lot of reassurance to our allies that they can call on the New Zealand troops to be a real value add in any kind of coalition environment." [China confrontation] [Joint US military] [Allegiance] [Self delusion]
• New Zealanders trying to unify the two Koreas
  From Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan, 1:31 pm on 2 July 2019 The New Zealand Democratic People's Republic of North Korea Society is a local organisation advocating for a better relationship between New Zealand and North Korea. Nursing student Alexandra Anderson is heading to North Korea for the fifth time later this year and joins us to explain what it's all about, and how they're trying to accomplish their goals. [NZ-DPRK Society]

• David Mahon: Why NZ can't take sides in escalating US-China trade war
  25 Jun, 2019 6:17pm The trade tension between China and the United States is unprecedented. Even if the Democrats win next year, US attempts to contain China will shift only in style, not objective. The US will block Chinese technical innovation wherever possible, stem its rise, and coerce partners and allies to do the same. [Trade war] [Allegiance]
• New Zealand’s well-being budget more smoke than fire
  15 June 2019 Author: Mark Fabian, ANU New Zealand recently released its first ‘well-being’ budget to much fanfare. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern argues that her government is moving beyond a fixation on income growth to also consider sustainability, the distribution of wealth and social issues like mental health. Yet is far from clear that any government prioritises economic growth ahead of these things, or that an ‘economic’ approach to budgeting does not serve well-being. New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern smiles as she attends the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, 22 January 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann). It is a common mistake to say that economic indicators, notably gross domestic product (GDP), do not track well-being. The fundamental quantum of economics is utility, which is well-being broadly defined — not output, consumption or surplus. As any practitioner of cost-benefit analysis will tell you, a correct economic assessment of progress or policy will consider not just financial costs and benefits but also environmental and social ones, including distributional issues, because these things all bear on utility. [Jacinda] [Well-being budget]
• What nation isn’t obsessed with ensuring economic growth? New Zealand, apparently.
  New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to reporters in Wellington on May 30. (Mark Coote/Bloomberg News) By Christine Emba Columnist June 14 at 7:14 PM Writing in 1930, John Maynard Keynes predicted that by 2030 we would work only 15 hours a week. Economic growth would lift our standard of living four- to eightfold, and the everyday citizen could finally stop plugging away. As I’m sure we all realize, Keynes’ leisure-time predictions have not yet come to pass. Not because our standard of living hasn’t risen as a result of economic growth (in fact, his estimate was right on the mark), but because, even after life-changingly rapid advances over almost a century, we’ve just .?.?. carried on working. The United States is obsessed with ensuring continued economic growth. What modern nation isn’t? New Zealand, as it turns out. [NZ] [Economic growth]
• New Zealand and China: Reflections on 45 years of engagement
  Speaker: John McKinnon Former New Zealand ambassador to China Event Date: Wednesday 3rd July 2019 Event Time: 5:30 pm-7:00 pm in memory of Professor Athol Mann who we remember for his passion for and contribution to our relationship with China and Asia, Asia Forum is delighted for Mr John McKinnon’s acceptance of the invitation to speak to the forum on: Event Location: Bell Gully Level 21, 171 Featherston Street, Wellington, 6011. Registration is essential and by invitation only Please use the button below to register (or go to https://asia-forum-2019-07-03.eventbrite.co.nz). [NZ China]
• Business Engagement with Asia: The Importance of Trust and Relationships
  Published on 5 June 2019 By Dr Anita Perkins Aotearoa New Zealand is a nation increasingly dependent on trade relationships. As we move away from our more traditional Western trading partners and grow our ties within Asia, understanding appropriate engagement approaches is imperative to forming successful business relationships. [NZ China] [Business]

• Call for Jacinda Ardern to help break Korea impasse
  Tuesday, 28 May 2019, 2:20 pm Press Release: NZ DPRK Society
  Negotiations between the US and North Korea have ground to a halt, and with it the détente between the two Koreas, but New Zealand, and its Prime Minister, could contribute to removing blockages and reinvigorating the peace process.
  We urge Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to assume a personal role in reactivating the peace process which is so important not merely for the people of the Korean peninsula but also for the region, not least New Zealand itself. She can build on the international stature and mana generated by her response to the Christchurch massacre to make a significant contribution. Détente on the Korean peninsula is contingent on progress in US-DPRK negotiations. It is necessary to press President Trump to ‘follow his instincts’ and overrule those in his administration who want to continue and exacerbate tension and instead turn towards reinvigorating the peace process, in particular by providing meaningful security guarantees and lifting sanctions [More…..]
  [Jacinda] [US NK Negotiations]
• The Trump-Kim Nuclear Summit: Finding the Middle Ground with South Korea
  by Institute for Governance & Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington... PUBLIC LECTURE presented by H.E. Mr. Seung-bae Yeo South Korean Ambassador to New Zealand The much-heralded nuclear summit in Hanoi collapsed without an agreement due to disputes over demands for Pyongyang to denuclearize and for Washington to drop sanctions. Is there still hope to reach an agreement? Can South Korea offer a middle road? The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Mr. Seung-bae Yeo, will speak about South Korea’s perspectives and strategies. [US NK Negotiations] [Intermediary]
• NZ and the Asia-Pacific region - challenging times and challenging issues: a Conversation
  Speaker: Simon Murdoch, CNZM Deputy Chairman, Asia New Zealand Foundation Event Date: Thursday 30th May 2019 Event Time: 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Event Location: Bell Gully 171 Featherston Street, Wellington, Wellington 6011 Registration is essential and by invitation only Please use the button below to register (or go to https://asiaforum-2019-05-30.eventbrite.co.nz). [Asia Forum]
• Breach upheld over Kiwi talkback host Heather du Plessis-Allan's Pacific leeches comments
  1:06 pm on 4 April 2019 The Broadcasting Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against a presenter who described the Pacific Islands as leeches. It found Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan's comments were inflammatory, devalued the reputation of Pasifika people within New Zealand and had the potential to cause widespread harm. The Authority (BSA) ruled she breached the good taste and decency and discrimination and denigration standards. NZME Radio was ordered to pay $NZ3,000 in costs and to broadcast a statement during Wellington Mornings with Heather du Plessis-Allan, summarising the BSA's decision. Her comments came during a discussion about the prime minister attending the Pacific Islands forum in Nauru, when she questioned the use of the visit. "I mean, it's the Pacific Islands," she said. "What are we going to get out of them? They are nothing but leeches on us. I mean, the Pacific Islands want money from us. We don't need money from them." [Media] [Racism]

• Tim Watkin: Government is running out of chances to be 'transformational'
  8:00 pm on 3 May 2019 Tim Watkin, RNZ Series and Podcasts Executive Producer @Tim_Watkin tim.watkin@rnz.co.nz Analysis: Strike one: Capital Gains Tax. Strike two: Welfare reform. The Labour-led government is running out of chances to be the "transformational" administration Jacinda Ardern promised in the 2017 election campaign. No caption Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her deputy, Winston Peters, as they were interviewed after leading the country for a year. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King Today the Welfare Expert Advisory Group handed the government a radical blueprint to not just tinker with welfare, but - in their words - to make "urgent and fundamental change". It suggested some lower hanging fruit, such as hiring more staff and scrapping the discriminatory sanctions against women and their children if the woman does not declare the father's name to authorities. While that latter policy will be contentious, it was part of Labour's policies ahead of the election, so is something they were expected to do regardless of this report. The report, however, goes further. Much further. It was scathing about sanctions against beneficiaries, saying evidence shows they do little but create more harm to those already at the bottom of society. And it recommended a massive 47 percent increase in current benefit levels. Those would be hugely controversial reforms… or, you could say, transformational. And they are not of the cuff ideas. [Jacinda]
• Spark cautiously optimistic as UK allows Huawei into 5G
  25 Apr, 2019 12:51pm By: Pattrick Smellie Spark New Zealand and Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei's local arm are both expressing cautious optimism that a UK government decision to allow Huawei gear into parts of the British 5G internet build could see the same approach taken in New Zealand. READ MORE: • Huawei gets go-ahead for 5G in the UK Huawei's New Zealand deputy managing director, Andrew Bowater, was the most explicitly optimistic following the announcement on the eve of a trade mission to Beijing by UK chancellor for the exchequer, Philip Hammond, that Huawei could supply elements of the next generation of the internet, so-called '5G', as long as they were not core elements of the system. [Huawei] [Subservience] [China confrontation] [Resistance]
• Sep 5-17, 2019: Paektu-san Highland 6N/7D Expeditionary Hikes, plus 5 days in Pyongyang, Kaesong and the DMZ.
  12N/13D in North Korea HIKEKOREASep 5-17, 2019: Paektu-san Highland 6N/7D Expeditionary Hikes, plus 5 days in Pyongyang, Kaesong and the DMZ. Be the only people allowed to trek North Korea’s Highland Plateau. A vast uninhabited zone of volcanic soils, undulating grasslands, Larch Pine Forests, and fascinating history. Beneath Korea’s highest and most sacred peak lies the Paektu plateau. During the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-45), independence fighters were based in the Manchuria region of China. They would infiltrate from there into the isolated Paektu plateau regions and set up secret camps (mil-yong ??). There they would train partisans in guerilla warfare, spread anti-Japanese propaganda, exchange information and receive resources and medical items. These well-hidden secret camps continued south along Korea’s Baekdu Daegan mountain spine into Phyongnam-do province. The Paektu plateau is therefore considered a sacred zone of the revolution and has been off limits to outsiders forever. In North Korea, the camps have been kept as cultural relics of that period and are visited annually by groups of students and adults as an educational pilgrimage, where they retrace the footsteps of the partisans. Hike Korea has been granted exclusive access to this pristine area and is permitted to explore these remote partisan trails on foot. In August 2018 it launched its inaugural trekking expedition. We got to see some never seen before amazing mountainscape and walked in untouched pristine zones for six days. Our hosts, the North Koreans were excellent, including the upbeat guides at the secret camps. Afterwards, the trek received a lot of global media attention. The potential for this area is ongoing and it is our future desire to see it developed in a sustainable manner with trail maintenance, hut construction, and a permit system, that one day means everyone can enjoy it.
• Do Australians Have a Case of ‘Jacinda Envy’?
  Two similar countries, two very different attitudes toward women in leadership. By Sisonke Msimang Ms. Msimang is a writer who divides her time between Australia and South Africa. April 23, 2019 Christchurch.CreditCreditMark Baker/Associated Press PERTH, Australia — It didn’t take long after the Christchurch massacre last month for Australian politics to turn ugly. That very afternoon, Senator Fraser Anning, a member of Parliament, released an official statement in which he claimed “the real cause of bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place.” His comments were followed, the next day, by a news conference, during which a teenager, with precision timing, cracked an egg on Mr. Anning’s head in protest. Mr. Anning responded by punching the boy several times. A group of Mr. Anning’s supporters then tackled the teenager and placed him in a chokehold, in an appalling show of machismo entirely unbefitting the moment. Then there was New Zealand. “Having been confronted with the worst news a leader can receive,” wrote Annabel Crabb, a well-known Australian journalist, “Ms. Ardern has yet to put a foot wrong.” On the day after the shooting, I met up with friends, where we too spoke in praise of Jacinda Ardern, whose empathy and grace had held together her country while ours fell apart. “Imagine her as our prime minister?” someone said. Everyone smiled at the absurdity. Are Australians developing a case of “Jacinda envy”? [Jacinda]
• Soldiers Without Guns: How NZ helped solve Bougainville's problems
  Graeme Tuckett13:14, Apr 18 2019 Bougainville spent a century being passed around like a gambling chip. It was at various times occupied and ruled by England – who separated the archipelago from the Solomons, with which it had previously been one nation – Germany, Japan, Australia and then Papua New Guinea. Sometime in the 1960s, the people of Bougainville had the great misfortune to discover they were living on top of an immense amount of copper ore. The eye of the giant Rio Tinto corporation – who have now turned up as the bad guy in movies in two consecutive weeks – swivelled across the globe and engines of capitalism roared into life. Soon Bougainville was the non-plussed host of the world's biggest hole (this is official – it was in the Guinness Book of Records) and an explosion of the unrest that always results when massive amounts of capital are poured unequally into an economy....
  Fourteen peace missions were launched over a decade – and all of them failed. Soldiers Without Guns is the story of the New Zealand initiative that finally worked. [Peacekeeping]
• More than 250,000 New Zealand children living in poverty, new figures show
  8:29 pm on 2 April 2019 Charlotte Cook, Journalist Catherine Hutton, Senior Reporter Hundreds of thousands of New Zealand children are still living in poverty because of housing costs, according to new figures released today. Photo: 123RF The report from Stats NZ said the proportion of children who lived in households, with less than half the median disposable income - jumped once housing costs were taken into account. But advocates said major changes were needed if the country was serious about tackling the issue. The Child Poverty Reduction Act set both three and 10-year targets to reduce poverty and hardship. To achieve those targets, government statistician Liz McPherson will report each year against a set of 10 measures. Susan St John from the Child Poverty Action Group said for the first time the country had some solid data. "We can be confident for example that on the primary measure, before housing costs 50 percent income, New Zealand had about 180,000 children in poverty," Ms St John said. That figure jumped to 254,000 children - about 23 percent - once housing costs were accounted for. [Poverty] [Inequality] [Housing]
• New Zealand PM Ardern says to discuss Huawei decision in China visit
  Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday she hoped to have a dialogue with Beijing about New Zealand’s intelligence agency’s decision to reject a bid by Chinese telecom giant Huawei to build a 5G mobile network. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (R) and China's Premier Li Keqiang attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 1, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee Ardern is on a one-day visit to China and is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Premier Li Keqiang later on Monday. Talking to reporters before the meetings, Ardern said she would set out the process New Zealand followed in the Huawei decision, and point out that there has been no political or diplomatic influence in the matter. [Ardern] [Huawei] [China NZ] [Allegiance]
• New Zealand Muslim Leader Dismisses Claims That Mossad Ordered Mosque Killings
  March 29, 2019 By Henry Benjamin Mustafa Farouk by the Forward (JTA) — A Muslim community leader in New Zealand dismissed claims by the head of the country’s biggest mosque that Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency was behind the killing of 50 Muslims at two Christchurch mosques. Mustafa Farouk, president of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand, referred in his statement Thursday to remarks made on March 23 by Ahmed Bhamji, chairman of the Mt Roskill Masjid E Umar mosque. “Recent comments by an individual do not represent the views of the Muslims of New Zealand,” Farouk said. The killings on March 15 were perpetrated by a 28-year-old gunman from Australia described in media reports as a white supremacist. On March 23, Bhamji said during a sermon: “I stand here and I say I have a very very strong suspicion that there’s some group behind him and I am not afraid to say I feel Mossad is behind this.” Bhamji continued: “And not only them. There are some business houses, also, who are around … you know, Zionist business houses that are behind him.” This story "Muslim Leader: Mossad Not Behind Mosque Killings" was written by Henry Benjamin. Read more: https://forward.com/fast-forward/421753/new-zealand-muslim-mossad-christchurch-mosque/ [Mossad

• Reading Manifestos: Restricting Brenton Tarrant’s The Great Replacement
  by Binoy Kampmark March 22, 2019 A censorious and censoring attitude has engulfed responses to the mental airings of the Christchurch shooter. Material in connection with Brenton Tarrant, the alleged gunman behind the killing of 50 individuals at two mosques in New Zealand, is drying up; his manifesto, for one, is being disaggregated and spread through multiple forms, removed from their various parts with blunt razors. Doing so does a disservice to any arguments that might be mounted against him, but having a debate is not what this is generally about. Arguments on banning the incendiary and dangerous are easily mounted against a range of publications. The smutty supposedly corrupt public morals; the revolutionary supposedly give citizens strange and cocksure ideas about overthrowing the order of things. Then there are just the downright bizarre and adventurous, incapable of classification, but deemed dangerous for not falling into any clear category. Certitude is fundamentally important for the rule-directed censor and paper shuffling bureaucrat. One example stands out, a testament to the failure of such efforts and the misunderstandings and distortions that follow. Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, as a stellar case, was banned in Germany after the Second World War. In January 2016, it was republished on the expiry of copyright held by the Bavarian government. As Steven Luckert remarked in The Atlantic at the time, “the history of the book, and of Hitler’s words more generally, demonstrates that there’s no clear-cut relationship between banning speech and halting the spread of ideas.” The Nazi party did not disappear in the aftermath of the ban; nor could it be said that his ideas had captivated whole states and their governments, despite being accessible. [Tarrant] [Censorship]
• And you think maybe this is not home
  NZ Muslim Community experiences with New Zealand Authorities
  In Spring 2016 the Human Rights Foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand (HRF) commenced an initiative to facilitate effective dialogue between the Muslim community and relevant authorities, related particularly to the sharing of internet and social media content. The aim was to provide clarity to the community concerning what activities are and are not considered to be lawful when using the Internet and social media. As part of this initiative, the HRF held an initial informal pilot survey to identify the needs and concerns of the New Zealand Muslim community in its interactions with New Zealand authorities. When conducting this survey other issues consistently arose concerning interactions with the New Zealand Security Intelligence Services and New Zealand Customs. Next steps include follow up in-depth interviews, liaison with the relevant New Zealand authorities, dialogue between the Muslim community and relevant authorities and public legal education. [Human rights] [Islamophobia]
• The Inspiration for Terrorism in New Zealand Came From France
  The gunman who massacred Muslims was inspired by ideas that have circulated for decades on the French far-right. By Sasha Polakow-Suransky, Sarah Wildman | March 16, 2019, 7:46 AM Mourners gather outside the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia after a 28-year-old Australian-born man, Brenton Tarrant, appeared in Christchurch District Court on Saturday charged with murder for killing 49 people at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The attack is the worst mass shooting in New Zealand's history. Mourners gather outside the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia after a 28-year-old Australian-born man, Brenton Tarrant, appeared in Christchurch District Court on Saturday charged with murder for killing 49 people at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The attack is the worst mass shooting in New Zealand's history. (Jaimi Chisholm/Getty Images) When white nationalists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017 chanting “they will not replace us” and “the Jews will not replace us,” few of the assembled extremists knew where those slogans came from. By contrast, Brenton Tarrant, the 28-year-old Australian accused of shooting dead 49 worshipers at two mosques and wounding dozens more in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday, was more explicit when it came to his intellectual inspirations. In the 74-page manifesto he posted before the rampage, he praises the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik and draws on his work while noting his admiration for the interwar British fascist leader Oswald Mosley. But French ideas figure most prominently in Tarrant’s thinking.[Tarrant] [France] [Migration]
• The hypocrisy of New Zealand's 'this is not us' claim
  Is Brenton Tarrant really an aberration? by Sahar Ghumkhor 16 hours ago Flowers and signs are seen at a memorial as a tribute to victims of the mosque attacks, near a police line outside Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, March 16, 2019 [Jorge Silva/Reuters] more on New Zealand • New Zealand mosque attack: Who were the victims?today • New Zealand to mark one week since Christchurch mosque attackstoday • New Zealand attack: Pakistani expat family mourns with pridetoday • NZ leader: 'We reject extremism and violence in all its forms'today In response to what has been described as New Zealand's biggest "terrorist" attack, in which 50 people were shot and killed in two mosques in the city of Christchurch, Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern declared: "We were not a target because we are a safe harbour for those who hate. We were not chosen for this act of violence because we condone racism, because we are an enclave for extremism. We were chosen for the very fact that we are none of these things." As a Muslim who grew up in New Zealand, this statement didn't sit well with me. Over the years, I've heard it repeated by Kiwis in a ritualistic fashion, always praising the values of multicultural society. I also hear similar self-congratulatory statements in Australia, where I'm now based. This same narcissistic self-view has often prompted New Zealanders and Australians to declare that I must be "glad" to be in their respective countries. After all, they see Afghanistan, where I come from, as the land of "burqas", intolerance and fundamentalist violence. [Racism] [Tarrant]
• New Zealand’s Foreign Policy Comes Home. Close Partnership with NATO
  By Aidan O’Brien Global Research, March 20, 2019 Region: Oceania Theme: Media Disinformation, Militarization and WMD, US NATO War Agenda [print] New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, doesn’t know why someone would want to shoot dead 49 Muslims in her country. “There is no place in New Zealand, for such acts of extreme and unprecedented violence”, she said, in “an emotional” press conference, last Friday. She’s wrong. There is a place in New Zealand for such acts. And her foreign policy sanctions them. In a cheerful press conference, in Brussels, on January 25, this year, Ardern reaffirmed New Zealand’s “close partnership” with NATO. Standing alongside NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, Ardern stated that New Zealand “sought to play its role and part [alongside NATO] in the defense of values and norms, we hold dear”. These values include, she added, “democracy, human rights, vital freedoms” and a “rules based order”. She forgot to mention another key norm, which she and her NATO partners embrace: killing Muslims in large numbers. According to the website of the New Zealand Army: “the NZDF [New Zealand Defense Forces] has contributed to international military efforts in Afghanistan since 2001.” And today, among other things, the NZDF contributes “two headquarters staff officers supporting NATO’s Resolute Support mission”. In Iraq, today, there are “NZDF staff officers working at the headquarters of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve In Baghdad”. And their job is to “coordinate military efforts in Iraq and Syria”. New Zealand’s Only Middle East Exit Strategy – Leave Now NZDF “officers are [also] stationed in headquarters in Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain”. The headquarters of what? The website doesn’t specify, but we can surmise that these command centers are controlled by NATO forces. And in the Arabian Gulf and around the Horn of Africa “NZDF personnel are also embarked on UK and Australian Navy ships”. Meanwhile in Mali, “a senior NZDF officer [recently] assumed the role of Chief Military Intelligence Officer (U2)” in the foreign force that is currently occupying that country. And the icing on this poisonous NZDF cake, is the fact that: “a NZDF National Planning Element and operational support has been based at the United States Central Command in Florida since 2003. They perform liaison and planning functions.” In short: New Zealand, today, is making war throughout the Muslim world. Jacinda Ardern, of course, doesn’t say this. She and her partner, Jens Stoltenberg, prefer the words: “peace and security”, “rules based order”, “mutual goals”, “globalization” and even “human rights”. The American led “War on Terror”, which New Zealand has clearly signed up for, is guilty of genocide within the Muslim world. Since 2001, this war of aggression has mercilessly ripped apart Afghanistan and Iraq. And has branched out, with equal viciousness, into Libya, Syria and Yemen. The Muslim blood that has been spilt in these countries, since 2001, is partly on the hands of New Zealand. Last Friday’s horrible killing of Muslims in Christchurch, represent in microcosm the “war on terror”, which has been waged by New Zealand and its partners throughout the Middle East and North Africa, since 2001. After watching the Christchurch killings on Facebook and YouTube, one can only compare them to the infamous July 12, 2007 killings in Baghdad, which Chelsea Manning and Wikileaks revealed to the world in 2010. The cold blooded killer in Christchurch may as well have been the pilot of the US helicopter gunship. He may as well have been a member of New Zealand’s special forces. New Zealand’s Prime Minister is ignorant, when she says that the Christchurch killers “are not us”. An examination of her foreign policy, reveals that New Zealand has signed up precisely for the madness we witnessed on the streets of Christchurch last week. Embedded in New Zealand’s global posture – whether Ardern is aware of it or not – is Islamophobia. * Aidan O’Brien is a hospital worker in Dublin, Ireland. [Afghanistan] [Hypocrisy] [Tarrant] [US dominance]
• Moon Chung-in at Roger Shepherd photo exhibition in Auckland
  In Korean
  • Korean article
    
• A Suspect In New Zealand Mass Shootings Appears To Be A White Supremacist
  In a manifesto, the alleged gunman said he was motivated by American extremism. By Andy Campbell 8.5k A man accused of opening fire Friday at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing dozens of worshippers, appears to have been motivated by white supremacy and extremism that he saw in the United States. During a news conference, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison characterized the alleged shooter as an “extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist.” Four suspects were taken into custody Friday in connection with the attack. The alleged gunman was later charged with murder. The suspect, whose identity has not been confirmed, appears to have publicly posted a 74-page manifesto to Twitter and the online forum 8chan in which he declared his hatred for Muslim immigrants in Europe and idolized U.S. extremist movements. He also appears to have live-streamed part of the horrific attack in a now-deleted video on Facebook. HuffPost has chosen not to provide a link to either piece of media. The author at times wrote in an over-the-top, possibly sarcastic voice, making specific passages difficult to discern, but an obsession with white supremacist ideas persists throughout the manifesto. He also repeatedly stated that he intended to use the media to give a platform to his views. In the rambling manifesto, he claimed that he donated to white supremacist groups and said he idolized American mass shooters. He also recited the “14 words,” a popular white supremacist slogan that has been repeated by other North American white supremacists, such as Faith Goldy: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” [Massacre] [NZ] [Migration]
• Christchurch mosque massacres
  Tim Beal interviewed by Nikki Aaron on RT, Moscow on the Christchurch mosque massacres of 15 March 2019
• New Zealand wakes belatedly to its China risk
  While Wellington and Beijing look to boost trade ties, rising security concerns have recently roiled bilateral relations ByHelen Clark, Perth Embattled Chinese technology giant Huawei is on a new commercial offensive in New Zealand, one that playfully conflates the nation’s passion for rugby with telecommunications infrastructure. “5G without Huawei is like rugby without New Zealand,” one billboard said. Another reads: “New Zealanders wouldn’t accept second or third best on the rugby field, and they shouldn’t have to put up with it when it comes to 5G.” Last November, New Zealand blocked the use of Huawei equipment and supplies in the roll out its new generation 5G network over national security concerns, one of the first indications that Wellington is taking a harder look at its largest trading partner. The company is not banned outright in New Zealand, but is under a temporary ban via its local partner Spark, which has been prohibited from deploying Huawei’s technology over spying concerns shared by New Zealand’s “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing partners, namely the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. [China confrontation] [Allegiance] [Huawei] [Hysteria] [Influence] [AMB] [MISCOM]
• Trade and Political Diplomacy: New Zealand and China in a time of increasing global uncertainties
  Speaker: Hon Philip Burdon Asia New Zealand Foundation Honorary Adviser Event Date: Thursday 28th March 2019 Event Time: 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Event Location: Bell Gully Level 21, 171 Featherston Street, Wellington, 6011. Registration is essential and by invitation only Please use the button below to register (or go to https://asiaforum-2019-03-28.eventbrite.co.nz). [NZ China]
• Money laundering? Samsung keeps mum on allegations
  Posted : 2019-03-06 17:02 Updated : 2019-03-07 14:34 Samsung Electronics office in Seocho-dong, Seoul / Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo Samsung Electronics has remained silent on a news report alleging that its unit in the Netherlands received $93 million from paper companies based in tax havens via a Lithuanian bank involved in international money laundering schemes. Samsung officials refused to confirm or deny the report, the same stance they take whenever unfavorable media reports surface. News Tapa reported Tuesday night that four paper companies in British Virgin Islands, Panama and other regions sent a total $93 million to Samsung Electronics Overseas B.V., a Netherlands-based unit of the tech titan, from 2005 to 2010. Those companies used accounts at Ukio Bankas, a Lithuanian bank that went bankrupt in 2013 over its alleged involvement in a global money laundering scheme. The report alleged that the companies were involved in other money laundering scandals, and it found a signature assumed to belong to Yun Jong-yong, vice chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics from 2000 to 2008 and adviser from 2008 to 2011, in a 2009 bill demanding payments from one of those paper companies for products Samsung Electronics Overseas sold.
  News Tapa also reported that a total $3.3 million was sent to Samsung through accounts at Ukio Bankas. Most of the amount was from a New Zealand-based firm suspected of being a paper company. [Money laundering] [Samsung] [NZ]

• China defers New Zealand tourism event amid concerns of a diplomatic rift
  WELLINGTON (Reuters) - China has postponed a major tourism campaign in New Zealand days before its launch and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s visit to Beijing has been further delayed as concerns mount of strained ties over China’s growing influence in the Pacific. FILE PHOTO - New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern smiles as she attends the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Ardern on Tuesday acknowledged there were ‘complexities’ in the relationship with China, but dismissed concerns of a rift with New Zealand’s largest trading partner. “Our relationship with China is a complex relationship and sometimes it will have its challenges,” Ardern told TVNZ in an interview. New Zealand said on Tuesday that an event to launch the China-New Zealand Year of Tourism 2019 in Wellington next week was postponed by the Chinese and Ardern told reporters that dates for her trip to China, planned for the end of 2018, has still not been finalised. “I have been issued with an invitation to visit China, that has not changed. We continue to find dates that would work,” Ardern said. Ties with China have been tense under Ardern’s government which has openly raised concerns about Beijing’s growing influence in the South Pacific, and rejected Chinese telecoms giant Huawei’s first local bid to build a 5G mobile network. [China NZ] [Allegiance] [Ardern] [Huawei]
• Peter Jackson’s Cartoon War
  BY CHRIS HEDGES • TRUTHDIG World War I —Soldiers of British 55th Division, blinded by gas. When director-producer Peter Jackson’s World War I film, “They Shall Not Grow Old,” which miraculously transforms grainy, choppy black-and-white archival footage from the war into a modern 3D color extravaganza, begins, he bombards us with the clichés used to ennoble war. Veterans, over background music, say things like “I wouldn’t have missed it,” “I would go through it all over again because I enjoyed the service life” and “It made me a man.” It must have taken some effort after the war to find the tiny minority of veterans willing to utter this rubbish. Military life is a form of servitude, prolonged exposure to combat leaves you broken, scarred for life by trauma and often so numb you have difficulty connecting with others, and the last thing war does is make you a man. Far more common was the experience of the actor Wilfrid Lawson, who was wounded in the war and as a result had a metal plate in his skull. He drank heavily to dull the incessant pain. In his memoirs “Inside Memory,” Timothy Findley, who acted with him, recalled that Lawson “always went to bed sodden and all night long he would be dragged from one nightmare to another—often yelling—more often screaming—very often struggling physically to free himself of impeding bedclothes and threatening shapes in the shadows.” He would pound the walls, shouting “Help! Help! Help!” The noise, my dear—and the people. David Lloyd George, wartime prime minister of Britain, in his memoirs used language like this to describe the conflict: … [I]nexhaustible vanity that will never admit a mistake … individuals who would rather the million perish than that they as leaders should own—even to themselves—that they were blunderers … the notoriety attained by a narrow and stubborn egotism, unsurpassed among the records of disaster wrought by human complacency … a bad scheme badly handled … impossible orders issued by Generals who had no idea what the execution of their commands really meant … this insane enterprise … this muddy and muddle-headed venture. … The British Imperial War Museum, which was behind the Jackson film, had no interest in portraying the dark reality of war. War may be savage, brutal and hard, but it is also, according to the myth, ennobling, heroic and selfless. You can believe this drivel only if you have never been in combat, which is what allows Jackson to modernize a cartoon version of war. [Militarism] [Propaganda]
• New Zealand appears to have become the latest Western country to bring down the silent wrath of Beijing
  Christian Edwards • Now China's furious gaze has fallen on another country. • New Zealand appears to be the latest Western-aligned nation to have inadvertently called down the wrath of Beijing, according to a report from The New Zealand Herald. • Auckland's ties with China, its key trading partner, are sailing anxiously close to the rocks, according to The Herald, which says the island nation's prime minister is on the outs in Beijing. • Perhaps more tellingly, a yearlong New Zealand tourism promotion— in the pipeline for years and due to roll out across all of China — is suddenly on ice. Now it looks as if New Zealand has fallen afoul of an increasingly sensitive and assertive Beijing. The largely inoffensive oceanic nation of about 4.7 million is joining the likes of Canada, Australia, Turkey, Poland, the Czech Republic, and even Norway as members of a growing club that is out of favor with the world's second-largest economy. Until a few months ago, New Zealand was something of a darling of Beijing, enjoying favored-nation status and kicking off all kinds of economic firsts under China's economic largesse. [China confrontation] [Allegiance] [Media]
• Ardern’s Labour-led government delivers on policy promises in New Zealand
  5 February 2019 Author: Stephen Levine, Victoria University New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has continued with her ‘relentlessly positive’ approach in both rhetoric and policy, demonstrating poise and grace while dealing effectively with an opposition National Party. Opposition leader Simon Bridges is a distant second (in single digits) in ‘preferred prime minister’ polls, with his continued leadership in jeopardy. New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talks to representatives of South Pacific island nations during the APEC Summit, in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 17 November 2018 (Photo: Reuters/David Gray). Having been out of power for nine years, Ardern’s Labour Party is making significant progress on a range of policy fronts. The government has raised the country’s minimum wage and resumed contributions to the superannuation fund established under the last Labour-led government (but deferred during the National government’s time in office). It has also initiated an ambitious housing program intended to build 100,000 homes over a 10-year period. [Jacinda Ardern] [Academic]
• Reflections on the Indo-Pacific region
  Speaker: Ben King Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Event Date: Thursday 21st February 2019 Event Time: 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Event Location: Bell Gully Level 21, 171 Featherston Street, Wellington, 6011. [NZ] [Indo Pacific]
• New Zealand policymakers need runs on the board
  30 January 2019 Author: Gary Hawke, Victoria University of Wellington The soft diplomacy of New Zealand’s new government — exemplified by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who smiled and exuded friendship and compassion throughout 2018, her first full year in power — has so far not been used to implement strategic changes. The year was one of preparations rather than initiatives. New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, US, 27 September 2018 (Photo: Reuters/Caitlin Ochs). It began with some fast diplomatic footwork to reconcile promises made in the 2017 election campaign with the realities of Asia Pacific economic integration. Through this effort, New Zealand continued at the forefront of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and was one of the six signatories that enabled it to come into force on 30 December 2018. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), now the CPTPP, has its roots in a joint New Zealand initiative. When efforts by the trade ministers of Singapore and New Zealand to reinforce the trans-Pacific nature of regional economic diplomacy failed to attract the principal targets — the United States and Australia — they instead formed an agreement with Chile. On the accession of Brunei, the trilateral agreement became the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPSEP or P4). Later the United States adopted the TPSEP as a convenient instrument for its ‘pivot to Asia’ and the agreement then became the US-led TPP. On US withdrawal, Japan became de facto leader of the remaining 11 TPP members and the CPTPP was the eventual result. What began as an initiative to reinforce trans-Pacific institutions became an element of East Asian economic diplomacy, albeit with some Latin American members. Despite scepticism among some TPP supporters in Wellington that the agreement would persist post-US withdrawal, there was no substantial change in New Zealand policy during the transition from the TPP to the CPTPP. The Ardern government is also demonstrating continuity in New Zealand’s approach to the US–China conflict. New Zealand seeks to be an independent voice, heard only when New Zealand interests are at stake. Official ‘New Zealand interests’ are not always the same as those of local activist groups, and so calls for both stronger support and criticism of the United States are common. The government did issue a national security statement in July 2018 that contains wording suggesting stronger criticism of Chinese actions in the South China Sea than is usual for Wellington. A few months later in November New Zealand security services advised that inclusion of Chinese-company Huawei’s equipment in the country’s communications network would have national security implications. [Allegiance] [Huawei]

• 100% Pure? New Zealand's deteriorating water raises a stink
  Praveen Menon New Zealand’s clean, green image took a beating this summer as tourists traveling through the countryside posted pictures of lakes and rivers off limits due to contamination by farm effluent, garbage and human faeces. FILE PHOTO - A general view of Queenstown September 14, 2011. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/File Photo A booming dairy farming industry, along with a surge in tourists seeking unspoiled natural attractions, has taken its toll on the country’s environment, heavily marketed as ‘100% Pure’. Particularly affected is its vast network of once pristine rivers and lakes, which are now some of the most polluted among OECD countries, according to some experts. About 60 percent of them are unfit for swimming, the Environment Ministry said in a report in 2014. Experts say water quality has deteriorated further since. [Pollution]
• New Zealand’s unusual coalition survives in a febrile world
  28 December 2018 Author: Robert Ayson, Victoria University of Wellington As 2018 began New Zealand did not have an answer to its leading political question: would the coalition government between Jacinda Ardern’s Labour and Winston Peters’ New Zealand First, bracketed by support from the Greens, go the distance? As the year ends we have a positive answer to that query. This unlikely coalition, a marriage of convenience, is on course to serve a standard three-year term. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern sits in a chair as she attends her first cabinet meeting since returning from maternity leave in Wellington, New Zealand, 6 August 2018 (Photo: Reuters/Charlotte Greenfield). This remarkable political experiment has not been without its problems. For example, business confidence has taken a hit. But while the new team has been unable to enjoy the very positive relationship with the private sector that was a hallmark of the John Key–Bill English era, economic growth has remained healthy. And while some of the spending priorities that seek to redistribute wealth and opportunity have come in for criticism, Finance Minister Grant Robertson has insisted on retaining a surplus. This means that some sectors, including teachers, have not been getting quite what they have been bargaining for. The same can’t be said for New Zealand First’s leading ministers and their favoured projects. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Peters is overseeing a big jump in the foreign affairs budget, much of which will be directed to aid spending in the South Pacific.
  The Defence Statement, the closest thing to a foreign policy white paper that New Zealand governments avoid publishing, struggled to find a way of talking directly about Washington’s challenge to the rules-based system. And in an end of year speech in Washington, Peters was positively glowing about the ‘cooperation and like-mindedness’ exhibited by the United States and New Zealand. [Coalition] [Jacinda] [Winston Peters] [US dominance] [Allegiance]

• Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade appointed
  Wednesday, 19 December 2018, 1:13 pm Press Release: State Services Commission State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes today announced the appointment of Chris Seed as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Chief Executive, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. [MFAT]
• NZ Foreign Minister Winston Peters and US Vice-President Mike Pence agreed to pool resources in the Pacific
  18 Dec, 2018 2:27pm By: Jason Walls Jason Walls is a political reporter for the New Zealand Herald jason.walls@nzme.co.nz @Jasonwalls92 New Zealand and the US have agreed to pool resources in a bid to provide "desperately needed" infrastructure to help with economic development in the Pacific. This comes just days after Foreign Minister Winston Peters appealed to the US to do more in the Pacific and to increase its spending in the region. Peters has been in Washington for the last few days meeting with US Vice-President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. Speaking to the Herald from Washington, Peters said the conversation was about "matters of mutual concern to both countries and to the neighbourhood of our countries". On the meeting's agenda was the "geopolitical situation in our part of the world" and how the US and New Zealand could work together with the US to advance the Pacific's interest. One way that both countries would be doing that would be by pooling resources to ensure the funding for the region went a lot further, Peters said. This would come in the form of infrastructure investments which were "desperately needed for the advancement and the development of the Pacific economy", Peters said. "Those were the sorts of things we were saying needed to be talked about and need action as soon as we can assemble the resources to do so." On Saturday, Peters "unashamedly" called on the US to engage more with the Pacific and to provide more aid to the region. [NZ] [Winston Peters] [Allegiance] [China confrontation]
• South Korea is a friend, and we need friends
  Simon Draper05:00, Dec 10 2018 OPINION: It's not every day the President of South Korea visits New Zealand, as he did last week. Indeed, the last time was nearly a decade ago. I shouldn't know this factoid, but I do because of a personal interest. Back in 1992, I was posted to South Korea as the first New Zealand-government designated Korean language trainee. At that time, I had the chance to talk with then-opposition leader Kim Dae-jung, and in the course of that casually invited him to New Zealand. Some years later, I got a harried phone call from the head office of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, asking if it was true I had extended a personal invitation to now-President Kim. It was one of many bumps in my diplomatic career – but also the reason I continue to track Korean presidential visits to New Zealand.
• President Moon’s visit – a lost opportunity
  Thursday, 6 December 2018, 5:33 pm Press Release: NZ DPRK Society
  Whilst we welcome President Moon Jae-in’s recent visit to New Zealand we are disappointed that the Government has failed to make full use of the opportunity to promote peace on the Korean peninsula and between the United States and the DPRK (North Korea).
  It is well known that Moon Jae-in faces considerable opposition from South Korean conservatives and the US establishment in his quest for détente on the peninsula and encouraging the US to live in peace with North Korea. He needs the support of peace-loving peoples and the NZ government had the opportunity to express such support during his visit. More than words were called for. It seems that the opportunity was squandered.
  North Korea has developed a nuclear deterrent as a defence against the threat from the United States and will not relinquish that until the danger is removed. How that might be done is a matter for negotiations between the US and the DPRK. The Singapore Summit was a promising start but no more than that.
  Sanctions have been long regarded by the US government as an important weapon in its armoury by which it can inflict pain and suffering on foreign countries and their people at little cost and no danger to itself.
  Sanctions are ineffective in compelling countries to succumb to US demands but the damage they wreak is substantial. Amongst other things sanctions produce malnutrition and disease which particularly effects the vulnerable, such as the elderly and children. In North Korea some 40 percent of the population suffer distress attributable to sanctions and accompanying measures.
  Sanctions have come to be a touchstone in the current negotiations between the US and the DPRK. North Korea will not believe assurances of peace whilst America conducts economic warfare – sanctions- against it. The continuation of sanctions therefore means that the peace process will remain in impasse.
  It is very regrettable that the NZ government has been reported as telling President Moon that it ‘would not be receptive to any calls to ease sanctions’ and that ‘sanctions would continue to be essential until Pyongyang completely abandons its nuclear program’.
  Last month Moon Jae-in travelled to Europe hoping to get support for the easing of sanctions but was rebuffed by the leaders of Britain and France. It is ironic that New Zealand has joined the ranks of these nuclear powers in blocking movement towards peace.
  Sanctions are not merely a cowardly and inhumane weapon, and one which many consider a war crime. In the present context they also ensure that threat of war on and against the Korean peninsula will continue. It is understandable that some, such as the American military-industrial complex, will welcome this but it is distressing that a government led by Labour party’s Jacinda Ardern follows the same path.
  Tim Beal and Peter Wilson
  • Reposting on Zoom in Korea, US
    
• Open letter re visit of President Moon Jae-in to New Zealand
  Tuesday, 4 December 2018, 5:36 pm Press Release: United Nations Association of New Zealand [Scoop note: The following was sent prior to the to the visit of the South Korean president.] Open letter to PM Ardern and FM Peters re visit of President Moon Jae-in to New Zealand
  The United Nations Association of New Zealand commends the government of New Zealand for inviting President Moon Jae-in to visit New Zealand in December this year and calls for you to use this occasion to give political and practical support for the Korea peace process initiated by President Moon. The Korea peace process provides a unique and historical opening to finally end the Korean War, which was only halted in 1953 by an armistice agreement, and to forge a peaceful, denuclearized and more secure Korean Peninsula. We respectfully urge you to use the occasion of the visit of President Moon to announce New Zealand support for the following measures to support the peace process: [Moon Jae-in]
• NZ has not provided aid to North Korea in 10 years – PM
  4 Dec 2018 New Zealand has not sent any humanitarian aid to North Korea in a decade, because of other crises demanding attention, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. No caption Ms Ardern met with her South Korean counterpart, President Moon Jae-in, in Auckland this morning. The pair discussed a range of issues, including climate change, regional security, trade and the conflict over the Korean Peninsula. Mr Moon is the first South Korean president to visit New Zealand in nine years. Ms Ardern said trade between the two countries was flourishing, thanks to a bilateral free trade deal that came into force in December 2015. They discussed the prospect of South Korea joining the 11-country CPTPP trade deal in the future, to strengthen its strategic and commercial links in the wider Pacific, she said. The prime minister acknowledged Mr Moon's efforts to try to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and establish dialogue with North Korea. New Zealand had consistently urged North Korea to denuclearise, Ms Ardern said. "For our part, we will continue to work with the international community towards peace on the Korean Peninsula by fully implementing United Nations Security Council resolutions." [NZ NK] [US dominance]
• The Rev Dr Stuart Vogel: Kiwis could show leadership on Nth Korean aid
  3 Dec, 2018 5:00am The visit of the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, to New Zealand this week is an opportunity for Kiwis to reflect on our understanding of the Korean Peninsula and our role there. Much of talk has focused on the denuclearisation of the North. The reconciliation process between North and South has also rightly received some attention, although not enough. That is arguably more important. But there is also a forgotten crisis, 6.5 million people in the Democratic Republic of Korea, as North Korea is officially known, suffer from lack of adequate nutrition. One out of five are "stunted" or suffer from the effects of malnutrition. The United Nations Population Fund's 2017 world population report notes the maternity mortality rate is eight times higher in North Korea than in South Korea and increasing. Tuberculosis is a growing problem, but one which would be easily resolved with appropriate drug supplies. [Aid]
• US intelligence officials in Wellington for high-level visit
  3 Dec, 2018 3:18pm By: Derek Cheng derek.cheng@nzherald.co.nz Minister for spy agencies Andrew Little is having a high-level meeting with American security officials in Wellington today, where the decision to block Spark from using Huawei for its 5G network is almost certain to be discussed. A Globemaster C-17 plane was seen at Wellington Airport last night, and a spokeswoman for Little confirmed that American officials were meeting officials from the NZ Security Intelligence Service and the Government Communications Security Bureau. "The plane is transporting security officials who are in New Zealand to meet with their counterparts. These security officials routinely meet with their New Zealand counterparts," the spokeswoman said. She said Little was at the meeting, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was not. "We see these visits as part of regular government to government engagement that helps protect and enhance common interests. National security is a global concern which requires international co-operation and a joint approach." She would not comment on whether Dan Coats, director of national intelligence, was visiting New Zealand. Coats oversees the 16 agencies within the US intelligence community, including the CIA and National Security Agency. Coats' predecessor James Clapper was confirmed to be in New Zealand in 2016 after a Globemaster plane was seen at Wellington Airport. One item almost certain to be raised in today's meeting is the GCSB's decision to block Spark's plans to use Chinese company Huawei for its 5G network, citing security concerns. China's Government has criticised the decision, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang saying there was "serious concern". [Huawei] [US dominance]
• Huawei decision is the price of being in Five Eyes
  30 Nov, 2018 1:09pm Huawei has been blocked from tendering for Spark's 5G build. Photo / File By: Bryce Edwards Bryce Edwards is a lecturer in Politics at Victoria University online-editor@nzherald.co.nz @bryce_edwards John Key was once very candid in explaining the realpolitik reason New Zealand had to send troops to assist the US war on terror: it was simply "the price of the club". He was speaking of the intelligence alliance known as Five Eyes involving the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand. The Labour-led Government is unlikely to be equally upfront that this week's decision to ban the Chinese company Huawei from supplying the infrastructure for the new telecommunications 5G network is also due to New Zealand's membership of the Western allies' club. That reality is clear to political journalist Richard Harman, who says the Huawei ban "was the only one it could have come to. To have let Huawei in would have placed New Zealand at odds with its traditional friends – Australia, the United States and Britain – and offside with the Five Eyes alliance" – see: How the Huawei decision saw the old friends prevail. [Huawei] [US dominance] [Tribute]

• NZ's big call on Huawei - politics best explains 5G 'ban'
  Tom Pullar-strecker12:17, Nov 29 2018 Spark told by GCSB it can’t use Huawei technology to build 5G network because of security risks 1 NEWS The US and Australia have made a similar move over the Chinese company. ANALYSIS The block on Huawei providing 5G technology to Spark may be 90 per cent about geopolitics, and 10 per cent about changes in the technology behind mobile networks. It is not clear yet whether the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) is just concerned about the "potential" for Huawei 5G equipment to be compromised, or had found evidence it is likely to be. But the revelation on Wednesday that it had declined an application by Spark to use 5G equipment from the Chinese telecommunications giant because of a significant network security "risk" suggests the former. 5G technology is designed to allow traffic to be handled with more intelligence at cellphone towers, which could create an extra security headache. JOHN BISSET/STUFF 5G technology is designed to allow traffic to be handled with more intelligence at cellphone towers, which could create an extra security headache. Nor is it clear yet whether the decision necessarily marks the end of the road for Huawei in 5G in New Zealand, although that does seem quite possible. [US dominance] [Huawei]
• New Zealand blocks Huawei over 'significant national security risks'
  Posted : 2018-11-29 13:47 Updated : 2018-11-29 13:47 In this Sept. 26 file photo, a staff member uses a laptop computer at a display for 5G wireless technology from Chinese technology firm Huawei at the PT Expo in Beijing. New Zealand's international spy agency has banned mobile company Spark from using Huawei equipment in its planned 5G upgrade, saying it posed a "significant network security risk." AP By Jung Min-ho New Zealand has become the latest country to block Huawei from supplying technology for a next-generation mobile data network over national security concerns. Spark, one of New Zealand's biggest telecom carriers, said on Wednesday that the Government Communications Security Bureau rejected its proposal to use the Chinese company's equipment in its 5G mobile network towers. The decision comes as many nations are increasingly wary of what they see as a possible Chinese cyber-espionage threat ? an accusation Huawei has denied. Australia, New Zealand's key ally, decided in August to bar the company from taking part in its 5G infrastructure rollout, as did the United States. Many countries, including Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom, are reportedly considering the same move. A Huawei spokesperson in New Zealand said: "We will actively address any concerns and work together to find a way forward." Following the decision, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang expressed serious concern during a press briefing in Beijing, saying the economic cooperation between the two countries is "mutually beneficial in nature." "We hope New Zealand will provide a level playing field for Chinese enterprises' operations there and do something conducive for mutual trust and cooperation," he said. Huawei says its equipment poses no security risks, but experts say governments should be cautious about allowing the company, which allegedly has close ties to the ruling Communist Party, to build and manage the future generation of wireless technology. [Huawei] [US dominance]
• Guyon Espiner: Raising the red flag on China
  9:01 am on 28 November 2018 Analysis - When it comes to tension between the US and China, National and Labour are on the same side. It's the side that, having taken one side on security and the other side on trade, says we haven't taken sides at all. We have the Five Eyes alliance with the US but have no free trade agreement with them. We have the FTA with China but little engagement on security and intelligence. This was always a precarious position requiring some agile diplomatic gymnastics. Now, as US-China relations become strained - National Party leader Simon Bridges calls it a "virtual war" - New Zealand risks a dangerous fall. Rather than scurrying away as the elephants stomp, Trade Minister David Parker wants his country in the middle of the fight, saying New Zealand could be a "bridge" between the two countries. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hasn't been able to fully explain how we might fulfil this role but both she and Mr Parker will be hoping for signs of a ceasefire later this week, as China and the US meet at the G20. With billions of dollars of tariffs fired off in a trade war, Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet in Buenos Aires with the hope of a deal or at least a de-escalation. Despite Mr Parker's heroic talk of bridging the gap between the sparring super powers, it's doubtful that assisting with this is within New Zealand's sphere of influence. It might be more productive for the government to focus on managing the issues directly at play between New Zealand and China. There are plenty of them and they're gaining momentum. A decision is imminent on whether to let Huawei roll out parts of New Zealand's 5G network. The US is putting pressure on its allies to block the Chinese telco, citing security concerns. Or is it just trying to constrain China? Australia has sided with the US. GCSB Minister Andrew Little is going to upset one side whatever his decision. And then there is the very curious case of Anne-Marie Brady. In September last year the Canterbury University academic published her paper Magic Weapons, claiming a campaign of corrupt and covert influence by China in New Zealand. [Allegiance] [Huawei] [Influence] [AMB] [Hysteria] [China confrontation]
• Winston Peters issues dire warning over Chinese spying in New Zealand
  27/11/2018 Scott Palmer He says spying has been "going on for decades". Credits: Newshub Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has issued a new warning over alleged Chinese spying in New Zealand. It comes after a University of Canterbury professor had her home and office broken into a number of times after claiming China has been "undermining the integrity of the New Zealand political system ". National Party MP Jian Yang admits training spies National Party MP Jian Yang refutes 'Chinese spy' claim Winston Peters calls for inquiry into Jian Yang over Chinese spy claims "You'd be terribly naïve to think that New Zealand citizens are not being spied on by foreign powers," Mr Peters told RadioLIVE. "It's been going on for decades but the issue in this case is from whence it's happening." Someone who has been investigated is National Party MP Dr Jian Yang. Dr Yang came under scrutiny after Newsroom alleged he had studied and taught at a spy school before moving to New Zealand. He admitted teaching students English to help them with their spying activities. Mr Peters says he's "concerned" about Mr Yang's alleged activities, which reportedly led to a Security Intelligence Service investigation into his background. "The reality here is that we're being asked to believe that someone who was part of the Chinese secret service has no longer any loyalty to that service," he says. "And I don't hear enough denials, I don't hear statements." Mr Yang has denied ever being a spy and says there was no basis to the allegations against him. "I refute any allegations that question my loyalty to New Zealand," he said in a media statement at the time. "I challenge those who are propagating these defamatory statements to front up and prove them." But Mr Peters says Mr Yang's failure to take legal action over the allegations against him is concerning. "Those allegations are massively defamatory, but no one's suing, are they?" he asks. "If they're not true, they're awfully defamatory, so why has there not been a lawsuit about that matter?" [China confrontation] [Winston Peters] [Espionage] [Hysteria] [McCarthyism] [Diaspora]
• The rise of the Quad
  A year on from the resurrection of the Quad, and the US move to an "Indo-Pacific" strategy, Laura Walters reports on the response from New Zealand and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Analysis: While the world has been focused on the great power rivalry between the United States and China, other countries in the region have continued their rise. [Quad] [China confrontation] [Allegiance] Winston Peters says China expressed concern over defence plan naming it as a threat Henry Cooke17:55, Jul 09 2018 https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/105353744/winston-peters-says-china-expressed-concern-over-defence-plan-naming-it-as-a-threat China expresses concern over NZ's rebooted defence policy Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters says China has expressed concerns to New Zealand ambassadors over defence. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says the Chinese government expressed concern over an official strategy paper which named it as a threat. Defence Minister Ron Mark's rebooted Strategic Defence Policy Statement, released on Friday, explicitly states the threat China and Russia pose to the international community. Peters and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have often been careful not to specifically call out the country when talking about international tensions in the South China Sea or over development spending in the Pacific. [China confrontation] [Allegiance]
• Letter from NZ-DPRK Society to PM Ardern regarding President Mooon's visit
  Rt. Honourable Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister,
  Dear Prime Minister, Your announcement that President Moon is to visit New Zealand early December is a most welcome one.
  That President Moon has chosen to come to New Zealand is of significance. It is also a plea for help.
  Unlike most of his travel, it is of significance that he is not coming to our country for an international event. While he will be conscious of trade issues, his prime reason for visiting New Zealand will be to solicit support for the bold moves he is making in seeking a formal, internationally recognised, Korean peace regime and a nuclear free Peninsula. Since your Coalition Government has come into office our Minister of Foreign Affairs has made statements encouraging talks between the two Koreas. The visit of President Moon gives New Zealand the opportunity to go beyond just words.
  There are many actions that New Zealand could take to support and help President Moon in his mission of peace. We urge your Government to initiate such actions in order to achieve a just peace on the Korean peninsula
  1. In seeking a nuclear free Korea, President Moon is moving into difficult territory. As a recognised global leader in disarmament advocacy, nuclear free Aotearoa is in a strong position to be able to help negotiate a pathway in this fraught arena.
  2. New Zealand should encourage both Koreas to sign the United Nations treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons.
  3. On his recent trip to Europe President Moon energetically canvassed Prime Minister May and President Macron to support his call for the easing of sanctions to facilitate the peace process. It appears that he was unsuccessful but Britain and France are both nuclear weapons states. As a proudly nuclear free state New Zealand should surely take a different position and support President Moon on this matter. Movement on a reduction of sanctions is essential if there is to be progress in negotiations between the USA and the DPRK……….(more) [Moon Jae-in]
• Secrecy debate over Hit & Run inquiry into NZSAS raid in Afghanistan
  21 Nov, 2018 5:00am Fatima, the 3-year-old girl it is alleged was killed during an NZSAS raid which killed five other people and left 15 wounded. By: David Fisher Senior writer, NZ Herald david.fisher@nzherald.co.nz What about Fatima? She is one focus point for lawyer Deborah Manning, amid claim and counterclaim over an NZSAS raid in Afghanistan in 2010. The controversial book Hit & Run claimed the 3-year-old girl was killed during an attack which killed five other people and left 15 wounded. Not true, says the NZ Defence Force. It has maintained nine insurgents were killed, and Hit & Run's claim is an awful slur on those who serve. What of Fatima? Manning asks, how could a 3-year-old be an insurgent? And if she can't be an insurgent, what of the others killed in the raid? [Afghanistan] [SAS] [Civilians]
• President Moon to visit Argentina for G20, Czech, New Zealand
  Nov 20, 2018 By Yoon Sojung President Moon Jae-in will travel to Argentina to attend the G-20 Leaders' Summit, followed by visits to the Czech Republic and New Zealand Nov. 27 to Dec. 8. Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom on Nov. 20 told reporters about the president’s eight-day overseas trip in a media briefing at the Chunchugwan Press Center. “During his eight-day trip, President Moon Jae-in will visit Buenos Aires, Argentina, to attend the G-20 Summit Meeting, and then go to the Czech Republic and New Zealand.,” Kim said. The president will stay in the Czech capital of Prague Nov. 27-28 for a stopover before going to Argentina. He will hold a summit with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in Prague as well as meet ethnic Korean residents and businesspeople there. In Buenos Aires, President Moon will attend the G20 Leaders' Summit scheduled for Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 and hold a series of summits with leaders from participating countries. He will also hold talks with Argentinean President Mauricio Macri, the first bilateral summit between Seoul and Buenos Aires in 14 years, according to spokesman Kim. In his state visit to New Zealand Dec. 2-4, President Moon will hold a summit with Prime Minister Jacinda Arden and meetings with Patsy Reddy, governor-general of New Zealand, and ethnic Korean residents there. [Moon Jae-in]
• Prime Minister welcomes state visit by Korean President Moon Jae-in
  The President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in will visit New Zealand from 2 to 4 December, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “I am very much looking forward to welcoming President Moon to New Zealand,” said Jacinda Ardern. “I met with President Moon on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit and APEC last week and he expressed how much he was looking forward to coming back to New Zealand following visits here in 2006 and 2015. “Our governments have much in common, not just in terms of the international outlook, but also on the domestic policy front where we will be looking to exchange views and experiences. “Our long-standing ties were forged in the Korean War. President Moon’s visit is an opportunity to reaffirm the strength and mutual benefit of the New Zealand-Korea relationship. “Korea is New Zealand’s fifth largest goods trading partner and an important source of high-quality investment. We work together in Antarctica, co-produce films and collaborate on innovative science and technology. New Zealand is also home to a vibrant Korean community, with more Koreans visiting New Zealand every year. “We share a commitment to maintaining peace, prosperity and stability in our region. In particular, New Zealand welcomes the Republic of Korea’s efforts towards resolving the long-standing challenges on the Korean Peninsula.” Jacinda Ardern will be joined by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for the high-level discussions with President Moon. President Moon’s programme also includes a ceremony of welcome and a state lunch hosted by Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy at Government House, a wreath laying ceremony and tour of Auckland War Memorial Museum and an engagement with the Korean community in Auckland. [Moon Jae-in] [ROK NZ]
• South Korean President Moon Jae-in to visit New Zealand
  20/11/2018 Newshub staff The President of the Republic of Korea, President Moon Jae-in, is set to visit New Zealand in December. He'll arrive in the country on December 2, and remain here for two days. South Korean president Moon Jae-in sends sweet message to BTS over first US number one album South, North Korea to prepare joint Olympic bid In a press release sent to media on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was looking forward to welcoming President Moon to New Zealand. "I met with President Moon on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit and APEC last week, and he expressed how much he was looking forward to coming back to New Zealand following visits here in 2006 and 2015. "Our governments have much in common, not just in terms of the international outlook, but also on the domestic policy front where we will be looking to exchange views and experiences." The visit, she hopes, will continue to build the strength and mutual benefit of the relationship the two countries hold. President Moon is also set to be met by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for the high-level discussions. Mr Moon's programme will include a welcome ceremony, a state lunch hosted by Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy at Government House, and a wreath-laying ceremony. He is also set to go on a tour of Auckland War Memorial Museum, and attend an engagement with the Korean community in Auckland. President Moon is the 19th President of South Korea and has been in power since 2017. [Moon Jae-in] [ROK NZ]
• Crackdown on Iranian students in NZ: is US to blame?
  DILEEPA FONSEKA and STEVE KILGALLON18:11, Nov 08 2018 Immigration New Zealand say Donald Trump's hard line on Iran hasn't led to a crackdown on Iranian students here. But Iranian post-graduate students tell a different story, saying it's getting harder to secure visas to study here, and they blame America's anti-Iran rhetoric. INZ, however, say there's been no change to a 12-year policy of extra scrutiny of students from countries with programmes to develop weapons of mass destruction. That means post graduate students with study areas that could have so-called "dual use" potential - that is possible military applications - may be declined visas. US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran deal in August. MANUEL BALCE CENETA/AP US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran deal in August. One Iranian student said planned research work into improving water quality was scuppered by a sudden change of attitude from INZ. "It took [them] nine months to consider my renewal of my student visa, and finally they made these absurd allegations," the student said. The research topic was suggested by his university and would have been conducted in partnership with a Crown Research Institute. The number of Iranian students having visas declined by Immigration NZ almost doubled last year. [Subservience] [US domination] [Iran confrontation]
• Korean food and hallyu, or the "Korean wave," have taken the center stage worldwide.
  More and more people have wanted to live Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) while pursuing a better quality of life; Korea food has been introduced to them as healthy food also acting as the vanguard of hallyu. Korean fermented food, known as an iconic healthy food, has been at the center of the world’s attention and the subject of research of many food experts. Auckland is one of the biggest tourism cities in New Zealand, which is known as a mecca of tourism, and one of the world’s best countries to live in. In Auckland, the Korean Food Globalisation Committee of Auckland has introduced and promoted Korean food and its healthy aspects to local people and tourists hoping that they enjoy Korean foods and introduce them to their friends and families back home. [Hallyu] [Diaspora]
• University Consortium of Maritime Silk Road launched
  Victoria University of Wellington is the only New Zealand university in the new University Consortium of Maritime Silk Road, which recently launched in Xiamen. 25 October 2018 Maritime silk road The University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Guilford gave a keynote address at the launch event, attended by more than 60 other universities from 17 countries and regions. The Consortium was initiated by Xiamen University, one of Victoria University of Wellington’s partners, with the aim of improving collaboration between Consortium members. During the inaugural ceremony, members called for deeper cooperation in higher education and scientific research, shared educational resources, and the promotion of cultural exchanges. Members of the Consortium include universities from the United States, Australia, Asia, Europe and the United Kingdom. Xiamen University is located in an important port city along the Maritime Silk Road. The Maritime Silk Road is the maritime arm of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and seeks to build economic connectivity, promote development, and improve economic relations between maritime nations and China. Victoria University of Wellington has a longstanding relationship with Xiamen University, building on the sister city relationship between Wellington and Xiamen established in 1987 and the highly successful Confucius Institute opened in 2010 by then Vice-President Xi Jinping. [Xiamen] [VUW] [Belt & Road]

• Ardern's first year: New Zealand grapples with hangover from Jacindamania
  In her first speech, the PM hailed a new beginning but 12 months later transformative change is yet to be seen Eleanor Ainge Roy Eleanor Ainge Roy in Dunedin @EleanorAingeRoy Sun 21 Oct 2018 11.42 BST “We believe capitalism must regain its human face, and that conviction deeply influenced our decision.” So said Winston Peters, the kingmaker politician who lent his support a year ago to Labour’s rising star, Jacinda Ardern, after a decade of conservative National party government. “For too many New Zealanders capitalism has not been their friend but their foe,” he said. Peters’ choice thrust the then 37-year-old into the spotlight, sparked the “Jacindamania” phenomenon, and set the clock ticking as voters awaited the dramatic change her party had promised. Ending child poverty. Bringing kindness and empathy to politics. Tackling climate change and improving the lives of New Zealand’s most vulnerable people. The ambitious pledges kept coming. [Jacinda]
• Academic warns against interference after National revelations
  1:03 pm today An academic who specialises in studying China's political influence in New Zealand says politicians need to upskill to prevent foreign government interference. No caption Photo: Wilson Centre It's been revealed that in a phone conversation National's leader, Simon Bridges, and the former MP Jami-Lee Ross discussed a relation of a wealthy Chinese businessman going through candidacy school. The businessman has been at the centre of claims of a $100,000 donation to the party. ? "One of the things we need to do in New Zealand is to start to see China the way it really is" - University of Canterbury professor Anne-Marie Brady duration 8'?:44? from Morning Report| "One of the things we need to do in New Zealand is to start to see China the way it really is" - University of Canterbury professor Anne-Marie Brady University of Canterbury professor Anne-Marie Brady told Morning Report politicians needed to look deeper into the connections of donors. "The real threat that I'm paying attention to in this story is the failure of our political parties to prevent foreign government interference into our democratic political processes. "The matters we need to look into is the connection of some of these donors, not all of them... to the Chinese party state. The Chinese Communist Party is an elite party and they have a tactic, which was set by Lenin... and it's called the United Front. It's a way to influence non-party members and in the case of foreign policy, foreigners." Prof Brady said New Zealand politicians should be wary of the intentions behind any donations. [China confrontation] [Hysteria] [AMB] [Yellow Peril]
• Celebrating 4th October 2007 Korean Summit [between Kim Jong Il and Roh Moo-hyun]
  Wednesday, 3 October 2018, 11:04 am Press Release: NZ DPRK Society Eleven years ago hopes for peace on the Korean Peninsula were at an all time high. After their 4th October 2007 summit meeting, Chairman Kim Jong Il and President Roh Moo-hyun jointly signed a Declaration on the Advancement of South-North Korean Relations, Peace and Prosperity. The declaration, amongst other matters, agreed that the two Koreas would: • resolve the issue of unification on their own initiative and according to the spirit of “by-the-Korean-people-themselves;” • firmly transform inter-Korean relations into ties of mutual respect and trust, transcending the differences in ideology and systems; • closely work together to put an end to military hostilities, mitigate tensions and guarantee peace on the Korean Peninsula; • oppose war on the Korean Peninsula and to adhere strictly to their obligation to nonaggression; • recognize the need to end the current armistice regime and build a permanent peace regime; • facilitate, expand, and further develop inter-Korean economic cooperation projects on a continual basis for balanced economic development and co-prosperity on the Korean Peninsula in accordance with the principles of common interests, co-prosperity and mutual aid. Unfortunately President Roh’s two successors rejected these resolutions. Instead of working towards a unified peace, they actively worked towards the breaking down of all cooperation between the two Koreas. This policy was not in the best interest of the Korean nation, nor was it conducive to a regional peace. The NZ DPRK Society applauds the bold moves now being taken by Chairman Kim Jong Un and President Moon Jae In to reinstate the resolutions agreed upon in the October 4 2007 Declaration.. In doing so the two leaders are giving expression to the Korean people’s heartfelt desire for peace and re-unification. We call on the United States and other countries including New Zealand to unreservedly support this autonomous peace process. [Joint Korean] [Roh-Kim summit]
• New Zealand can now fine travellers who refuse to unlock their digital devices for a search
  Updated 5 Oct 2018, 1:34am Travellers entering New Zealand who refuse to disclose passwords for their digital devices during forced searches could face prosecution and fines of up to $NZ5,000, in a move border officials say could be a world first. Key points: Anyone who refuses to open a device can face prosecution and a fine of up to $NZ5,000 ($4,581) Customs said it was not aware of any other country being able to impose penalties for not opening a device The NZ Council for Civil Liberties described the new law as a "grave invasion of personal privacy" Under the Customs and Excise Act 2018, which came into force this week, officials are able to demand travellers unlock any electronic device so it can be searched. Anyone who refuses can face prosecution and a hefty fine. The law also gives agents the authority to copy any data on searched devices. "The travelling public is unlikely to notice much difference at the border," the New Zealand Government said in a press release. [Surveillance]
• New Zealand's disarmament statements
  Statements by NZ disarmament representatives: on lethal autonomous weapon systems ? Campaign to Stop Killer Robots on nuclear weapons ? iCAN Aotearoa New Zealand on other disarmament topics ? please scroll down this page UNGA73 First Committee, 8 October to 9 November 2018 ? New Zealand statements General Debate, Statement by H.E. Dell Higgie, Ambassador for Disarmament, 10 October 2018
  • Statement by H.E Dell Higgie Ambassador for Disarmament & Permanent Representative to the CD UNGA73: First Committee
    10 October 201 8
    Mr Chair, The New Zealand Delegation extends its best wishes to you, Ambassador Ioan Jinga, as you guide the First Committee of UNGA 73 through its survey of the year’s developments in multilateral disarmament and international security. There are indeed some posi tives to be logged on this year’s balance sheet – and there are some encouraging signs that this might be the case with regard to developments on the Korean Peninsula. Overall, however, it is difficult to be optimistic, including in the face of ongoing co nflicts in a number of regions and significant breaches of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Multilateral endeavours in a range of contexts are under threat. Of particular concern to this Committee must be the fact that there seems now to be much les s attachment to the letter, as well as the spirit, of past disarmament and non - proliferation undertakings
• Major upgrade of Wellington rail network to improve reliability and increase capacity
  Luisa Girao and Damian George20:07, Oct 09 2018 The Wairarapa rail line will get a long-awaited upgrade as part of an almost $200m investment in Wellington's rail network. (File photo) Wellingtonians can look forward to new, longer trains that are more reliable thanks to an almost $200 million investment package. Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced on Tuesday the New Zealand Transport Agency would pump $193m into the region's rail network to upgrade ageing tracks and infrastructure, and increase safety. It means commuters on the troubled Wairarapa line will get a new track within five years, as part of a $96m upgrade which also includes double-tracking the busy section between Trentham and Upper Hutt.[Railways] [Wairarapa]
• An Old or a New Dawn? Questions Hang Over New Zealand’s Defence Policy Statement
  3/9/2018 Author Terence O'Brien ?The Ardern coalition government has chosen an awkward moment internationally to release its first big picture view on world affairs. The primary purpose of its 2018 Strategic Defence Policy (SDP) Statement is to demonstrate why NZ requires a suite of identified military capabilities. Although the envisaged costs are considerable, the statement presents a solid case for equipping NZ first and foremost for credible stewardship and protection of its ‘near abroad,’ from Antarctica to the Equator. The presentation is clear and concise. [Allegiance] [Arms sales] [Military expenditure]

• Attending the DPRK 70th Founding Anniversary Celebrations
  Peter Wilson, Secretary, NZ DPRK Society. 24 September 2018
  Six Kiwis and eight Australians attended the DPRK 70 th Founding Celebrations which took place 7th-11th September 2018 inclusive in Pyongyang. Referred to as the Oceania Delegation, the group stayed on in country an extra three days in order to sightsee, visit the DMZ, the Joint NZ/Australian Friendship Farm and the NZ Friendship School. A total of 2,000 foreign delegates were in Pyongyang for the celebratory events. Of these some 250 (including the Oceania Delegation) were looked after by the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. The remaining 750 were looked after by numerous other sponsoring agencies. .... Reflections on Returning Home Members of the Oceania Delegation returned home with positive impressions of life in the DPRK. Living for a week amongst friendly, proud, peaceful people, experiencing their rich culture and observing their very normal everyday lives was an uplifting experience for all. Over what is now a fifty year period of active involvement in Asia, I have always been impressed, indeed proud, of New Zealand’s common-sense diplomatic efforts in the region under the successively named Department of External Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of External Relations and Trade and now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Strangely however, this common sense approach to policy has not been applied to the DPRK. Since January 1972 when they suggested an inter-Korean Peace Treaty, the DPRK has been seeking peace. Since March 1981 with the proposed establishment of a Non- nuclear Peace Zone the DPRK has been consistently advocating a nuclear-weapons free zone in N.E. Asia. New Zealand should have been actively encouraging and working with the DPRK on both of these issues. Instead, inexplicably, Wellington has in recent years adopted a belligerent policy supporting diplomatic isolation and grossly inhumane sanctions, a most unfortunate miss-step - doubly so now, given the current climate of rapprochement created by the Panmunjom, Singapore and Pyongyang Summits. How have our politicians and MFAT people have got it so wrong? [DPRK70] [NZ DPRK]
• Don't Waste Kiwi Tax Dollars on War Planes!
  New Zealand House of Representatives Boeing P-8A Poseidon war planes. The P8 aircraft is designed for military operations, signaling a troubling shift in foreign policy. The planes, optimised for anti-submarine warfare, will be outfitted with surveillance systems, communications platforms, and weapons targeting, all geared to work in tandem with the American and Australian P-8s. The scheduled purchase of four planes signals an even closer military alignment with the United States, and reflects badly on New Zealand's non-aligned status. The $2.3 billion to be spent on the P-8s could be saved for much needed social spending, such as increasing wages for teachers and nurses, building houses, and fixing our healthcare system. Sign the petition to tell the House of Representatives to block the purchase of the P-8 war planes! [Allegiance] [Arms sales] [Subservience]
  • Why the new Defence purchases deserve close scrutiny
    Guyon Espiner | Guest writer Monday’s announcement that the government would be spending billions on surveillance planes was in stark contrast to the nurses’ placards, writes Guyon Espiner for RNZ. It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber’ – so goes the peace slogan featured on banners, posters and placards down the decades. Given the power of such comparisons the timing was unfortunate. On the day the government announced it would spend $2.3 billion on four US-made, sub-hunting surveillance planes, thousands of public servants were striking for more pay. The next day nurses vowed strike action and teachers too are threatening to down the chalk. Of course, if you took an ‘either or’ approach to government spending all manner of things would wither. Up against health, education and child poverty how do ballet, public radio and performance sport stack up? But this Defence purchase does require close scrutiny. It is big money – about the same amount spent so far on all Treaty of Waitangi settlements. And also because it, and the Strategic Defence Policy Statement 2018 which underpins it, says a lot about where we are going with defence policy – and who we are going there with. A pivot back to old allies Green voters, and perhaps Labour ones too, might not have expected a tilt towards the US and the Five Eyes alliance under the new government. But with the release of the defence strategy last week and the purchase of the P8s this week, that is what they have got. [Allegiance] [Arms sales] [Subservience]
• Trekking on sacred Paektusan highlands
  By Joel Lee Published : Sept 20, 2018 - 18:20 Updated : Sept 20, 2018 - 21:52 During a trekking tour of North Korea’s Paektusan highlands in August, Roger Shepherd and his team of international travelers hobnobbed with North Korean guides -- hiking, pitching tents, making campfires, cooking and eating together. Two Australian women and two Norwegian men traveled with Shepherd, a Kiwi professional hiker and travel writer, on their maiden trip to the Korean Peninsula’s tallest mountain, 2,750 meters above sea level, considered the sacred cradle of the Korean people since time immemorial. [Roger Shepherd] [Paektusan] [Trekking]
• Rethinking how New Zealand spends its overseas aid
  On the “Pacific Reset” trip, the new Government’s aim was to build relationships with Pacific leaders. This story was originally published on Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission. The news in May of a nearly billion-dollar boost boost to New Zealand's foreign affairs budget resulted in a predictably polarised response along political lines. The Government, led by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, hailed the decision as an essential increase after years of neglect, while the National opposition accused it of "putting diplomats ahead of doctors". The largest piece of the package was $714.2 million over four years to increase New Zealand's official development assistance (ODA) budget, money which would lift out spending as a proportion of gross national income (GNI) from 0.23 per cent to 0.28 per cent. It transpired the decision came despite Treasury officials recommending an "informed assessment" of where and how any extra assistance should be spent before the cash was handed over. [Aid] [Pacific] [Winston Peters] [China]
• Cabinet to decide soon whether Iraq deployment should continue
  Jane Patterson, Political Editor @janepatterson jane.patterson@radionz.co.nz A decision on whether New Zealand troops should stay in Iraq is imminent, with the Defence Force training mission due to end in November. Photo: Pool Picture Defence Minister Ron Mark said Cabinet had to be convinced it continued to be in New Zealand's interests and was sustainable, given this country's sizeable commitments elsewhere. One option could include a phasing out of the programme, over time. [Iraq] [Tribute]
• Australia, New Zealand deploy aircraft to Japan to help enforce North Korea sanctions
  WELLINGTON/SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia and New Zealand said on Friday their governments were deploying three maritime patrol aircraft to Japan to assist with efforts to enforce United Nations sanctions against North Korea. Australia will add two AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft to conduct maritime surveillance to an existing aircraft deployed earlier in the year, Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said in a statement. New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said his government was deploying an Air Force P-3K2 plane to carry out patrols of international waters in North Asia for signs of vessels undertaking activities that break U.N. sanctions against North Korea, including ship-to-ship transfers. “We welcome the recent dialogue North Korea has had with the United States and South Korea. However, until such time as North Korea abides by its international obligations, full implementation of the United Nations Security Council sanctions resolutions will be essential,” Peters said. The aircraft would be based at Kadena Air Base in Japan, he added. The United States has been pressuring North Korea via sanctions to give up its nuclear weapons program and in August penalized two Russian shipping companies and six vessels it said were involved in the transfer of refined petroleum products to North Korean vessels in violation of UN restrictions. The United States and North Korea are involved in talks intended to ease tensions between them, and U.S. President Donald Trump met with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un in June. Since then relations have cooled and a planned visit by the top U.S. diplomat to North Korea was scrapped last week because Trump said insufficient progress toward denuclearization had been made. The move by Australia was a “continuation” of the country’s “strong stand to deter and disrupt illicit trade and sanctions evasion activities by North Korea and its associated networks,” Pyne said. [NZ] [Sanctions] [Subservience] [Complicity]
• Billionaires Plan Escape From Apocalypse
  by Robert Hunziker September 7, 2018 Well, the harsh truth about the integrity and fortitude of billionaires is finally out in the open for all to see, and the results are repugnant: Billionaires are gutless, chicken-hearted cowards. The proof is found in the pudding as several Silicon Valley billionaires purchase massive underground bunkers built in Murchison, Texas shipped to New Zealand, where the bunkers are buried in secret underground nests. [Peter Thiel] [Corruption]
• Political Roundup: The vastly different perspectives on the Government
  3 Sep, 2018 2:11pm By: Bryce Edwards Bryce Edwards is a lecturer in Politics at Victoria University What a contrast there is at the moment between international media coverage of Jacinda Ardern and the heat being applied by local media over her handling of current government problems. In the weekend, the British Guardian newspaper published a glowing feature story on New Zealand's Prime Minister by Eleanor Ainge Roy – see: Meeting Jacinda Ardern: 'She makes the extraordinary seem ordinary'. Here's how the article opens: "The last time I interviewed Jacinda Ardern, she was in between breastfeeds, had just launched a plastic bag ban, negotiated an end to a strike by nurses and announced a new mental health hospital for acute patients. But, as usual, the prime minister of New Zealand was warm, frank and engaging." [Jacinda] [Media]
• We need to reset attitudes as well as policies towards the Pacific
  23 Aug, 2018 5:00am NZ Herald By: Gerald McGhie Current changes in the South Pacific make the Government's Pacific policy reset imperative. But what is required also is a change of mind-set. It is time for New Zealand to start working within the Pacific style of collective collaboration and respect for Polynesian traditions. In his challenging book Island Time, Damon Salesa says New Zealand has yet to come fully to grips with its place in the Pacific and to acknowledge the critical work its Pacific people do to make it finally at home in the area. He also says foreign policy is the last frontier of government in which the Treaty of Waitangi has yet to underpin fundamental change. Josie Pagani of the Council for International Development has also referred to the value of New Zealand's Pacific diaspora…..
  There is now a new player in the Pacific which is making a significant mark. Since 2006 China has rapidly expanded both its commercial ties and aid programme to the South Pacific micro-states. Between 2006 and 2016, Beijing committed more than $1.76 billion to 8 Pacific countries. However, in the same period aid from traditional donors, which of course includes New Zealand and Australia, totalled more than $9 billion. But there is a critical distinction between Chinese and traditional aid. Beijing usually favours providing low interest concessional loans for large infrastructure projects. Other donors typically provide one-way grants that do not need to be paid back. They also engage in projects, not always successfully, ranging from humanitarian assistance to institutional support. Questions have always been raised about aid programme effectiveness. Some time ago, Julie Bishop, Australian Foreign Minister, expressed the need for a new narrative that provides for a shared vision of the Pacific. Culture and ideas in addition to other forms of soft power, she said, have a role in promoting the goodwill and support needed to "cement Australia's role in the Pacific". For Australia, read New Zealand. • Gerald McGhie is a former High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea with many years of experience in the Pacific. His recent book Balancing Acts devotes a chapter to Pacific [NZ Pacific] [Softpower] [China confrontation]
• India in Asia’s New Geopolitics
  Mr Shivshankar Menon
  Public Lecture [India] [Asian geopolitics]

• National Party says Chelsea Manning should not be allowed in New Zealand
  The National Party says the Government should refuse to allow US whistleblower Chelsea Manning to visit New Zealand for a speaking tour. "She is a convicted felon. Ordinary rules should apply, there shouldn't be special treatment," says National Party leader Simon Bridges. Ms Manning, a former US Army intelligence analyst, was found guilty of espionage and theft and sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking military files to Wikileaks. Her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama and she was released from prison in May 2017 after a tumultuous seven years behind bars which included two suicide attempts and a hunger strike. She plans to speak about her time in prison, privacy, transgender issues and Wikileaks. But Mr Bridges says while he believes in free speech, National believes she should not be allowed into New Zealand. "I'm all for free speech. I think that everyone should be allowed to come and speak in New Zealand. The issue here though is that Chelsea Manning has a conviction and ordinary rules should be applied there," he told Newshub. [Whistleblower] [Spin] [Subservience]
• Banning foreigners: wasted policy effort
  4:28 pm on 17 August 2018 By Shamubeel Eaqub* Opinion - The law curbing foreign purchases of existing New Zealand homes is rushed policy-making and is likely to have an imperceptible impact on the housing crisis. The Overseas Investment Amendment Bill which passed on Wednesday stops buyers from overseas countries purchasing existing homes. The ban will reduce some competition for local home buyers, but the relief will likely be imperceptible. With this policy, New Zealand, sadly, joins a wider global trend towards insularism and rushed, rather than deliberative and evidence-based, policy making. The new government made it a priority to ban foreigners from buying homes. The policy has been put together quickly, which has diverted policy resource from other measures that I believe would actually make a big impact on the housing crisis: like an ambitious state house building programme and urgent regulatory reform agenda. Foreigners no doubt add to demand for housing, both for houses to live in, and in the investment market. But unless foreign buyers are leaving homes empty, who the homes are owned by makes little difference to our shortage of homes. [Housing] [Protectionism]
• US stance on Iran won't apply to NZ - David Parker
  9:00 pm today Patrick O'Meara, Economics Correspondent The government is confident the United States' tough stance on all firms doing business with Iran will not apply to New Zealand. US President Donald Trump gestures as he addresses a press conference on the second day of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Brussels. US president Donald Trump. Photo: AFP or licensors Having re-imposed sanctions against Iran, US president Donald Trump tweeted that other nations should follow his lead, warning that any country doing business with Iran would not do business with the US. Trade Minister David Parker said agricultural exporters should escape punishment, as US guidelines set out in 2013 exempted food from the sanctions. "His (Trump) tweet was released contemporaneously with their more detailed policy. [Iran confrontation] [Sanctions] [Wishful thinking]
• Plum spot for resthome
  9:30 AM Saturday Jun 30, 2018 Plum spot for resthome Murphy’s Orchard on Reading St, Greytown, has been bought by developers to turn into a resthome. PHOTOS/JADE CVETKOV Orchard sold for retirement village HAYLEY GASTMEIER hayley.gastmeier@age.co.nz One of Greytown’s last remaining orchards is destined to become a retirement village. Murphy’s Orchard, one of the few still operating in the town, has been sold. Developer Craig Percy said the intention was to build a “world class” retirement community, known as ‘The Orchards at Greytown’, on the Reading St site. As part of the project, the well-known row of tall pines fronting the orchard will get the chop. A number of the orchard trees, however, are expected to remain on the site, which is directly across from Greytown School. Percy said the facility would include a mixture of accommodation options, with independent villas, serviced apartments, as well as a rest home hospital and dementia care facility. “It’s very exciting, but obviously there’s a lot subject to planning, consents, council approval, local submissions, and working closely with the wider local community.” The development was in its “real early stages”, with construction anticipated to get under way in late 2019. The project would be a joint venture partnership between Percy, a retirement village operator, and Tumu Group. “We are still working on our concepts and a part of this will be developed through community engagement,” Percy said. “We respect that Greytown is a very sophisticated, close-knit community, and we want to work very closely with it.” The orchard was bought by the Murphy family in 1979. Back then it was a berry farm, and before that, a market garden. When Heather and Andrew Murphy took over, they converted it into what it is today, a stone fruit orchard. Heather Murphy said her husband had grown up on the site, where his parents worked as the managers for 38 years. She and her husband were nearing retirement age, and it was time for a change.
• Foreign Minister Winston Peters wraps up Singapore visit for regional and bilateral talks
  5 Aug, 2018 2:26pm By: Lucy Bennett Political Reporter, NZ Herald lucy.bennett@nzherald.co.nz @lucybennett99 Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters is on his way back to New Zealand after talks with his Asia-Pacific counterparts, and a meeting with United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Peters left New Zealand overnight on Wednesday following the end of his stint as acting Prime Minister to take part in the East Asia Summit ministers meeting, the Asean regional forum and the Southwest Pacific Dialogue in Singapore. "These meetings were an opportunity for all countries in the region to discuss the big issues confronting the Asia Pacific region, including North Korea, recent developments in the South China Sea, developments in Myanmar, and the importance of ensuring that trade disputes are managed in accordance with existing international rules," Peters said in a statement before his return. "I had an excellent discussion with Secretary of State Pompeo covering a wide range of issues including recent developments on the Korean Peninsula, and issues of mutual interest in the bilateral relationship," he said. He did not expand on what those issues of mutual interest are. Peters also met the foreign ministers of Singapore, North Korea, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor, Cambodia, Iran, the Philippines, and Turkey. "I had wide-ranging discussions with my Singaporean counterpart, and reviewed the strong progress officials were making on the negotiation for an enhanced partnership. "I was also pleased to meet with my North Korean counterpart Ri Yong Ho,and to have a useful exchange of views on recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and future prospects," Peters said. [China confrontation] [ASEAN] [Investment]
• Why deleting Victoria from the name of Wellington’s university is a terrible idea
  André Brett | Guest writer To grasp why the push to change has caused such a fuss, and to appreciate why it’s so muddle-minded, we need to consider how the university got its name, and what names mean to the university community, writes André Brett Universities are funny things. They have evolved from rarefied campuses of privileged elites into mass educators, research pioneers, creative spaces, activist hubs, and many things besides. And for each university, a few well-chosen words convey great meaning: their name. Victoria University of Wellington – VUW to take the formal abbreviation, Vic for the locals – has found itself at the centre of a storm after its council made the draft decision to drop “Victoria” from the name. To understand why this has caused such a fuss, and to appreciate why it’s such a dreadful idea, it is necessary to address two things: how the university got its name, and what names mean to the university community.

• New Zealand – The ebb & flow of History
  Hugh O’Neill Large crowds turned out in both Auckland and Wellington in early 1940 to welcome home the crew of HMS Achilles after its return to New Zealand following the Battle of the River Plate. This photograph was taken as the ship’s officers and crew marched along Lambton Quay on 2 April. Image source. There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat.” Julius Caesar, Act iv, Scene iii After Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, the British Empire had few rivals in the first half of the 19th Century, but when Britain allied with France in the Crimean War against Russia, they realised that wooden ships were no match for French iron ships. The Industrial Revolution was spreading and other empires were rising: Russia, Japan, America, France and Germany all wished to join the global game of chess. Russophobia thrived in NZ since the Crimean War, encouraged by newspapers e.g. Daily Southern Cross whose 1873 ‘hoax’ report of Russian ship “Kaskowiski” invading Auckland caused panic. When the Russian Empire did collide with the British in Northern Afghanistan (Pandjeh Incident 1884), the NZ public demanded protection in the form of coastal batteries, torpedo boats and militia training, all at huge taxpayer cost. The money wasted on these useless defences ought to be a stark warning to current ‘defence strategy’ but since when did common sense (or decency) ever penetrate paranoia, or the self-interests of the military industrial complex? Japan meanwhile, was provoked from 250 years of self-imposed isolation from European barbarians by the threat of destruction by US Navy under Admiral Perry in 1853 (during the Crimean War). This existential threat eventually led to the 1869 Meiji Restoration and Japan’s Imperial ambitions. So successful was Japan’s jump from mediaeval to modern, that she defeated the Russian Imperial Navy in 1905 at the Battle of Tsushima. (Russia, with Germany and France had opposed Japan’s acquisition of Manchuria, whilst the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902 was designed to counter Russian expansion). Meanwhile, sharp operators like W.H. White (1845-1913), a salaried British Admiralty constructor, was secretly earning royalties on British-built warships he sold to both Japan and China, personally stoking suspicions between them to increase his sales revenue. “Plus ca change, plus la meme chose”. He was knighted for his services to his country. [NZ] [Imperialism] [Subservience] [Russia confrontation] [MISCOM]
• Maggot-infested scalps and rotting teeth - medical impact of New Zealand's shocking child poverty problem revealed
  20/07/2018 Newshub staff Maggot-infest scalps and pre-schoolers with rotting teeth are among some of the conditions, Dr Jeff Brown has seen. Maggot-infest scalps and pre-schoolers with rotting teeth are among some of the conditions, Dr Jeff Brown has seen. Photo credit: Getty Three paediatricians have revealed the shocking health effects poverty is having on Kiwi kids. The effects they have seen on the front line dealing with children were published in July's issue of The Specialist, by the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. Maggot-infested scalps and pre-schoolers with rotting teeth are among some conditions, Dr Jeff Brown from the Mid-Centre District Health Board has seen. "I see coughing and wheezing kids from damp and cold houses. I see rotting teeth when I lift the lip of preschoolers, if they have not already had a full dental clearance of all their carried teeth," he said. "I see matted hair on maggot-infested scalps needing general anaesthetics just to clean and shave." He says he sees rheumatic fever and bronchiectasis, which he describes as 'third world' diseases from overcrowding. [Poverty] [Inequality]
• New Zealand buys US anti-sub jets, irks China with policy shift
  Beijing urges island nation to ‘correct its wrong words and deeds’ after new strategy paper released By Asia Times staff July 11, 2018 The release of a new defense strategy paper by New Zealand, marking a shift towards greater coordination with the US and Australia on security issues, prompted a stern response from Beijing on Monday. While Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have made efforts to steer clear of criticizing China by name when discussing territory disputes in the South China Sea, the new defense statement does so explicitly. In addition to China, the paper also singles out Russia as representing a threat to the international community, according to a report in New Zealand news website Stuff. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in response to the statement that China “urges New Zealand to correctly view the relevant issues, correct its wrong words and actions, and do more things that are beneficial to the mutual trust and cooperation between the two countries.” “China’s construction on its own territory in the South China Sea is completely appropriate and legal,” Hua added. “No one has a right to thoughtlessly levy criticisms.” Meanwhile, it was reported this week that New Zealand announced a US$1.6 billion purchase of US-made maritime patrol aircraft. The deal includes four Boeing P-8A Poseidon planes, which are used to conduct anti-submarine warfare as well as in intelligence gathering. The purchase “strengthens the coalition Government’s Pacific Reset by providing a maritime patrol capability with the significant range and endurance needed to assist our partners in the region,” a statement from New Zealand Defense Minister Ron Mark said, per CNN. [Allegiance] [China confrontation] [Tribute]

• No need for New Zealand to take sides in US-China trade war
  27 Jun, 2018 5:00am 5 minutes to read By: David Mahon and Charlie Gao New Zealand is a spectator of the "trade war" threatened between the United States and China. New Zealand's economy is secure in the short term, but if the dispute escalates, the general diminution of global commerce and confidence will impact New Zealand. New Zealand need not stand at either nation's side, but rather by the principles of free and fair trade, and by the institutions that support the rule of law upon which the global economy depends. Only these can be New Zealand's enduring allies. [China] [Trade war] [Allegiance]
• Hope for return of Kiwi sailor's remains in North Korea
  There is new hope the body of a New Zealander killed in the Korean war could be coming home after spending more than 60 years in North Korea. Ron Mark said if Kim Jong-un repatriation promise extends to New Zealand, it will take a close look. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King Robert Edward Marchioni, an able seaman in the navy, died during a raid in Sogon-ni in 1951 and his fellow sailors were not able to recover his body. His final resting place is still unknown. At the Singapore summit on Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promised US President Donald Trump to repatriate the many servicemen who died during the conflict between 1950 and 1953. There are still more than 8000 American soldiers unaccounted for but it is not yet known if that will extend to all the countries that fought in the war. Minister for Veterans Ron Mark said if it does, New Zealand will want to take a close look in finding Mr Marchioni's grave. While Mr Mark was a MP in Christchurch, Mr Marchioni's brother, Tony asked Mr Mark for help to find the seaman's final resting place. Thirty-two other New Zealanders lost their lives during the Korean war. [Korean War] [MIA]

• Letter to Ambassadors re Fourth Korea Summit
  Monday, 28 May 2018, 10:19 am Press Release: NZ DPRK Society Letter to Ambassadors re Fourth South Korea - North Korea Summit New Zealand-Democratic People's Republic of Korea Society 28th May 2018. His Excellency An Kwang-il, Ambassador Designate of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to New Zealand, Jakarta. His Excellency Yeo Seung-bae, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to New Zealand, Wellington. Excellencies, Given the confusion and conflicting messages coming forth from the President Donald Trump administration, the NZ DPRK Society applauds the commitment of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and President Moon Jae-in to the Panmunjom Declaration which “affirmed the principle of determining the destiny of the Korean nation on their own accord”. This has long been the wish of the Korean people, as was articulated in the July 4 1972 South-North Joint Communiqué: “First, unification shall be achieved independently, without depending on foreign powers and without foreign interference. Second, unification shall be achieved through peaceful means, without resorting to the use of force against each other”. The historic north-south summit held last weekend is a potent symbol of national reconciliation and unity, peace and prosperity providing all Koreans with a new hope and vitality. Sincerely, Tim Beal Chairman Peter Wilson, Secretary [Summit18b]
• Government appoints 11-strong advisory panel to overhaul welfare system
  Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni has unveiled the advisory panel tasked with overhauling the welfare system. CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni has unveiled the advisory panel tasked with overhauling the welfare system. The Government has announced a mammoth 11-person panel to advise on the overhaul of the welfare system, made up of academics, social advocates, economists and business leaders. Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said the group would undertake a "broad-ranging" review of the welfare system. "It will deliver advice to the Government on ways to ensure people have an adequate income and standard of living, are treated with respect, can live in dignity, and are able to participate meaningfully in their communities." The overhaul of the system was promised as part of Labour's Confidence and Supply agreement with the Green Party. Sepuloni said a welfare overhaul was "unreservedly supported" by all of Government, pointing to NZ First. READ MORE: * Welfare overhaul working group details emerge online * Work for welfare could transform New Zealand * It's time to fix New Zealand's broken benefit system The Green's campaigned on removing nearly all sanctions and rules around receiving a benefit, however entered the campaign without the policy's champion Metiria Turei, after she was forced to resign over mounting pressure following an admission of historical benefit fraud. NZN VIDEO Fraud investigator contacts Metiria Turei after she revealed she lied to Work and Income about her living arrangements in order to receive a higher welfare payment than she was entitled to when she was a young solo mother in the 1990s. Sepuloni confirmed the group would be taking a special look at the sanctions brought in by the previous Government, as part of a system-wide overhaul in 2012. "Areas that the Welfare Expert Advisory Group has been asked to focus on range from considering the overall purpose of the system, through to specific recommendations on the current obligations and sanctions regime." Auckland University professor Cindy Kiro will lead the group as chair, said Sepuloni. "Her relentless focus on building on the potential in people reflects the principles of this government." Kiro's current focus of research is in the education sector. She is a former Children's Commissioner, and established the Taskforce for Action on Family Violence under the previous Government. Ad Feedback That was the largest ever response to family violence and included 22 government department chief executives, the Chief District Court Judge, NZ Police Commissioner, Principal Family Court Judge, Chief Families Commissioner, five NGO Chief Executives, and Maori and Pacific island representatives.
  Other members of the welfare panel include paedeatrician and professor Innes Asher, beneficiary advocate Kay Brereton, academics Huana Hickey and Tracey McIntosh, economist Ganesh Nana and former Business NZ chief executive Phil O'Reilly, as well as trade unionist Robert Reid.
• Birds without borders: Bird watching in North Korea
  Mark Crysell, Louisa Cleave and Martin Anderson have a great yarn about getting their way into the secretive north. We've been in North Korea for fewer than 30 minutes, and the regime already has me bending over uncomfortably at the waist, my head rapidly approaching the hard ground. A year of negotiating to get into the world's most repressive state and somehow a crack TV current affairs team misses the fact that the day we arrive in the border town of Sinuiju is the birthday of North Korea's founder and eternal president, Great Leader Comrade Kim Il-Sung. A big deal. Our minders very quickly usher us out of the train station, place flowers in our hands and direct us toward two towering bronze statues of the Great Leader and his son and successor, Dear Leader Comrade Kim Jong-Il. We are advised to bow. Looking back at the footage, I can see my fellow travellers' heads gently tilt. I just keep going, past the shoulders, past the waist and well on my way towards my feet before I realise the others had finished and walked away. READ MORE: * Donald Trump warns China to stay 'strong & tight' on North Korea border * North Korea to blow up nuke-site tunnels before Trump-Kim talks * Don't forget about North Korea's prison camps, war crime allegations and famine North Korea can do that to you, and it's not as if the country doesn't have serious form. Human rights abuses, famines, executions, nuclear threats – it's consistently rated as one of the world's most repressive regimes. TVNZ's Mark Crysell and a television crew were given unprecedented access to North Korea's highly sensitive militarised ... SUPPLIED TVNZ's Mark Crysell and a television crew were given unprecedented access to North Korea's highly sensitive militarised regions in pursuit of godwits. At the same time we were negotiating access, young American Otto Warmbier was sent home in a deathly coma after serving time for stealing a propaganda poster in Pyongyang. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised us against going. "What can you do for us if something goes wrong?" I asked Foreign Minister Winston Peters. "Very little," was his reply. New Zealand has no diplomatic ties with North Korea. We last sent a diplomat there in 2014. The highest-level contact is a group from the Pukorokoro Miranda Naturalists' Trust, led by a West Auckland builder, who go to highly militarised border regions to count shorebirds. And we are going with them. [Miranda] [Media] [NZ NK interaction]
• Foreign Affairs Minister concludes successful visit to China
  Winston Petets Rt Hon Winston Peters Deputy Prime Minister Foreign Affairs Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has ended a three day visit to China with an agreement for future high level visits between the two countries to maintain and build on the bilateral relationship. Mr Peters was the first coalition government Minister to visit to China this term. The Minister held a formal meeting and a working lunch with his counterpart, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi. Mr Peters also met with other high ranking Chinese officials, including Politburo member and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yang Jiechi, and the Minister of the Communist Party International Department, Song Tao. “Our discussions were wide-ranging, covering all aspects of our bilateral relationship. We reviewed the ongoing growth of our trade and economic relationship, and we were pleased to confirm dates for the next round of our FTA upgrade discussions, which will take place next month,” said Mr Peters. “We had excellent discussions on issues of direct relevance for peace and security in the Asia-Pacific. We talked at length about recent developments in North Korea, and resolved to stay in close touch as we continue to encourage all parties to find a path to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, including through the North complying with all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions,” he said. “We also had a useful exchange on climate change, and agreed to further high level exchanges on this shared area of concern”, Mr Peters said. Mr Peters also made a visit to the construction site of the new New Zealand Embassy in Beijing. In his capacity as Minister of Racing, Mr Peters also met with senior representatives of China’s racing industry. [NZ-China] [Peters]
• Mark Crysell: godwits open door for TV crew in North Korea
  From Sunday Morning, 9:37 am today Crew from TVNZ’s Sunday programme spent two weeks in North Korea, and the story behind them being allowed in to film involves a West Auckland builder from the Pukorokoro Miranda Naturalists' Trust, Winston Peters and the bar-tailed godwit. Mark Crysell tells the story. [Miranda]
• Miranda shorebirds trust in North Korea
  TVNZ team accompany NZ naturalists
• North Korea/US Summit - don’t hold your breath
  Dr Van Jackson has some stamps to show anyone who thinks US President Donald Trump’s upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is going to result in North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons. Jackson is a former adviser in the Office of the US Secretary of Defence who is now a senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University of Wellington and a defence and strategy fellow in its Centre for Strategic Studies. He brought out the stamps during the panel discussion War or Peace? Predictions on the Outcomes of the 2018 North Korea–United States Leaders’ Summit, hosted last week by the Victoria Political Science and International Relations Doctoral Association in conjunction with the Asia Media Centre. The stamps were part of his argument for saying the history of North Korea’s relationship with the US could only lead you to deep scepticism about the summit. “North Korea has no theory of security for itself absent nuclear weapons,” said Jackson. “So I’m Kim Jong-un, I need nuclear weapons. It’s a legacy I inherited but it’s one I made my own and it makes eminent geopolitical sense for me given my neighbourhood and it’s part of my own legitimacy story […] “More important than that is North Korea’s nuclear weapons are in the preamble to their constitution, they’re ingrained in 25 years of propaganda, and they have an entire nuclear weapons industry around which people’s livelihoods are based. “Maybe all that can be explained away or dismissed or it’s not convincing enough. So consider this: when our very own Associate Professor David Capie [director of the Centre for Strategic Studies] visited North Korea last month at their invitation to talk about the possibility of improving relations, the North Koreans offered him and his large delegation from around Southeast Asia commemorative stamps celebrating the [North Koreans’] November 28 2017 [intercontinental ballistic missile] launch. [Kim_Trumptalks18] [MISCOM]
• Left behind: why boomtown New Zealand has a homelessness crisis
  Jonathan Barrett, Charlotte Greenfield WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand’s dairy-fuelled economy has for several years been the envy of the rich world, yet despite the rise in prosperity tens of thousands of residents are sleeping in cars, shop entrances and alleyways. FILE PHOTO: Sister Josefa uses a sewing machine as she teaches sewing at the Compassion Soup Kitchen in Wellington, New Zealand, May 16, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Barrett/File Photo The emerging crisis has created a milestone that New Zealanders won’t be proud of: the highest homelessness rate among the 35 high-income OECD countries. It’s a curious problem afflicting boom towns where some residents get pushed onto the streets as they can no longer afford the rocketing rents in a flourishing economy - let alone purchase a house as the price of property has soared. “I have no assets at the moment,” said 64-year-old Victor Young, who spoke to Reuters at a soup kitchen in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington. “It’s not a kind country, it’s not an easy country. I slept in my car 20 days last year. I worked 30 hours a week.” [NZ] [Poverty] [Homelessness] [Human rights]
• Gordon Campbell on nine Trump lies about the Iran deal
  Wednesday, 9 May 2018, 12:10 pm Article: Gordon Campbell The cascade of Orwellian lies that US President Donald Trump has used to rationalize why his country is reneging on the commitments it made under the Iran nuclear deal should be posing a genuine problem for our media. What Trump has done to the Iran deal runs dead against New Zealand’s best interests in limiting nuclear proliferation, in peacefully integrating Iran within the global economy, and in reducing the likelihood of war in the Middle East. Not to mention the fact that Trump is also raising the potential of sanctions being extended in six months time to apply to any country (including New Zealand) that continues to trade with Iran. In future, it would seem that our trade partners may need to be vetted by the man in the White House. Basically, if our media doesn’t immediately fact check Trump’s stream of propaganda…the media becomes a simple megaphone for spreading it. We have to do better than serve as a passive channel for the Fox News view of the world. The full text of what Trump said is here. For what its worth, here are a few comments on Trump’s litany of lies. [Anti-Trump] [Iran deal] [Renege] [Consequences] [NZ]
• New Book by Roger Shepherd Scheduled for Publication
  Tuesday, 8 May 2018, 10:16 am Press Release: NZ DPRK Society New Book by Roger Shepherd Scheduled for Publication July 2018 Roger first walked the 687 km of the South Korean mountain spine (the Baekdu Daegan) in 2006 and 2007. Since 2011 he has been visiting the DPRK and exploring the North Korean Baekdu Daegan. During these trips he has climbed at least 50 peaks and photographed many more. He is now preparing a unique photo art book which will combine images of both South and North mountains along with explanatory essays. To help fund a first print run of this book he has launched a Kickstarter campaign. [Roger Shepherd]
• ONE KOREA: Mountains, Villages, & People. A Photo Art Book.
  Roger Shepherd
  Ten years of photographic study of mountains, villages, and people of North and South Korea. Unified together in one photo art book. My photo art book on the mountains of North and South Korea is about more than mountain photography and essays. It is about connecting the people of Korea through the exposition of a mountain system that spans both nations. It is a culmination of ten years of photographic work in both North and South Korea, exploring the peaks, villages, and people of the 1700km mountain spine called the Baekdu Daegan (The Great Ridge of Paektu). Since 2011, I have conducted four expeditions of the untrodden mountains of the Baekdu Daegan in North Korea covering at least seventy peaks totalling almost half a year’s work. My most recent visit was last year (2017) for ten weeks. This photo art book will be the third edition of this series, but the first English language edition (alongside the already funded Korean edition). I want to spread the beauty of a unified Korea to the English market. It will be a hard-case cover with dust jacket, 30 x 23cm, and about 250p. It will contain what I believe are my best images and essays from South Korea since 2007 and the North since 2011. [Photos] [Unification]
• War or Peace? Predictions on the Outcomes of the 2018 North Korea-United States Leaders Summit
  A Panel Discussion with Experts on North Korea Thursday 10 May 2018- 1:00pm- 2:30pm Hunter Council Chamber, Level 2, Hunter Building, Kelburn Parade Victoria University of Wellington *** Panel Includes: Associate Professor Stephen Epstein Asian Languages & Cultures Programme, Victoria University of Wellington Dr Van Jackson Defence & Strategy Fellow, Centre for Strategic Studies Dr Shine Choi Lecturer, Political and International Relations Programme, Massey University Dylan Stent PhD Candidate, Political Science & International Relations Programme, Victoria University of Wellington Enquiries: Contact PSIRDA- Tel: 04-260-0250 or Email: arnstella@myvuw.ac.nz
• NZ must be wary of this foreign policy challenge
  Robert Ayson Robert Ayson is Professor of Strategic Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. Futurelearning The more the unrelenting US-China competition foreshadowed in contemporary US planning becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, the more New Zealand and its partners need to encourage a regional environment less dominated by the ambitions of the big two, writes Robert Ayson It’s not impossible to find foreign policy convergence between the Ardern Government and the Trump Administration. New Zealand’s Prime Minister recently said her Government ‘accepts’ the reasons for the limited use of force against Syria, which was led by the United States with contributions from the United Kingdom and France. New Zealand and the US have both endorsed the evolving dialogue between South and North Korea. And while Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un may not be able to make the region great again, Wellington will have taken some comfort that preparations for their meeting have delayed the chance of violence on the peninsula. ? Yet the areas of divergence make for quite a list. In her first major foreign policy speech as Prime Minister, Ardern affirmed that a close relationship with the US was “fundamental” to New Zealand’s foreign policy outlook. But she also pinpointed two specific areas of difference. One was climate change. The Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the Paris agreement stands in contrast to Ardern’s pitch that this issue is the nuclear-free movement for her generation. [NZ Foreign policy] [Allegiance] [Trump] [Deep state]

• New Zealand adds prostitution to list of employment skills for would-be immigrants
  Published time: 25 Apr, 2018 16:01 Edited time: 26 Apr, 2018 08:45 Migrants hoping to start a new life in New Zealand can now add a new skill to their visa applications. Under a new plan, would-be immigrants can claim points as skilled sex workers and escorts. The skill is regarded as providing social companionship in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) list. In order to meet the criteria of a highly qualified sex worker, would-be migrants will be expected to have ANZSCO skill level 5. The requirements issued by ANZSCO also include compulsory secondary education. However, applicants of ANZSCO level 5 cannot be classified as skilled unless their pay is more than NZ$36.44 (US$25.87) per hour, which is NZ$75,795 (US$53,818) per year based on a 40-hour week. The applicants should also have relevant recognized qualifications or have at least three years of work experience in the relevant industry. Despite the fact that escort and sex work are on the skilled employment list, there is no evident lack of them, as they are not included on the skill-shortage list.
• Hiking in North Korea
  From Jesse Mulligan, 26 April There wouldn't be many people familiar with the back country of North Korea, but New Zealander Roger Shepherd is one of them. He has been visiting the Baekdu Daegan mountain range in North and South Korea for years and now has been granted an exclusive right to lead expeditions hiking and camping out in the Paektu-san highlands adjacent to Korea's most sacred mountain in the north of the country. He has a company called Hike Korea Roger who lives in Gurye, Jiri-san South Korea tells us more. [Roger Shepherd] [Tourism]
• Seung-bae Yeo: Peace and prosperity at stake in Korean leaders' summit
  24 Apr, 2018 By: Seung-bae Yeo This Friday will be a historic day. Moon Jae In, President of the Republic of Korea , and Kim Jong Un, North Korea's leader, will sit together in the Peace House at Panmunjom for an inter-Korean leaders' summit. The talks are expected to focus on denuclearisation and peace on the Korean Peninsula as well as inter-Korean relations. To attend this inter-Korean summit the North Korean leader will cross to the south at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the peninsula. This carries a significant symbolism in contrast to the previous two summit meetings which were held in North Korea. In recent few months, the world has been surprised with the speed and scope of developments on the peninsula as almost all media had spent several years on reporting North Korea's provocations - headlines focused on the North's nuclear development and tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles that could presumably reach faraway places such as New Zealand. [Summit18] [SK NK]
• North Korea: 'It's the next steps that are important' says PM
  Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has cautiously welcomed North Korea's move to halt all weapons testing - saying it lays the foundation for a conversation about further disarmament. Jacinda Ardern was in London when the North Korean leader made the announcement he would stop all missile tests. Photo: RNZ / Craig McCulloch The communist state's leader, Kim Jong-un, has pledged to stop all missile tests and shut down a nuclear test site, as a prelude to historic talks with South Korea and the United States. Mr Kim said further missile tests were not needed. Ms Ardern said the North Koreans wanted to demonstrate they had nuclear power and capacity, and in their minds, they had now done so. The next steps, in particular dialogue with the US, were of equal importance to yesterday's surprise announcement, Ms Ardern said. The Prime Minister is en route back to New Zealand after her first diplomatic mission to Europe.
  A New Zealand based analyst said the decision to suspend all missile tests was a good step for diplomatic relations. A retired professor of Asian studies, Tim Beal, said the move was a peaceful gesture, and was a good one to make before discussions with the United States, due to take place by June. "They're after peaceful co-existence, so they want the Americans to drop what they call the 'hostility policy' in a sense leave them in peace ..." he said. He said it signalled cooperation with South Korea as well. [Moratorium18]
• Bombing Syria will never bring peace. NZ must stand up against ad hoc violence
  Golriz Ghahraman The campaign launched by the US with France and UK is a breach of international law. These bombs will kill and maim more people, bringing irrevocable suffering to an already traumatised people, writes Green MP Golriz Ghahraman The harrowing reality of Syria’s war, with chemical weapons, a trapped civilian population and blocked UN security council, just got a whole lot more frightening. Today, the United States, under President Trump, together with its allies, France and the United Kingdom, entered another war in the Middle East. Of course the Syrian war has been a proxy war in the model of perpetual wars happening throughout that oil-rich region for some time. The United States, Russia, and regional powers like Saudi Arabia and Iran have all been fanning those flames and literally providing the firepower. [Greens] [Syria] [cbw] [False balance] [Diaspora] [NZ]
• Alexander Gillespie: Air strike not right response to unproven use of chemical weapons
  17 Apr, 2018 5:00am NZ Herald The firing of about 120 American, French and English missiles into Syria, which Donald Trump called ''perfectly executed'' and Theresa May added was ''legally justified'', was – so far - the most reckless act of the 21st century. It was reckless because the action crossed a direct red line set down by Vladimir Putin. Putin, who is not known for making idle threats, warned that war was possible between the superpowers if Trump repeated his earlier trick of 2017 of firing missiles into Syria, as they would no longer be passive if their Syrian ally was attacked, again. The Russians warned that this time they would respond by not only shooting down the missiles, but also, targeting the launch platforms, such as the planes, boats or submarines, they were fired from. This was especially so if Russians were killed in the American attack. Trump took this risk – and called Putin's red line a bluff - because in his mind, Assad had, again, crossed the red line that America had set. Unlike Obama, Trump has struck Syria every time chemical weapons have been used. In 2017 Trump's attack on Syria took 20 per cent of Assad's air force. This time, Trump and his allies took three chemical research and storage-related facilities. Such an approach not only now makes him look stronger than Putin, it also helps Trump look formidable in the forthcoming debates on Iran and their nuclear deal, as well as the ''denuclearisation'' negotiations with North Korea. The missile strikes also help distract public attention from many from the political storms that surround the president in Washington. [Attack180414]
• Jacinda Ardern urges UN involvement following strikes on Syria
  © Image - The AM Show; Video - APTN Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has responded to the military action by the US, UK and France in Syria, saying New Zealand "accepts why" it was carried out. She said the Government was advised on Saturday morning (NZ time) the strikes would be taking place, and is urging a multilateral approach to Syria overseen by the United Nations (UN). Ms Ardern expressed frustration at UN members using their veto powers to block multilateral responses to such issues. "The Government has always favoured diplomatic efforts and a multilateral approach. The use of the veto powers at the Security Council prevented that course of action. We have always condemned the use of the veto, including by Russia in this case," said Ms Ardern. "New Zealand therefore accepts why the US, UK and France have today responded to the grave violation of international law, and the abhorrent use of chemical weapons against civilians. "The action was intended to prevent further such atrocities being committed against Syrian civilians. We stand firm in our condemnation of the use of chemical weapons in Eastern Ghouta. This is clearly in breach of international law. "It is now important that these issues are returned to the United Nations multilateral processes including the Security Council." [Syria] [US dominance] [Attack180414]

• The Latest: New Zealand faulted for not expelling Russians
  Russian Ambassador Grigory Logvinov speaks to reporters briefly in Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Tuesday, March 28, 2018. Russia’s Embassy has accused Australia of blindly following Britain by deciding to expel two Russian diplomats. (Rod McGuirk/Associated Press) By Associated Press March 27 at 8:58 PM LONDON — The Latest on diplomatic developments following the nerve agent attack on a Russian spy in Britain (all times local): 1:50 a.m. New Zealand is facing criticism for not expelling any Russian diplomats or spies. Many of its allies are doing so in solidarity with Britain after its government blamed Russia for attacking a former spy with nerve agent in England. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Foreign Minister Winston Peters say that while other countries are expelling “undeclared Russian intelligence agents” — or spies — they haven’t found anybody in New Zealand fitting that profile. But security analyst Paul Buchanan told Radio New Zealand the politicians are trying to wriggle out of their responsibilities and their stance has made New Zealand a laughing stock. He says some of the Russians kicked out of other countries are regular diplomats and the expulsions are often only symbolic. [Russia confrontation] [Expulsion] [Independence] [Skripal]
• Kim Dotcom wins Human Rights Tribunal case, declares extradition bid 'over'
  The Human Rights Tribunal has ruled that the Attorney-General broke the law by withholding information from Kim Dotcom, which he says means his extradition case is "over". In July 2015, Mr Dotcom sent an urgent information privacy request to all 28 Ministers of the Crown as well as almost all Government departments, asking for personal information they had on him, including under his previous names. Nearly all the requests were transferred to the Attorney-General Chris Finlayson, who declined the Megaupload founder's requests on the grounds that they were "vexatious" and trivial. The Solicitor-General also said Mr Dotcom had not provided sufficient reasons for urgency. On Monday, the Human Rights Tribunal ruled that the Attorney-General unlawfully withheld information from Mr Dotcom, meaning he perverted the course of justice. The Government and Ministers have been ordered to comply with the original requests and supply all relevant documents to Mr Dotcom. Mr Dotcom was awarded damages for loss of benefit and loss of dignity. In a series of celebratory tweets, Mr Dotcom claimed this decision meant his extradition case is "over". [Kim Dotcom] [Extradition]
• New Zealand welcomes US-North Korea talks
  Rt Hon Winston Peters Deputy Prime Minister Foreign Affairs Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says the New Zealand government welcomes the United States' willingness for talks with North Korea, and North Korea’s reported openness to discuss denuclearisation. “New Zealand remains firmly committed to denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and we have always encouraged all parties to continue to work toward this goal,” says Mr Peters. “It has always been our position to advocate for a diplomatic solution. That’s why we welcome an indication that these high-level talks may proceed,” he says. [Kim_Trump-Talks18]
• Statement on nerve agent attack in UK
  Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern Prime Minister JOINT STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS WINSTON PETERS. New Zealand supports the joint statement made by the leaders of the UK, US, Germany and France on the nerve agent attack in Salisbury. Outrage at the brazen and callous use of chemical weapons in a UK town is fully justified. This attack left three people seriously injured, including a police officer who assisted at the scene, and potentially threatened many more. This incident is a serious affront to accepted global rules and norms. The use of chemical weapons in any circumstances is totally repugnant, and New Zealand is deeply disturbed at any use of chemical substances banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention. New Zealand fully supports the sovereign right of the UK to take the action it considers appropriate in response to this violation of international law on its territory. We stand in solidarity with the UK alongside its other partners. Despite the further details that have emerged since the NZ government statement earlier this week, and despite the international outcry, the Russian reaction has been cynical, sarcastic and inadequate. There is no plausible alternative explanation hitherto, that this came from anywhere other than Russia, and no doubt whatsoever that Russia has serious questions to answer. [Falklands ploy] [Complicity] [Skripal]
• Tauherenikau Bridge will open up tourist trails in South Wairarapa
  An ambitious plan to build a 160-metre long bridge over the Tauherenikau River will link tourist trails between the southern gateway town of Featherston and picturesque Greytown. The bridge's suspension towers will be up to five storeys (17 metres) tall and the span 135 metres long, making it one of the largest of its kind in New Zealand. Shane Atkinson, chairman of the Greytown Trails Trust which is driving the project, said the bridge will be a huge drawcard for the region. This digital mock-up shows the proposed bridge in relation to the existing rail bridge. Gerad Taylor This digital mock-up shows the proposed bridge in relation to the existing rail bridge. "Our timing is very fortuitous because this is a thing that is going to help both tourism and local amenities in the Wairarapa. Everybody from the mayors down all think it's a fantastic idea," Atkinson said. [Wairarapa] [Tourism]
• Kim - Trump Talks
  Monday, 12 March 2018, 10:16 pm Press Release: NZ DPRK Society
  The NZ-DPRK Society welcomes the news that President Donald Trump has accepted the proposal from Chairman Kim Jong-un for direct personal talks.
  The role played by President Moon Jae-in’s administration as intermediary has contributed considerably to the lessening of tension and the development of the peace process.
  We are concerned at reports that President Trump may resile from this agreement by imposing unacceptable preconditions.
  We hope that the talks do go ahead and that they lead to peaceful coexistence and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations. If this happens then we can expect the development of economic and people-to-people links between the DPRK and the United States, to their mutual benefit.
  Peaceful coexistence diminishes the need for defensive deterrence and is the key to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
  If the United States were to attack the DPRK this would also cause immense damage to the Republic of Korea (ROK).
  If the United States does agree to live peacefully with the DPRK, perhaps formalised by a treaty, this will bring peace to the Korean peninsula opening the road for eventual consensual and mutually beneficial reunification.
  All this will bring benefit to the region and to the wider world, including New Zealand.
  The world is watching President Trump at this historical juncture. [Kim_Trump_talks18]
• A pragmatic approach to foreign policy
  David Capie Associate Professor David Capie is the director of the Centre for Strategic Studies, based at Victoria University. In a speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs delivered in Wellington last week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave us the clearest sense yet of the direction New Zealand’s coalition Government will take on foreign policy. Any prime minister’s first big foreign policy speech attracts interest, but given Ardern sits at the head of an ideologically diverse three-party government, her address drew closer scrutiny than most. The Prime Minister faced the dual challenge of laying out a fresh new foreign policy vision while juggling the diverse interests of her New Zealand First and Green Party partners. [NZ Foreign Policy] [Jacinda Ardern]
• How and why New Zealand withdrew or was forced from ANZUS in 1985.
  9 March 2018 In Foreign Policy Analysis in 2010, Amy L. Catalinac reviewed the events that led to New Zealand withdrawal from ANZUS and the reasons for it. She said: In 1985, a dispute over nuclear ship visits led the United States to formally suspend its security guarantee to New Zealand under the trilateral ANZUS Treaty. In this article, I conceptualize this dispute as a case of intra-alliance opposition by a small state toward its stronger ally. I generate four hypotheses from the literature on alliances in international relations to explain why New Zealand chose to oppose its ally on the nuclear ships issue. Using new evidence, including interviews with 22 individuals involved in the dispute and content analysis of debates in the New Zealand parliament from 1976 to 1984, I conclude that a desire for greater autonomy in foreign policy was the driving factor behind New Zealand’s opposition. [NZ US] [ANZUS]

• NZ may lobby Aust on nuclear weapons ban
  New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is headed across the ditch for talks with her Australian counterpart at the end of the week. Lisa Martin Australian Associated PressFebruary 27, 201811:18am Australia could be in for a lecture from New Zealand on nuclear weapons disarmament. NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to visit Australia for talks with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the end of the week. She'll be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, seven cabinet ministers and a business delegation. Ms Ardern delivered a major foreign policy speech to the New Zealand Institute of Public Affairs on Tuesday and announced her government will reinstate the cabinet position of disarmament and arms control minister. Last July, 122 countries voted in the United Nations to ban nuclear weapons. Ms Ardern flagged in the speech her government is looking at an early ratification of the treaty. "In a modern context, the greatest challenge comes from North Korea, situated right here in our region," she said. "At a time when risks to global peace and security are growing and the rules-based system is under such pressure, we must recommit ourselves to the cause of non-proliferation and disarmament." Australia has refused to sign up to the treaty ban and did not take part in the negotiations e country relies on the deterrent protection from the US's nuclear weapons arsenal. [NZ] [Nuclear disarmament] [Proliferation] [Liberal] [Cant] [Jacinda]
• NZDF Had Reports Of Civilian Casualties After SAS Raid
  10:48 February 19, 2018 0 comments Press Release – Nicky Hager The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) received intelligence updates within one or two days of the August 2010 SAS raid in Afghanistan that reported civilian casualties, including the death of a child, new Official Information Act documents reveal. This …DEFENCE FORCE HAD REPORTS OF CIVILIAN CASUALTIES AFTER SAS RAID BUT DID NOTHING The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) received intelligence updates within one or two days of the August 2010 SAS raid in Afghanistan that reported civilian casualties, including the death of a child, new Official Information Act documents reveal. This is what was written in the book Hit and Run but the NZDF had denied the whole book. Hit and Run co-author Nicky Hager, who has been probing the defence force using the Official Information Act (OIA), says this is an important crack in the NZDF denials. The 13 February 2018 NZDF OIA response admitted that five New Zealand military intelligence reports written after the SAS raid “mention the death of a child” and also injuries to a woman. The intelligence reports were dated 24 (two), 25 and 26 August 2010, the days following the 22 August 2010 raid, and 27 July 2011.* [Afghanistan] [Casualties]
• NZ DPRK Society letter to DPRK, ROK ambassadors on fraternal cooperation at Olympics
  Excellencies,
  We wish to express our delight and joy at seeing the fraternal cooperation between Koreans from north and south at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics We applaud the initiative of Chairman Kim Jong-un in sending a delegation headed by Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, accompanied by Kim Yo-jong, and their warm reception by President Moon Jae-in. We welcome the invitation from Chairman Kim to President Moon to a summit meeting and we trust this meeting can take place soon.
  It is our sincere hope that the spirit of the ‘peace Olympics’ is carried through to productive and amicable discussions between north and south and that both sides will move to a rapprochement and eventual peaceful reunification despite the efforts of foreign countries to divide the Korean people.
  We realise that a summit meeting will not, in itself, remove the threat to the Korean peninsula from external forces. The summits of 2000 and 2007, as we well know, were prevented by hostile forces from achieving their objectives but we are heartened by the comment President Moon made in Berlin last year that : “We already know the road that leads to a peaceful Korean Peninsula. It is returning to the June 15 Joint Declaration and the Oct. 4 Declaration.”
  Whilst we wish the Korean athletes every success in the Olympics we recognise that the real prize at stake is peace.
  Tim Beal, Peter Wilson [Olympics18] [Détente]
• Not clear if Labour will change foreign policy
  6 Feb, 2018 5:00am U.S. President Donald Trump told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that his administration is taking measures to promote energy security for American allies around the globe. AP NZ Herald By: Paul G. Buchanan • Paul G. Buchanan is director of 36th Parallel Assessments, a geopolitical and strategic analysis consultancy. In most democracies domestic policy dominates election year-politics in times of peace. Unsurprisingly, foreign policy was rarely mentioned in last year's election campaign, yet it is an important area of governance that reflects a Government's philosophy. Since the Labour-led coalition installed in 2017 represents a departure from nine years of centre-right rule, it is worth considering whether it has a distinct foreign policy agenda.
  Since New Zealand maintains good relations with some US adversaries as well as allies, yet is intimately tied to the US in uniquely significant ways, its ability to maintain the dichotomous approach to an independent foreign policy may now be in jeopardy. This is particularly true for balancing the US-China relationship, where the "two-track" New Zealand foreign policy is more akin to straddling a barbed wire fence rather than a matter of prudently placing diplomatic eggs in different baskets. Given the uncertain nature of the current world moment, the Government needs to clarify its foreign policy outlook for domestic and foreign interlocutors alike. [NZ Foreign Policy] [Allegiance] [Ardern] [Allegiance]
• Korean Peninsula problem needs peaceful resolution
  Kevin Clements
  30 January 2018 It is vital the New Zealand Government does not succumb to the bellicose position that has been proposed by Foreign Minister Winston Peters, writes Prof Kevin Clements. American scientists from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists have moved the Doomsday Clock measuring the likelihood of nuclear war to two minutes to midnight. The last time it was this close was in 1953. The reasons are the risks from North Korea's nuclear programme; discord between Russia and the United States; tensions in the South China sea; the build-up of Pakistan's and India's nuclear arsenals and uncertainty over the Iran nuclear deal. Donald Trump's inflammatory rhetoric and willingness to inflict ``Fire and Fury'' on North Korea, his disavowal of the Iran deal and his willingness to remake and expand America's nuclear arsenal are also major factors increasing global nuclear tensions Of all these challenges, the ones most pressing for New Zealand are nuclear proliferation on the Korean peninsula and tensions in South Asia. [Trump] [NZ] [Sanctions] [Winston Peters]

• Company shoots shiny orb into orbit and angers astronomers over ‘space graffiti.’
  by Ben Guarino January 26 Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck stands with the Humanity Star in New Zealand in November. (Rocket Lab via AP) Earlier this month, the New Zealand-based private spaceflight company Rocket Lab successfully delivered its first orbital payload. Rocket Lab's Electron rocket released, along with three commercial satellites, an art installation-as-satellite called the Humanity Star. The satellite, a highly reflective 65-faced ball crafted of carbon fiber, will orbit Earth for nine months. Around October, its orbit will decay, and the satellite will disintegrate as it descends in the atmosphere. Until its destruction, the Humanity Star will twinkle so brilliantly it can be witnessed by observers below. It will be most visible at dawn or dusk, creating an effect Rocket Lab likened on its website to a “bright flashing shooting star.” [Rocket Lab] [Satellite] [Front]
• The Vancouver Summit on North Korea - A Personal Perspective
  NZ DPRK Society secretary Peter Wilson reflects the day after in Vancouver
  January 17th 2018 The one day meeting of 20 foreign ministers from ‘sender countries’ plus friends has come and gone. It has barely created a ripple. People in Vancouver certainly didn’t take any notice and it is doubtful many people round the rest of the world have either. They might have read a few headlines though. Such as Aljazzera’s “China, Russia not invited to summit on North Korea in Canada”. Newsweek’s headline of the same day that North Korea may become a leading supplier of crystal meth following sanctions could well have got more publicity than the summit did. Headlines on the true issue – the need for a peace treaty to end the state of war - are non-existent. This, what is in fact the nub of the problem, does not appear to have been discussed at the Summit. [Vancouver Meeting] [US NK policy] [Compellence]
  • The Vancouver Summit on North Korea
    Monday, 22 January 2018, 5:17 pm Opinion: NZ DPRK Society The Vancouver Summit on North Korea - A Personal Perspective NZ DPRK Society secretary Peter Wilson reflects the day after in Vancouver January 17th 2018
• NZ-DPRK Society endorses Canadian protest
  The Society sent this message to Allison Bodine of Mobilization against War & Occupation (MAWO), Canada, on the occasion of the protests against the Vancouver Meeting:
  The New Zealand – DPRK Society heartily endorses the activities of MAWO in promoting peace and combating the occupation of foreign countries. Our Society works for the improvement of relations both at governmental and people-to-people level between New Zealand and the DPR Korea. We believe that countries should coexist peacefully and seek ways to interact for mutual benefit. We oppose the use of force, or the threat of force, by large countries to impose their will on others.
  We are therefore very supportive of the efforts of MAWO to mobilise public opinion against the efforts of the United States, and countries such as Canada and New Zealand which subordinate themselves to the US, to bully North Korea. We advocate peaceful coexistence and oppose both military force and the use of sanctions to cause economic distress and perhaps starvation. We support North Korea’s desire to live in independence, security and prosperity and we hope that in the fullness of time there will be a peaceful and independent reunification of Korea to the benefit of all of the people of the peninsula.
  We wish you great success in protesting at the forthcoming Vancouver Meeting
  • Peter Wilson delivers message at Vancouver
    Published on Jan 19, 2018 Peter Wilson speaks at the "Hands off North Korea" forum in Vancouver Canada, on January 16, 2018
• Interview with Ross Meurant
  Nadine Newstalk ZB Auckland 18 January 2018
• Korea summit 'achieves nothing': NZ lobby
  A New Zealand society fighting for better understanding of North Korea says "nothing will be achieved" by a summit discussing denuclearisation of the country. 18 January 2018 Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has been in Vancouver, Canada for an international meeting on North Korea - but one New Zealand organisation, aiming to increase understanding of that country, claims that "nothing will be achieved". The New Zealand Democratic People's Republic of Korea Society (NZ DPRK) wrote to Mr Peters in early January explaining that North Korea had made their position clear on being pressured on the topic of its nuclear programme. "Denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula will not be achieved by increasing pressure on (North Korea) as is being proposed to the Vancouver group," says NZ DPRK Society secretary Peter Wilson, who has been in Vancouver this week protesting outside the summit venue. [Vancouver meeting]
• Korea summit 'achieves nothing': NZ lobby
  Lisa Benoit NZ Newswire•18 January 2018 Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has been in Vancouver, Canada for an international meeting on North Korea - but one New Zealand organisation, aiming to increase understanding of that country, claims that "nothing will be achieved". The New Zealand Democratic People's Republic of Korea Society (NZ DPRK) wrote to Mr Peters in early January explaining that North Korea had made their position clear on being pressured on the topic of its nuclear programme. "Denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula will not be achieved by increasing pressure on (North Korea) as is being proposed to the Vancouver group," says NZ DPRK Society secretary Peter Wilson, who has been in Vancouver this week protesting outside the summit venue. "The history of the past 67 years tells us that pressurising North Korea through isolation and sanctions simply do not work," he said. [Vancouver meeting]
• Winston Peters to attend international summit on North Korea 'crisis'
  15 Jan, 2018 3:02pm 4 minutes to read Foreign Minister Winston Peters is flying to Canada tonight for a meeting with 21 countries working towards a peaceful solution to the North Korea crisis. Photo / Getty By: Derek Cheng derek.cheng@nzherald.co.nz Foreign Minister Winston Peters says sanctions against North Korea have been ineffective and every Western head of state could do more to de-escalate the "growing crisis" over its nuclear programme. Peters will fly to Vancouver, Canada, tonight to take part in the Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula, hosted by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland. Peters said North Korea posed a real threat. "This is a growing crisis, worsening every day, and we have to do our utmost to arrest this crisis now. "The reality is we are playing with fire here, and the prospects would be horrendous if we aren't successful. We've got to give it our best shot." The meeting will involve 21 countries - including Australia, Canada, France, India, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and the US - and show solidarity against North Korea's nuclear ambitions. But China and Russia will not be attending - though Peters said they would have "almost certainly" been invited. He said China in particular has to play a key role in pressuring North Korea. "China's involvement is very important in this matter, so all this is going to be part of the discussion in Vancouver." Fears over North Korea's nuclear ambitions have been growing, escalated by an exchange this month between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump over the size of their respective nuclear buttons. [Winston Peters] [Vancouver meeting] [US dominance]
• China says North Korea talks in Vancouver 'not legal'
  By AFP Published : Jan 16, 2018 - 20:42 Updated : Jan 16, 2018 - 20:42 BEIJING -- China on Tuesday dismissed an international meeting on the North Korean nuclear crisis hosted by Canada and the United States as illegitimate, as major players like Beijing were not present. The absence of Russia and China from the two days of talks in Vancouver, which began on Monday, shows the holes in Washington's bid to form a unified global front against North Korea's nuclear threat. "The most important relevant parties of the Korean peninsula issue haven't taken part in the meeting so I don't think the meeting is legal or representative," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing. Lu denounced the "Cold War mentality" of "relevant parties" -- without naming nations.
  Draped in a North Korean flag, Peter Wilson, of New Zealand, marches with protesters outside the site of a summit on North Korea being hosted by Canada and the U.S., in Vancouver, British Columbia Monday. (AP [Vancouver meeting] [Protest]

• North Korea as a Threat – the Numbers
  Friday, 29 December 2017, 10:55 am Press Release: NZ DPRK Society According to the United States North Korea is a serious threat. North Korea is “the greatest immediate threat to the United States” White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. North Korea is “a threat to the civilized world and international peace and stability.” President Donald Trump. You be the judge. Here are the numbers.
• North Korea Wants Peace
  Letter to the Editor, NZ Herald , published 28 December 2017
  Your report (NZ Herald 22 December) that “America is drawing up plans for a ‘bloody nose’ military attack on North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons programme” is a matter for concern. This would precipitate a war.
  China has made it clear that it will support North Korea if attacked by the United States.
  Another war in Korea can only be catastrophically disastrous. Millions of lives would be lost and the global economy, including NZ, very seriously disrupted.
  There is no need for war. North Korea has been asking for a peace treaty to replace the armistice for decades, but the United States, enslaved by the military/industrial complex, has always refused. In desperation as a last resort North Korea has been developing a nuclear capability in the hope that this will drive the Unites States to the negotiating table. The Trump administration’s ‘bloody nose’ response is not the way to go. Only genuine dialogue can solve the problem.
  The only time a US Secretary of State (Madeleine Albright) visited Pyongyang a peace settlement agreement was drafted and would have been signed by President Clinton had not George W. Bush said he would tear it up and not honour it.
  New Zealand should speak out against any military action in Korea and actively advocate a negotiated peace settlement agreement as provided for in the Armistice.
  Peter Wilson, Secretary, NZ DPRK Society
• NZ supports latest Security Council resolution on North Korea
  Foreign Minister Winston Peters has welcomed the latest United Nations Security Council resolution against North Korea. The new UN Security Council resolution was unanimously agreed to this morning and is in response to North Korea’s 29 November test of an inter-continental ballistic missile. “New Zealand strongly condemned the missile test last month” Mr Peters says. “The resolution adopted today is the fourth resolution adopted by the Security Council on North Korea this year. With it, the international community has again delivered a strong message to the North Korean regime that its continued belligerent behaviour will not be meekly accepted. “The resolution imposes further restrictions on North Korea’s access to oil and refined petroleum, exports of North Korean products, and measures on North Korean labour overseas and maritime activity. “New Zealand is supportive of measures which demonstrate the collective opposition of the international community to North Korea’s actions. Sanctions are an effective way of seeking to convince North Korea that its pursuit of nuclear weapons is both wrong-headed and counter-productive to its security and prosperity. Mr Peters says every effort must be made to achieve a diplomatic solution to this stand-off. “We urge North Korea to abide by its international obligations and take steps than towards meaningful international dialogue,” he said. [US dominance]
• Three ways NZ can improve its China literacy
  With the study of China never more important, New Zealand is “treading water” when it comes to improving general literacy about the country, says the Acting Director of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre based at Victoria University of Wellington. Dr Jason Young was speaking at a public symposium to mark the 45th anniversary of New Zealand establishing diplomatic relations with China on December 22, 1972. The symposium, New Zealand’s Relationship with China: Past, Present and Future, was hosted by the Confucius Institute at Victoria University and the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. [China literacy]
• Winston Peters rebuffs call to reactive diplomatic relations with DPRK
  • NZ DPRK Society letter
    It is a matter of concern that your predecessors have blocked any diplomatic contact with North Korea for the past three years. The primary function of diplomats is to talk to others, and this is especially important where there are perceived differences with the other country. Shackling the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in this way has been counterproductive.
    The danger this inactivity poses has been exacerbated by the volatility of the Trump administration. If we value our relationship with the US then we should seek to be a calming voice that promotes dialogue rather than confrontation. We cannot do that unless we ourselves are in dialogue with Pyongyang. …..
    Peter Wilson, Secretary
  • Reply from FM Peters
    New Zealand remains extremely concerned by North Korea's threatening behaviour that continues to risk regional and international security. We agree that dialogue is important to de-escalating tensions in the current environment.
    As a member of the UN, New Zealand supports international efforts to persuade North Korea to enter into dialogue with its partners in the region. We remain open to re­ engaging with North Korea at such time that it abides by its international obligations and ends its illegal nuclear and missile programmes.
    Rt Hon Winston Peters
• NZ denounces North Korea missile test
  Winston Petets Rt Hon Winston Peters Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has denounced North Korea’s latest ballistic missile test. The test, which took place this morning, is North Korea’s third test flight of an inter-continental ballistic missile. “This missile test is deeply disappointing,” Mr Peters says. “It is in breach of UN Security Council resolutions which bans all such missile tests by North Korea.” “New Zealand is committed to the continuing international effort to persuade North Korea to disband its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes,” he said “It is incumbent on all of us to continue sending the message that the international community is united in opposition to North Korea’s actions. We will continue to do our part, including by fully implementing UN sanctions. “New Zealand supports a diplomatic solution to this threat to global security. All parties must continue to consider how this could be achieved,” said Mr Peters. “New Zealand, once again, urges North Korea to abide by its international obligations, refrain from further testing and take steps which can enable international dialogue,” he said. [Hwasong-15] [US dominance]

• NZ should be promoting peace not starvation
  Letter sent to the Editor, Dominion Post, Wellington on 16 November 2017 but never published
  It is disappointing to read that Prime Minister Ardern is advocating sanctions against North Korea. Sanctions if fully implemented would deliberately produce mass starvation, something which former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described as a war crime. We might have expected better from our new Prime Minister.
  According to US State Department estimates North Korea’s annual defence budget is about US$3.5 billion – the US and its allies outspend that by a factor of 300 times. The idea of North Korea being a threat to the US is preposterous, but the US threat to North Korea is very real, hence the development of the nuclear deterrent.
  New Zealand should be encouraging President Trump to accept the independence of North Korea (formally the DPR Korea) and recognise its right to self-defence, which is enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. If that were done then the crisis would soon be resolved. That would be good not merely for the people of the Korean peninsula, but for New Zealand as well.
  Tim Beal, Chairman, NZ-DPRK Society
• Big China, weaker America: New Zealand’s options
  Robert Ayson Robert Ayson is Professor of Strategic Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. New Zealand has been relying upon an equilibrium of power between the United States and China to pursue its interests in Asia. But under Donald Trump the US’s role in Asia’s balance is coming undone. Although Washington remains the world’s most formidable military power, and has an unparalleled set of security alliances in Asia, Trump has raised real uncertainties about how the US will use these assets in a crisis. [NZ] [Allegiance]
• Victoria University expertise to benefit the New Zealand Defence Force
  A new partnership between Victoria University of Wellington and the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) will see NZDF staff taking advantage of Victoria’s strength in strategic and security issues. 1 November 2017 Group signing of NZDF Academic Services Contract Victoria's Professor Sekhar Bandyopadhyay signs the NZDF Academic Services Contract Victoria’s Centre for Strategic Studies has won a major academic contract to teach its Master of Strategic Studies to officers from the NZDF’s Advanced Command and Staff Course (ACSC), the NZDF’s premier in-house development programme. The ACSC provides professional military education for mid-ranked NZDF officers and a range of Asia-Pacific defence forces, who have been identified as having potential for higher level service. [VUW] [MISCOM]
• Will the Ardern government transform New Zealand’s foreign and defence policies?
  27 Oct 2017|Robert Ayson New Zealand’s domestic politics have been transformed by the 2017 general election. But the same can’t be assumed for its foreign and defence policies. Not even growing talk of war on the Korean peninsula could puncture the campaign’s relentlessly internal focus. Incoming prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s central message is economic security for all New Zealanders. That means housing, health and education rather than New Zealand’s place in the world. [Jacinda] [Foreign Policy]

• Opinion: The Guardian view on New Zealand’s new PM: managing an uncomfortable alliance
  New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern makes a speech upon her arrival at parliament after a swearing-in ceremony at Government House on Thursday in Wellington: New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern makes a speech upon her arrival at parliament after a swearing-in ceremony at Government House on Thursday in Wellington.© Getty Images New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern makes a speech upon her arrival at parliament after a swearing-in ceremony at Government House on Thursday in Wellington. Editor’s note: The opinions in this article are the author’s, as published by our content partner, and do not necessarily represent the views of MSN or Microsoft. Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s new prime minister, has brought Labour back to power after nearly a decade in the wilderness. She became party leader only seven weeks before last month’s general election, and instantly transformed the party’s prospects – only to have the lead she quickly established beaten back in the final days of the campaign by a brutal National party attack on her tax policies. [Jacinda]
• Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Sudden Star, Gets Set to Govern
  By Charlotte Graham Oct. 20, 2017 AUCKLAND, New Zealand — When Jacinda Ardern took the podium in Parliament on Thursday night, just over an hour after the startling announcement that she would be New Zealand’s next prime minister, she was smiling and assured but appeared somewhat stunned. Afterward, she said, she returned to her nearby studio apartment in the capital, Wellington, and “ate a pot of noodles.” On Friday morning, she faced the news media as the prime minister-designate of New Zealand, 27 days after the country’s election. She is the third woman to lead the country, and, at 37, its youngest leader in more than 150 years. [Jacinda]
• Scott Brown: US ambassador to New Zealand 'counselled on standards of conduct'
  US officials investigated Brown after he was accused of inappropriate behaviour at a party in Samoa and was alleged by one woman to have stared at her breasts Eleanor Ainge Roy in Dunedin and Julian Borger in Washington Thursday 26 October 2017 17.30 BST First published on Thursday 26 October 2017 13.47 BST The US ambassador to New Zealand has been “counselled on standards of conduct for government employees” after an investigation into his behaviour at a party in Samoa in the summer. US officials from the state department’s office of inspector general flew to New Zealand last week to interview Scott Brown, a former Republican senator, and reported their findings on what happened at a Peace Corps reception where Brown caused controversy with remarks to volunteers serving food and other guests. [Scott Brown]
• US ambassador to New Zealand Scott Brown faced complaints over 'cultural misunderstanding'
  Cultural differences ROSS GIBLIN/STUFF US Ambassador Scott Brown explains his conduct during a Peace Corps function in Samoa. US Ambassador Scott Brown has fronted over mounting "innuendo and rumour" about a State Department investigation into his behaviour. Speaking to Stuff with wife Gail Huff at his side, Brown confirmed there had been an official "administrative inquiry" into his conduct at a Peace Corps event in Samoa in July. It related to an official complaint about comments he made when arriving at the event, when he told some of the guests they looked "beautiful". There had also been a complaint about a comment he made to a woman serving food and drink that she could make hundreds of dollars in the hospitality industry in the US, Brown said. Brown and wife Gail Huff-Brown photographed at the event. [Scott Brown]
• Winston Peters hasn't given up hope on North Korea
  Winston Peters speaks after being confirmed as Deputy Prime Minister and foreign affairs minister. Winston Peters could be the west's "sliver of hope" for improving relations with North Korea. The NZ First leader has taken on the job of Foreign Minister in the new Labour-led Government, and one of his first comments was on the state of the west's relationship with North Korea. On Wednesday, Peters said he would bring experience to the role, "which is rather important on the international scene". Winston Peters is now Foreign Minister, and believes North Korea isn't an "utterly hopeless case". Peters also has experience dealing specifically with North Korea. [Winston Peters] [NZ DPRK]
• New Zealand to Be Led by Jacinda Ardern, 37, Capping Labour Revival
  By Charlotte Graham Oct. 19, 2017 WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A minor party holding the balance of power in New Zealand threw its support behind 37-year-old Jacinda Ardern’s bid to become prime minister on Thursday, ending the center-right National Party’s nine-year grip on power. Ms. Ardern, the leader of the Labour Party, will take over from Prime Minister Bill English, reversing Labour’s long-flagging fortunes and giving the country its youngest leader in more than 150 years. Ms. Ardern’s ascension represents a remarkable rise for a woman who just months ago became Labour’s youngest leader ever, setting off “Jacindamania” among the party’s followers. Unconventional and described by colleagues as intensely focused, she has defied the norms of New Zealand politics and refused to be pinned down on whether she has considered having children, saying no male politician would be forced to answer that question.
• New Zealand PM change another nip in the bud of Asia-Pacific trade
  By Giovanni Di Lieto October 20, 2017 New Zealand’s change of government is another nail in the coffin of the TPP-11 revival and sets new boundaries for multilateral trade in the Asia-Pacific region. The leader of the moderately populist New Zealand First political party, Winston Peters, has announced that he will back the Labour-Green bloc to form a coalition government, making the Labour Party’s leader, Jacinda Ardern, the country’s youngest ever prime minister. Ardern, 37, is replacing incumbent National Party PM Bill English thanks to an exhilarating campaign run on a platform of political rejuvenation after nearly a decade of conservative rule. The emerging economic policy under the Labour-Green-populist coalition is poised to disappoint Japan and Australia in their quest to sustain the regional status quo balance through multilateral economic integration within both the US and Chinese spheres of influence. [TPP] [Trade] [FDI]
• We should recognise the North's suffering in the Korean war
  13 Oct, 2017 5:00am By: David Stevenson Most people are unaware of the number of civilian casualties inflicted on the people of North Korea during the Korean War from June 1950 until July 1953. The allies in that war (United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, India, France, Greece, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Thailand, South Africa, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and of course South Korea) are responsible for the dropping of 635,000 tons of bombs including 32,557 tons of napalm on 78 cities, towns and villages of North Korea. This compares with 503,000 tons of bombs dropped by the US in the entire Pacific war which included the bombing of Japan. According to General Curtis LeMay this bombing killed 20 per cent of the North Korean population. According to some accounts only two modern buildings were left standing in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.
  Fortunately the North Koreans have not been goaded by this blatant provocation into any rash action. But the fact that President Trump is prepared to make such a risky and ill-judged comment indicates that it is time for the community of sensible nations (which normally includes the United States) to show some initiative in resolving what can now only be described as a crisis.
  The first action of the New Zealand Government which will form in the next few days should be to seek support at the United Nations for the kind of circuit breaker process that could bring about mediation and hopefully resolution of the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. • David Stevenson is a freelance writer in Wellington. [Korean war] [NZ role]
• NZ-DPRK Society calls on Government to reactivate relations with Pyongyang
  [Letter published in the Listener 7 October 2017]
  Anna Fifield (Bulletin September 2) suggests that our Government has decided to cut off opportunities for North Koreans to visit NZ thus depriving them of taking a peek at the outside world.
  Following the US policy of isolation, our Government has also stopped our diplomats from visiting North Korea for the past three years.
  This means that the only information our policy makers are receiving about North Korea is filtered through Washington and USA-dominated media feeds. This does not enable our diplomats to develop a balanced, objective understanding of the Korean situation. Nor does it allow them to do the job we employ them for – finding peaceful solutions to difficult situations.
  It is to be hoped that our new Government will follow a more enlightened policy and restore diplomatic relations with North Korea so that Foreign Affairs personnel and policy makers can be fully informed and able formulate a peaceful independent set of Korea policy actions.
  Peter Wilson, Secretary, NZ DPRK Society
• Hamilton resident insight into North Korea situation
  13 Oct, 2017 12:30pm By: Tom Rowland An interest in diplomacy and military history took one Hamiltonian to the United States to work for the Secretary of Defence. Gary Schofield had attended school at St Paul's Collegiate Hamilton and studied at Otago University before heading to the United Kingdom as a landscape and commission artist. During that time Mr Schofield was asked to the Pentagonto sign two pieces of artwork he had painted. Arriving at the Pentagon for the first time 20 years ago Mr Schofield was approached by a captain of the US Navy. If there is war there you could have more than 20 million casualties. - Gary Schofield "I was escorted to the office of the Secretary of Defence by a navy captain and it was like in a movie where she said we have found the man we have been looking for," Mr Schofield said. He was signed up as defence contractor, but also created artwork and paintings to be gifted to other countries. Mr Schofield worked through several administrations, including Donald Rumsfeld, who was the Secretary of Defence for George W. Bush from 2000 to 2006. He was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit award in 2016 for services to art and to New Zealand-United States relations. One of the most significant achievements that Mr Schofield was a part of was attempting to improve relations with North Korea under Secretary of Defence William Perry. [Bizarre] [Media]
• The North Korean Nuclear Issue: Is a Diplomatic Solution Possible?
  3 November Panel discussion from 12:00pm to 1:30pm - Speakers: Yoon Young-kwan, Seoul National University; Van Jackson, CSS/Victoria University of Wellington; and Ben King, Deputy Secretary of the Americas and Asia Group, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
  Reception to follow hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea.
• Nine arrested as protesters block entrances to 'weapons expo' in Wellington
  10 Oct, 2017 5:18pm Anti-arms protestors have gathered in Wellington in an organised protest. AAP Protesters clashing with police while blockading a defence industry conference in Wellington have been carried from the venue. Shouting "army of the rich, enemy of the poor", the group had set out to make life uncomfortable for those attending what protesters have labelled a weapons expo. At least three people appear to have been carried and escorted away from the scene by police, one in handcuffs. [Arms sales] [Protest]
• US AMBASSADOR PRESSURES NZ.
  Ross Meurant Honorary Consul at Consulate for the Kingdom of Morocco The US Ambassador warns: "A nuclear-armed North Korea has the potential to have a big impact on NZ, but Kiwis don't seem to realise it. The fallout could come here. It could affect the fishing and all the sea life. It'd dramatically affect climate and economy - so yeah, it does affect NZ." Why are Kiwis so torpid ? We're not sucked in by Trump's ‘swinging dick’ foreign policy; i.e. that the world is at risk if he cannot nuke Korea. Now Trump contemplates firing the sane Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who argues for dialogue, not destruction! [Trump] [US NZ]
• US ambassador: Kiwis don't realise just how much North Korean bombs could affect them
  The United States ambassador says a nuclear-armed North Korea has the potential to have a big impact on New Zealand, but Kiwis don't seem to realise it. US President Donald Trump's man in NZ, Scott Brown, spoke to Stuff about NZ's role in dealing with rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear weapon programme. Brown said he didn't think Kiwis understood the implications of the stand-off between Trump and Kim Jong Un. [US NK policy] [Inversion] [NZ] [Bizarre]

• Peter Wilson: You are being lied to about North Korea! They are not aggressive, they desperately want peace!
  Interviewed by Tim Lynch
  In 1973 the North Koreans realising that they were not making any progress with South Korea on formalising Peace, wrote a letter to the US House of Representatives and the US Senate asking for a Peace Treaty and they have never received a reply, so here we are today - why no reply? Well the answer is quite simple - it has nothing to do with North Korea - and Peter gives a documented quote from Condoleezza Rice. US Secretary of State 2005–09. Saying what it does do, is expose the extreme cynicism of the situation and the complete lack of respect for other human life if you are not American. Quote - “the North Koreans are like some sort of road kill on the highway of history …”
• What is Behind Kim Jong-un’s Equilibrium Statement?
  Press Release: NZ DPRK Society
  Monday, 18 September 2017, 10:08 am What is Behind Kim Jong-un’s Equilibrium Statement? North Korea's "final goal is to establish the equilibrium of real force with the U.S. and make the U.S. rulers dare not talk about military option[s]," said Kim Jong-un last week. What does he mean by this? Here is the background. North Korea has been asking for an end to the Korean War in the form of a negotiated peace agreement since 1974. “The Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea formally proposes that talks be held for the conclusion of a peace agreement between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States of America.” - Excerpt from letter to President Gerald Ford and the Congress of the United States of America, 24 March 1974. Neither President Ford, nor the senate, nor the House of Representatives ever replied, ever replied, but an answer of sorts did come in 2003. ''We won't do non-aggression pacts or treaties, things of that nature,'' said then Secretary of State Colin Powell. North Korea’s repeated requests for a peace settlement agreement as provided for in Clause 60 of the Armistice continue to be ignored to this day. [NK US policy] [Peace Treaty] [Rebuff]
• I was in North Korea when Trump threatened nuclear attack
  Ross Meurant
  August 29, 2017 The week Trump tried his Nuclear Foreign Policy solution on DPRK I was there. In Pyongyang, resolve amongst the populous to defeat the “American imperialist aggressors”, was tangible. But life continued. Calmly, the people of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea went about their daily affairs. What astonished me most however, was the enormous difference I saw in the population which Western media had convinced me, was starving and desperately unhappy. View the video – midday CBD Pyongyang. Do these people seem to you to be under any form of duress? Do the seem to be underfed? As Gobbles said: “Repeat a lie often enough and the people will believe it.” From Pyongyang to the DMZ (front line with South Korea), crops flourish as far as one can see. Sure, DPRK agriculture is as prone to droughts and floods as is Australian agriculture. But unless catastrophe strikes, the self-grown food supply provides. [EWA]
  • Keating's "Glug, glug, glug". US sailors returned by North Korea after US admit Pueblo spy ship.
    Published on April 26, 2017 Ross Meurant Honorary Consul at Consulate for the Kingdom of Morocco Former Aussie PM Paul Keating’s “GULG GLUG GLUG” onomatopoeia to describe the sinking of American battle ships in Hawaii – and for that matter the demise of British battleships Prince of Wales and Repulse off Singapore a few day later, exposes a brilliant sense of humour. It also exposes the fallacy of American might. It is also a catalyst for us now trawl through history and rely on facts, not opinion: IPSO FACTO. So, lets us review some facts! After all, FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. Since WWII the US has tried to achieve world domination and with the exception of a non-aligned period under Helen Clark’s Labour government 1999-2008 (which covered the unlawful war of Bush in Iraq), New Zealand has been a willing supplicant to American designs. Not that America’s record instils confidence because it has lost nearly every conflict it has entered.
  • Justification for War on Korea
    Ross Meurant August 13, 2017 Last week I was in North Korea while America railed and tried to rally its ally “The International Community” to justify another chapter of American carpet bombing, mayhem and murder – predicated on the model of the 1950 Korean War and fine tuned in Vietnam – both of which incidentally were American defeats in battle. Is this ally real or is it false? What it is not, is a legally constituted vehicle with any mandate which comes anywhere near the mandate of the internationally accepted and legally constituted institution we call, the United Nations. The “International Community” is but a recent connivance; a fall back false entity created by the Americans when they realised that they had lost control of the UN. The United Nations – you will recall, is an intergovernmental organization tasked to promote international co-operation and to create and maintain international order. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations, the organization was established on 24 October 1945 after World War II in order to prevent another such conflict.
  • Building bridges - not blowing them up.
    Published on April 23, 2017 Ross Meurant It was a pleasant surprise for me in Pyongyang in 2016 to find former the Syrian Ambassador to Australia, who assisted me to send New Zealand NIWA staff to Syria in 2009 to conduct an aqua culture feasibility that culminated in a joint venture btwn our Group and the Syrian government. Having been to 65 countries, I can say DPRK is different. But it is not as the Americans would have us believe.
• Govt in slow lane - Mainfreight boss
  4 Sep, 2017 5:00am Head of Business, NZME fran.o'sullivan@nzherald.co.nz @FranOSullivan Mainfreight chief Don Braid has called time on the Government's leadership saying New Zealand needs to be led by visionaries - not "a couple of accountants". "I think they've stopped listening to us. And I think they think they know better than us. And that's a problem I think for a Government that's been around for a long time," Braid said. In a video interview for the Herald's Mood of the Boardroom Election Survey, Braid acknowledged the National-led Government's fiscal focus had been invaluable as New Zealand worked its way out of the impact of the Global Financial Crisis. But he claimed the country had forgotten about investing for the future.

• Charges filed for breach of UN Sanctions Against DPRK
  Wednesday, 9 August 2017, 1:52 pm Press Release: New Zealand Customs Service The New Zealand Customs Service (Customs) today filed charges against Pacific Aerospace Limited for three breaches of the United Nations Sanctions (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Regulations 2006, and one charge under section 203(1)(b) of the Customs and Excise Act 1996. The charges are in relation to the export of aircraft parts, and for making an erroneous declaration about parts exported inside the aircraft but not declared. The maximum penalty for a breach of the Regulations is a maximum of 12 months imprisonment or a fine not exceeding $10,000 in the case of an individual or in the case of a company or other corporation, a fine not exceeding $100,000. The maximum penalty if convicted of an offence under section 203(1)(b) of the Customs and Excise Act is a fine not exceeding $1,000 for an individual, or a fine not exceeding $5,000 for a body corporate. As legal proceedings are underway, Customs can make no further comment. -ends [Sanctions]
• NZ military 'will consider' aiding US in North Korea attack
  New Zealand military support for the US in the event of an attack by North Korea will be considered "on its merits", the Prime Minister says. Bill English says any military support at this stage is hypothetical and he's still focused on a "peaceful resolution" of nuclear threats between the two nations. Australia is obliged to back the US in the event of an attack on the US by North Korea, like that threatened by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the Pacific US territory of Guam, through the ANZUS treaty. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says Australia will invoke the treaty if an attack happens. "In terms of defence, we are joined at the hip," Mr Turnbull told Australia's 3AW radio on Friday. [Allegiance] [Caution] [Bill English]
• North Korea threatens US airbase in Guam, as Trump promises 'fire and fury'
  Pyongyang claims missile strike could hit US Pacific territory, warning any American military action would provoke ‘all-out war’ Trump threatens North Korea with ‘fire and fury’ Justin McCurry in Tokyo Wednesday 9 August 2017 04.51 BST
  The New Zealand prime minister condemnded Trump’s comments, in an unusually strong statement. “I think the comments are not helpful in an environment that is very tense,” Bill English told local media. He said his government had yet to express concerns to the US administration directly, but “certainly if that type of commentary continued we would”. English added: “I think we are seeing reaction from North Korea that indicates that kind of comment is more likely to escalate rather than settle things.” [Trump] [Belligerence] [Bill English] [Media] [Heading]
• New Zealand denies visas to North Korean academics to attend conference
  • New Zealand denies visa to North Korean academic
    5 Aug, 2017 6:08am Washington Post By Anna Fifield The American-led effort to isolate North Korea from all aspects of the international community has apparently spread to New Zealand, where a group of North Korean academics - including a historian, a philosopher and a linguist - were denied visas for a conference this week. The 10-member delegation from the Pyongyang-based Academy of Social Sciences were not permitted to attend the International Society for Korean Studies conference in Auckland this week. Their specialties include Korean folklore, philosophy, classical literature, history and education. There were to be accompanied by two "minders," as is standard for North Korean groups traveling abroad. One of the academics due to travel was Jo Hui Sung, who has some renown in his field: the history of the Koguryo era, one of the three kingdoms on the Korean Peninsula until the seventh century. But the New Zealand government rejected the visa applications last Friday to comply with sanctions against North Korea, according to people familiar with the process. "They said it was because of the United Nations sanctions," said one, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to give details of the decision. [Travel Ban] [US dominance] [Free speech]
  • New Zealand denies visas to North Korean academics to attend conference
    By Anna Fifield August 4 TOKYO — The American-led effort to isolate North Korea from all aspects of the international community has apparently spread to New Zealand, where a group of North Korean academics — including a historian, a philosopher and a linguist — were denied visas for a conference this week. The 10-member delegation from the Pyongyang-based Academy of Social Sciences was not permitted to attend the International Society for Korean Studies conference in Auckland this week. Their specialties include Korean folklore, philosophy, classical literature, history and education. They were to be accompanied by two “minders,” as is standard for North Korean groups traveling abroad. One of the academics due to travel was Jo Hui Sung, who has some renown in his field: the history of the Koguryo era, one of the three kingdoms on the Korean Peninsula until the 7th century. But the New Zealand government rejected the visa applications last Friday to comply with sanctions against North Korea, according to people familiar with the process. “They said it was because of the United Nations sanctions,” said one, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to give details of the decision. [Travel Ban] [US dominance] [Free speech]
  • N. Korean scholars denied entry visas by New Zealand
    2017/08/05 10:44 AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Aug. 5 (Yonhap) -- New Zealand has rejected visa applications from a group of North Korean scholars wanting to attend an international symposium in Auckland, in an apparent move to join the United States-led efforts to isolate the North for its repeated missile and nuclear provocations, a local newspaper reported Saturday. The New Zealand Herald said that a 10-member delegation from the Pyongyang-based Academy of Social Sciences was not permitted to attend the International Society for Korean Studies conference in Auckland this week after the authorities denied them entry visas. This undated file photo shows the arrival hall of the international airport in Auckland, New Zealand. (Yonhap) This undated file photo shows the arrival hall of the international airport in Auckland, New Zealand. (Yonhap) The North Korean group included scholars specializing in history, philosophy and linguistics, among others, the newspaper noted. The conference held at the University of Auckland on Thursday and Friday was attended by some 130 academics from around the world, including the U.S., Europe, China and South Korea. The Japan-based group convenes the conference every other year, with the last event being held in Austria in 2015. According to the newspaper, New Zealand's foreign ministry declined to comment on the matter. But an informed figure here said the visa rejection was apparently in line with the international community's move to sanction North Korea for its nuclear and missile programs. [Travel Ban] [US dominance] [Free speech]
  • North Korean academics denied New Zealand visas
    Men walk past a street monitor in Tokyo as it shows news of North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile test. (File ... TORU HANAI/REUTERS Men walk past a street monitor in Tokyo as it shows news of North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile test. (File photo) The American-led effort to isolate North Korea from all aspects of the international community has apparently spread to New Zealand, with a group of North Korean academics - including a historian, a philosopher and a linguist - denied visas for a conference this week. The 10-member delegation from the Pyongyang-based Academy of Social Sciences was not permitted to attend the International Society for Korean Studies conference in Auckland. Their specialties include Korean folklore, philosophy, classical literature, history and education. There were to be accompanied by two "minders", as is standard for North Korean groups travelling abroad.
• Kiwi firm investigated after plane ends up in North Korea
  Pacific Aerospace chief executive Damian Camp with a P-750, the type of plane spotted at a North Korean airshow in ... SUPPLIED Pacific Aerospace chief executive Damian Camp with a P-750, the type of plane spotted at a North Korean airshow in October 2016. A New Zealand manufacturer is being investigated for allegedly exporting aircraft parts to North Korea and potentially breaching United Nations sanctions. A Hamilton-based Pacific Aerospace executive expressed shock when one of its planes was spotted at a North Korean air show in September 2016 - a potential breach of international sanctions against the hermit state. A UN Security Council report included a chain of emails that suggest the company not only knew one of its planes was in North Korea months prior, but was planning to provide parts and engineering training. [Sanctions] [Bizarre]
• North Korea's Security Concerns
  Wednesday, 2 August 2017, 2:13 pm Press Release: NZDPRK Society Within hours of the DPRK launching a ballistic missile last week, Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee issued a statement denouncing North Korea for continuing “to flout its obligations to the international community by testing these missiles........ it’s completely unacceptable,” he says. According to Wikipedia 27 countries have developed, and presumably tested, missiles. These are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, European joint-venture, France, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, North Korea, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States. Apparently missile development is acceptable in 26 countries, but is unacceptable in only one. This illogical stance ignores North Korea’s very genuine security concerns. In the interest of peace in our Asian/Pacific region, these concerns should be recognised and steps taken to address them. As a first step Minister Brownlee should authorise our MFAT personnel to visit North Korea and listen to these concerns so that New Zealand can play an informed positive role in working to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula. [Missile test][Double standards] [Deterrence]

• Brownlee condemns North Korea's latest missile test
  12:42 pm today Foreign Affairs Minister Gerry Brownlee has denounced the further testing of a ballistic missile by North Korea. The missile reached an altitude of about 3000km and landed in the sea off Japan, the Japanese national broadcaster NHK said. It comes three weeks after North Korea's first intercontinental ballistic missile test. Mr Brownlee said it was unacceptable for North Korea to flout its obligations to the international community. [Brownlee] [Missile test] [Double standards]
• N Korean cyber attacks affected NZ - report
  8:23 pm today The government is investigating reports North Korea is launching cyber attacks through New Zealand's networks. A report from threat intelligence company Recorded Future says New Zealand is one of eight countries where North Korea has a "large and active presence". Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee said he was not sure how accurate the report was. "What it appears to indicate is that those who are more elite in North Korea and perhaps other who have access to devices are using tunneling apps to be able to access the internet from within North Korea. Mr Brownlee said the government's spy agency was leading the investigation. [Cyberwar] [Bizarre] [Evidence]
• 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987 and New Zealand’s nuclear free status.
  The Public Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament (P ACDAC) is organising a special commemor ativ e ev ent to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the New Z ealand Nuclear Free Z one, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987 and New Zealand’ s nuclear free status. Speak ers will include: • Sir Geoffrey P almer , former New Z ealand Prime Minister , and • Ambassador Dell Higgie, New Z ealand Disarmament Ambassador New Zealand Nuclear Free 30th Anniversary Symposium 27 July 2017
• North Korea draws closer to US target with latest missile test
  North Korea’s state media announced on Tuesday, 4 July 2017, that it had carried out a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) – a long-range guided missile that is primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery.
  So nothing much will change in the coming days and months unless: The US attacks; the US imposes “secondary sanctions” on Chinese firms operating in North Korea, which could destabilise Sino-US relations; or the US pivots its North Korea policy away from denuclearisation and figures out how to live with a nuclear-armed North Korea. Those are all terrible options, but they are the only meaningful alternatives to the currently dangerous status quo. [Hwasong-14] [Peaceful coexistence] [MISCOM]
• Opinion: Beyond the 'rare glimpse' of North Korea
  The problems in North Korea are manifold, but pre-existing narrative frameworks that treat the country as a bizarre joke prevent us from thinking about the nation and its society in a nuanced and constructive way, writes Victoria University of Wellington Associate Professor Stephen Epstein. Boy waving North Korean flagAs of 2017, we do in fact know much about North Korea, even if the workings of the inner echelons of power remain opaque. (Photo: Chris Price/Flickr) How rare is a “rare glimpse” of North Korea? While the term is commonly seen in headlines, the 100,000 Google hits yielded when you enter the search terms “North Korea” and “rare glimpse” suggest these images are not as novel as media narratives depict. [Roger Shepherd]
• New Ambassador to China announced
  New Zealand's next ambassador to China will be Clare Fearnley, Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee announced today. “New Zealand’s relationship with China is one of our most important. In its 45th year, it encompasses areas as diverse as economic, trade, climate change, defence, legal, cultural and educational cooperation,” Mr Brownlee says….
  Ms Fearnley is currently New Zealand Ambassador to South Korea (sic*) after serving as Director-General North Asia, Director-General Asia Pacific, and Acting Director-General Legal at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She was also previously Consul-General in Shanghai. [NZ China] [NZ Koreas]
  *The Foreign Minister seems to be unaware that the NZ ambassador is accredited to both Koreas
• Missiles are Acceptable Everywhere – Except North Korea
  Wednesday, 5 July 2017, 4:15 pm Press Release: NZ DPRK Society North Korea, which does not possess a single nuclear warhead, test fires another missile. NZ Foreign Affairs Minister Brownlee promptly fires off an indignant press release stating that North Korean missile tests are unacceptable. While this may sound good in Washington, it does not help contribute to peace and security in NE Asia. In recent months India has tested Agni-2 medium-range and Agni-3 intermediate-range ballistic missiles, as well as an Agni-5 ICBM, Pakistan has fired an Ababeel medium-range ballistic missile, capable of delivering multiple warheads, South Korea has launched a Hyunmoo-2 cruise missile and is developing a new generation Hyunmoo-3. Both China and Russia have tested ICBMs. The United States which maintains a stock of some 7,000 nuclear warheads has fired Minuteman 3 and Trident missiles. No comment from our Foreign Affairs Minister. If Minister Brownlee genuinely wishes to contribute to peace and security in NE Asia he should equally promptly release a statement endorsing Presidents Xi and Putin’s proposal that the United States and South Korea refrain from carrying out large-scale joint war game exercises, and that North Korea reciprocate with a moratorium on testing nuclear devices thus defusing the situation and opening the way for peace talks. Peter Wilson Secretary NZ DPRK Society [Missile test] [Hwasong-14] [Double standards]
  • Reposting on RT, Moscow
    
  • Reposting on The Standard, NZ
    
• Gerald McGhie: Engage over North Korea, don't dismiss
  North Korean soldiers cross the Yalu river near Sinuiju, close to the Chinese border city of Dandong, Liaoning province. China has long been North Korea's main ally and trading partner, but relations are increasingly strained by continued missile testing and provocations by the regime of Kim Jong Un. OPINION: In a recent TV interview the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gerry Brownlee, referred to Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, as "nuts". To some Western observers Kim Jong Un, like US President Donald Trump, may seem unpredictable. But, in fact, he has a powerful elite behind him and as the grandson of North Korea's founding leader, Kim Il Sung, he heads the world's most astute despotic regime – a successful Communist absolute monarchy. Rather than treat the North Korean leadership dismissively, it would be more productive for a country even as far from Pyongyang as New Zealand to try to understand North Korea's psychology of survival.

• Opposition parties not sold on Thiel deal
  5:37 pm on 29 June 2017 Benedict Collins The government is standing by its decision to make the controversial American billionaire Peter Thiel a citizen, saying he's a great ambassador for the country. Internal Affairs was forced to release new information about Peter Thiel's citizenship bid today after the Ombudsman intervened following a complaint from RNZ News. It showed Mr Thiel had spent just 12 days in the country over the previous five years when then Internal Affairs Minister Nathan Guy granted him citizenship in 2011 in exceptional circumstances. Mr Thiel also had no intention of living in New Zealand in the future. However the government has been less forthcoming on why, for six years, the public had no idea their great ambassador was a New Zealander, only finding out he was a citizen in January this year. At Parliament this afternoon, Mr Guy was asked to justify his decision given the limited amount of time Mr Thiel had spent here. He said there were exceptional circumstances involved, and Mr Thiel had made significant investments in New Zealand companies. "He is a great ambassador for New Zealand, a great salesperson," Mr Guy said. "He's got incredible reach in Silicon Valley. In fact, the New Zealand media are only interested in this individual because of his connections to the Trump regime." [Corruption] [Double standards]
  • Who is Peter Thiel?
    3:45 pm on 29 June 2017 Hamish Cardwell Peter Thiel, who was granted New Zealand citizenship in 2011 despite only visiting the country a handful of times, is a storied US investor and entrepreneur. The then President-elect Donald Trump with Peter Thiel in December 2016. US President Donald Trump, at the time president-elect, with Peter Thiel in December 2016. Photo: AFP Officials today revealed Mr Thiel had spent only 12 days in New Zealand at the time of his application, after the Department of Internal Affairs was told by the Ombudsman to release the information, deeming it in the public interest. Normally a permanent resident has to spend more than 70 percent of their time in New Zealand over five years before they can apply for citizenship. His application was supported by Xero founder Rod Drury and Trade Me founder Sam Morgan. Mr Thiel, 49, is reportedly worth $US2.7 billion after making his fortune in the tech boom in the early 2000s. Recently, he was a donor to Donald Trump's election campaign and a technology adviser to the president-elect. [Corruption] [Double standards]
• 2017 PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION of the PAEKTUDAESAN-JULGI in DPRK EXPEDITION 1: May 25 to June 15, 2017
  By Roger Shepherd of HIKEKOREA on June 21, 2017.
  Email: roger@hikekorea.com www.hikekorea.com. www.onekoreaphotography.com
  The Paektudaesan-julgi is an 1800km mountain spine that stretches down the entire length of the Korean Peninsula. It serves as its watershed via a continuous ridge that is never cut by water. It also serves a role as the spine of the Korean nation and its character along with the belief that it is a transmitter of all its natural energies. In the DPRK it remains relatively untouched and unvisited by outsiders including most DPRK citizens. New Zealander Roger Shepherd is a South Korean based photographer and writer. He has been visiting sections of the Paektudaesan-julgi since 2011. He records and documents it through writing and photography. His work is well received in both the North and South of Korea, with numerous exhibitions and articles that send a message to the people of Korea, that despite its division, its oneness can still be sensed through the Paektudaesan-julgi and its people. This year he is embarking on two more expeditions of new mountains of the Paektudaesan-julgi. He recently returned from his first expedition. [EWA] [Inter-Korean] [NK NZ] [Person-to-person]
• Sanctions: They’re not just something on the TV news
  News Feed Tuesday, 20 June 2017 The UN Security Council has for the third time in 18 months voted to impose sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). While these deal mainly with issues that will have limited impact on air cargo, it’s vital that the transport sector is aware of sanctions enforced by Australia, NZ and most of our major trading partners. Failure to do so can potentially lead to prosecution, with a range of penalties available in sentencing. Even if an infringement does not extend to such extremes it can involve a shipper, forwarder, Customs broker or carrier in unwelcome documentation and quite probably in equally unwelcome scrutiny by border agencies for a long time. [Sanctions] {US dominance]
• New Zealand has performed poorly in a global report card on children’s well-being
  UNICEF NZ New Zealand has performed poorly in a global report card on children’s well-being, and Kiwi kids will continue to miss out unless there is a massive upheaval in how children’s best interests are served, says child rights organisation UNICEF NZ. New Zealand was ranked 34th out of 41 EU/OECD countries, according to the latest report issued by the UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti. The Innocenti report measures how well countries perform in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identified as most important for child well-being. Across the SDGs, New Zealand performs best in “Sustainable cities and communities” (9th) and worst in “Good health and well-being” (38th).
• New Zealand denies apologizing to Israel over controversial UN motion
  By Herb Keinon June 14, 2017 13:56 Wellington's foreign minister clarifies that a letter his country sent Tuesday to Jerusalem was not an apology. The current New Zealand flag flies on Parliament buildings in Wellington's Central Cusiness District on March 24, 2016.. (photo credit:AFP PHOTO) New Zealand's Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee on Wednesday characterized a letter his country sent to Israel stemming from Wellington's sponsorship of an anti-settlement UN resolution as a “clarification,” not an “apology.” Grilled on Radio New Zealand about the issue by an interviewer , who at one point asked whether the letter did not amount to “pandering” to Israel, Brownlee said that the letter “indicated that New Zealand wanted to resume diplomatic relations with Israel and regretted that there had been fall-out from the co-sponsorship of the resolution.” [Israel] [Brownlee]
• Israel, New Zealand patch up ties
  ByHerb Keinon June 13, 2017 17:15 New Zealand PM said he 'regrets' damage done to relations as a result Of Wellington sponsoring UNSC 2334. The current New Zealand flag flies on Parliament buildings in Wellington's Central Cusiness District on March 24, 2016.. (photo credit:AFP PHOTO) Israel announced on Tuesday that it was sending its ambassador back to New Zealand, ending a six month diplomatic crisis between the two countries sparked by New Zealand's co-sponsorship of anti-settlement UN Security Council Resolution 2334 in December. New Zealand co-sponsored the resolution along with Senegal, another country with whom Israel has diplomatic relations, and two countries with which there are no diplomatic ties: Malaysia and Venezuela. Then president Barack Obama enabled the resolution to pass by abstaining on the measure, rather than using the US Security Council veto. Israel decided to send back its envoy to Senegal last week after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Senegal's President Macky Sall in Liberia. It was widely expected that mending the relations with New Zealand would quickly follow [Israel]
• NZ halts funding to 'complete nutter' North Korea
  Jenna Lynch Newshub can reveal the New Zealand Government sent aid money to North Korea for at least eight years. It stopped last year when the Government became worried Kim Jong-un's regime was diverting any money it could get its hands on into its nuclear programme. It was through something called the "Embassy Fund for North Korea" - a contestable fund managed by the New Zealand embassy in Seoul. The amount given was small but symbolic. Since 2008, the fund was allocated $30,000 a year, for aid agencies such as Maranatha Trust, Red Cross, Save the Children and Marama Global to buy things like utensils for orphanages, English-language training, water sanitation and food-processing equipment. [Irrationality] [Aid weapon]
• General Debate: Global Affairs, Visit of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to New Zealand
  Kennedy Graham MP on Wednesday, June 7, 2017 - 18:30 Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green): Yesterday, Minister Brownlee met with US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, here in Wellington. Both Ministers are responsible for the foreign policy of their countries. A few weeks ago, Mr Brownlee, quaintly, explained to a concerned public that he was learning on the job—coming to grips, as it were, with the language of diplomacy.
• UNSC open to further sanctions on N. Korea: New Zealand envoy
  2017/06/07 17:47 SEOUL, June 7 (Yonhap) -- The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) seems open to further strengthening sanctions on North Korea if the country continues to fail to respect the council's resolutions, New Zealand's ambassador to Seoul has said, drawing on the experiences of her country's recent two-year seat at the U.N. panel. Last week, the Security Council adopted its latest sanctions known as Resolution 2356 in its response to North Korea's recent series of ballistic missile launches. It was the U.N. panel's seventh sanctions resolution over North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, adding more North Korean people and entities to a blacklist. [Subordinate] [Proliferation] [US NK policy]

• Trump sacks Comey leaving New Zealand in the firing line
  With President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, the Washington political scene is left in shock. In its wake, informed speculation has it that Comey’s seemingly dormant investigation into Hillary Clinton’s illegal email server and the alleged corrupt pay-for-play Clinton Foundation dealings with New Zealand’s and other foreign governments, is in process of being resuscitated. [Clinton Foundation]
• 'Could be a significant market' - Kiwi meat exports to Iran resume
  The first shipment of New Zealand meat to Iran in more than a decade will be sent later this month. Source: 1 NEWS Wellington company Taylor Preston will send the shipment after Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy oversaw an agreement to allow frozen sheep and beef exports to resume. Iran has the second-largest economy in the Middle East and North Africa region. The nation is heavily reliant on food imports and took one-quarter of New Zealand's sheep exports in the 1980s. In February, New Zealand lifted sanctions against Iran after it agreed to roll back its nuclear ambitions. "Over time this could become a significant market for particularly lamb, but in the future it could be beef as well," Mr Guy said today. "It's been a tough year for sheep farmers so these significant market access opportunities will be warmly received." A six-month trial to send chilled meats to China is also about to get underway. [Iran] [Sanctions] [Tribute]
• Gerry Brownlee 'premature' in making Israel comments: Prime Minister Bill English
  STACEY KIRK Last updated 18:12, May 8 2017 PM Bill English sets the record straight after Gerry Brownlee's comments on New Zealand's co-sponsored UN resolution on Israel. Newly appointed Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee was "still trying to find the right language" when he claimed a New Zealand-sponsored United Nations Security Council Resolution on Israel was "premature". But Prime Minister Bill English says he is confident Brownlee is clear on New Zealand's position now, and it had not changed since the Government pushed through a controversial resolution, condemning Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. [Brownlee] [Israel] [English]
• Editorial: Newby foreign minister disowns Government's Israel policy.
  It's not often that a new minister disowns the policy of his immediate predecessor and of the Government as a whole. But that's what newly-appointed Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee has done. Brownlee says it was "premature" of New Zealand to co-sponsor the UN Security Council resolution condemning the Israeli Government's policy of expanding Israeli settlements. At a stroke he has ratted on his government's bold and courageous move which called Benjamin Netanyahu's belligerent government to account and expressed a widespread international frustration at Israel's behaviour. In doing so he has contradicted and disowned the policy of his predecessor, Murray McCully, and thrown his Government's policy into utter confusion. This is not a sensible course for a new minister to follow, and he should be hauled over the coals by his leader, Bill English. [Israel] [Brownlee]
• McCully’s record on aid needs scrutiny
  The departing foreign minister put too much store in aid that enhanced the ‘‘national interest’’, says Peter Adams.
  With Murray McCully’s departure as Foreign Affairs Minister, it is time to review the good, the bad and the ugly in his administration of the aid programme so that his successor can achieve effective spending without a high ratio of mistakes. A review is also needed because of the self-congratulatory myths that McCully has been perpetuating. He recently boasted that multilateral bodies, like the World Bank, will be ‘‘popping champagne corks’’ in celebration at his departure. McCully was right to criticise them if he saw waste and too much bureaucracy, but his antagonistic approach is unlikely to have worked. In fact, New Zealand aid going to multilateral organisations has been a mere 2 per cent lower during McCully’s tenure than in the decade before. New Zealand has not withdrawn from any organisation of importance, still pays its dues and participates in their governance processes. That is because they do a pretty good job. [McCully] [Aid weapon]
• New Zealand reaches out to restore diplomatic ties with Israel
  ByJTA May 3, 2017 16:47 “I’ve sent a letter to Mr. Netanyahu yesterday firstly congratulating them on their national day but expressing a desire for the Israeli-New Zealand relationship to get back on track." The current New Zealand flag flies on Parliament buildings in Wellingtons Central Cusiness District The current New Zealand flag flies on Parliament buildings in Wellingtons Central Cusiness District on March 24, 2016.. (photo credit:AFP PHOTO) Recently appointed New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Gerry Brownlee has contacted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to restore diplomatic relations with Israel. Brownlee received his ministerial warrant on Tuesday, Israel’s Independence Day, and hours later wrote to Netanyahu to get the relationship back on track. [Israel] {Brownlee]

• Murray McCully searched in airport security blunder
  Tim Graham Foreign Minister Murray McCully was mistakenly selected for a random search at Auckland Airport at the request of the United States, RNZ has learned. Foreign Minister Murray McCully attends a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Auckland on February 10, 2017. Mr McCully was on his way to Washington for a meeting on combating Islamic State, and was travelling as a VIP on a diplomatic passport. His office said he was about to board an Air New Zealand flight on 21 March when he was subjected to a random search. The trip was one of the last official visits for the long-serving foreign minister, who is not contesting the next election and steps down officially from the role next week. Mr McCully's office and the Aviation Security Service - the official provider of aviation security in New Zealand - described it as a local administrative error. The Aviation Security Service said in a statement the search was a requirement of the US government and was carried out by Auckland firm Secureflight. The company's director, Peter Pilley, declined to be interviewed. In its statement, the service said the screening was a requirement of the US government, and the names of "selectee search" passengers were advised from the US to all airlines flying direct to US ports. Passengers were asked to step aside into a different screening lane. [US dominance] [Extraterritoriality] [Murray McCully]
• Update on NZ Civil Society Activities in DPRK
  Press release from NZ-DPRK Society
  Tuesday, 25 April 2017, 12:04 pm Despite a freezing of diplomatic relations and militaristic official statements from the NZ government which exacerbate rather than pour oil on troubled waters, relations between New Zealand and the DPRK continue to be active at civil society level. This Month A team of four from the Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre ( http://www.miranda-shorebird.org.nz/ ) are currently in DPRK working with staff from the Natural Conservation union of the DPRK (NCUK). For the first few days they are operating on mudflats near Nampo where they are banding birds that have migrated from Australia and New Zealand. From there they will move North where they will survey and count migratory birds which have stopped on their journey for a feed.
• Gerry Brownlee may have little time to make his mark on the Foreign Minister's job
  Audrey Young 's Opinion Audrey Young is the New Zealand Herald’s political editor. 2:37 PM Monday Apr 24, 2017 As Gerry Brownlee steps into the role of Foreign Affairs minister, he'll find the world is a vastly more unpredictable place. Photo / Jason Oxenham As Gerry Brownlee steps into the role of Foreign Affairs minister, he'll find the world is a vastly more unpredictable place. Photo / Jason Oxenham Gerry Brownlee should make the most of the next five months as Foreign Minister because they may be his only time in the job. Despite Prime Minister Bill English saying it was not an interim appointment, it could well be, if New Zealand First leader Winston Peters plays hardball in any coalition negotiations it has with National after the September 23 election. It could be quite a ride for Brownlee. The world is a vastly more unpredictable place than when Murray McCully got Foreign Affairs nine years ago, or when Peters got it 12 years ago. [Foreign Affairs] Brownlee]
• Is NZ safe from North Korea's threat of nuclear war?
  Feeling terrified by North Korea's threat of a "super-mighty preemptive strike"? Here's some reassuring news: New Zealand might just be the safest place on Earth when it comes to surviving a possible nuclear war. But in lieu of building bunkers, New Zealand could be doing a lot more to thwart a conflict between the isolated Northeast Asian nation and the United States. In fact, Gareth Morgan - the cat-hating economist and philanthropist who's now running for Parliament - appears to have done more recently in the way of diplomacy than the Government itself.
  WHAT COULD HAPPEN NEXT? Morgan's one of few Kiwis going in to bat for North Korea.
  Another is Dr Tim Beal, a now-retired scholar of Chinese studies, who heads the NZ-DPRK Society, a friendship group aimed at "building bridges, encouraging connections between New Zealand and North Korea, building awareness, funding a bit of aid". Its past work has included fundraising to buy tractors for impoverished North Korean farmers. Beal's firmly in North Korea's corner, one of few people who'll suggest that its missile tests are because it "obviously wants peace". "If you are threatened by someone, the best way to persuade them not to attack you is to retaliate," he says. "It's quite reasonable for the Koreans to think that's what they're planning to do. It's a very reasonable assumption. If you're sitting in Pyongyang, the United States may attack, they practise attacking, they threaten to attack, they've done it elsewhere, and so forth. "The best way of preventing this is developing some form of retaliation to put them off attacking, and that's basically what they've been doing." He'd like to see some "independent thought ... about how New Zealand can play a useful role" - and says Sinclair is on the money with desire for renewed diplomatic talks, suggesting that the US should suspend its military exercises in South Korea, and North Korea should suspend the development and testing of missiles. For New Zealand, Beal says, academic and agricultural exchanges with North Korea are "obvious things to do".  "There's lots of ways we could actually build up relations," he says. Beal's been to North Korea four times, but not for six years now. He hopes to visit again this year - and says he's not at all put off by the current spike in tensions. "There's a lot of hype about 'the most dangerous country in the world' and all that sort of nonsense, but I don't think we're going to see a war - but it's always a possibility." [NZ NK]
• Brownlee accuses North Korea of 'evil intent'
  New Zealand 11:20 am today Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee has hit out at North Korea describing it as having "evil intent". Overnight, North Korea issued a stern message to Australia, accusing the government of "blindly toeing the US line" and warning of a possible nuclear strike if it persists. Its comments were in response to Australia's Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, who last week said North Korea's nuclear weapons programme posed a "serious threat" to Australia unless it was stopped by the international community. Speaking to TVNZ's Q+A today, Gerry Brownlee said North Korea was "constantly threatening" its neighbours by testing nuclear missiles. "Here you've got a leader... people know very little about his regime, but you would assume that underneath him there is a very big machinery of people who have equally evil intent... "Sending the missles into the sea of Japan and making the various outrageous threats, including the threats overnight to Australia," he told the programme. Asked if New Zealand could take part in a US-led action against North Korea, he said that would have to be decided at the time. But he said sanctions and diplomacy should be tried first. Mr Brownlee said North Korea was a rogue state, led by people with evil intent, and many people were suffering under the regime. [Brownlee] [Bizarre]
• Donald Trump To Nominate Scott Brown As Ambassador To New Zealand
  The former Massachusetts senator was an early Trump supporter. By Igor Bobic President Donald Trump plans to nominate former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown to serve as the country’s next ambassador to New Zealand, a major non-NATO ally of the United States. Brown, who lost his seat to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in 2012, endorsed Trump early on in the campaign and helped stump for the real estate mogul during the New Hampshire primary. He was previously considered for Veterans Affairs secretary in Trump’s administration. [Scott Brown]
• Man tipped for US ambassador role in NZ a former nude model who supports waterboarding
  12:51 PM Saturday Feb 18, 2017 The man tipped to be President Donald Trump's US ambassador to New Zealand is a former naked centrefold and supports the use of waterboarding. Former US Senator and winner of "America's Sexiest Man" Scott Brown is being linked to the job by The Boston Globe, in a report claiming the 57-year-old is in line to "get the nod for Wellington." Brown has a more colourful past than most diplomats. In 1982 he nailed Cosmopolitan magazine's "America's Sexiest Man" competition, with the former Army man then turning his hand to politics. [Scott Brown]

• New Silk Road in Auckland: Shared values as the basis for cooperation
  By Caleb T. Maupin China.org.cn, March 30, 2017 Some may be surprised to hear that New Zealand has signed on to China's Belt and Road Initiative. This development project is usually associated in the public mind with impoverished and developing countries in regions like Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East. So, why would a country, an ocean apart from China, with a Western level of development sign on? This dramatic move, with likely impact for decades to come, cannot merely be dismissed as a friendly gesture between Pacific "neighbors." Things become a bit clearer when we examine the nature of the project itself. [OBOR} [China NZ]
• China, New Zealand to deepen relations for mutual benefits
  Xinhua, March 29, 2017 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (front C) and his New Zealand counterpart Bill English (front 2nd R) meet with members of the New Zealand China Council before they visit an exhibition marking the 120th anniversary of the birth of Rewi Alley, an old friend of the Chinese people, in Auckland, New Zealand, March 28, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his New Zealand counterpart Bill English in Auckland on Tuesday vowed to deepen the relations between the two countries for increased mutual benefits. Li made the remarks at a welcoming luncheon organized by the political, business and academic circles of New Zealand. Speaking to more than 500 people present, Li said China-New Zealand ties are experiencing a historic high and cooperation in various areas has reached unprecedented levels. New Zealand has always been leading among developed countries in developing relations with China, and has created many "firsts," Li said. New Zealand was among the first countries to acknowledge China's full market economy status, and it was the first developed country that concluded a bilateral free trade agreement with China, among others. During this visit, the two countries signed a ground-breaking memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative, the first such document China has inked with a developed Western country. [China NZ]
• New Zealand signs B&R cooperation deal with China
  Xinhua, March 27, 2017 New Zealand on Monday inked a cooperation agreement on the Belt and Road Initiative with China, becoming the first among Western developed countries. Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his New Zealand counterpart Bill English witnessed the signing of the document. [OBOR] [China NZ]
• New book claims John Key gave green light to deadly SAS raid in Afghanistan
  Hager's book claims SAS killed civilians Nicky Hager and Jon Stevenson talk about their book Hit & Run alleging New Zealand SAS soldiers killed six civilians including a 3 year old girl during a raid on an Afghanistan village in retaliation for an attack on New Zealand troops. Authors Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson say elite New Zealand troops in Afghanistan were involved in a raid which killed six civilians and injured 15, in two isolated villages, in reaction to the first combat death in 2010. Their new book Hit and Run outlines raids by SAS troops in Baghlan - when New Zealand led the provincial reconstruction team in Bamyan - in August 2010 that allegedly caused the deaths and injuries. The authors said the raid - in response to the death of Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell from a roadside bomb - New Zealand's first combat death in Afghanistan - was given the green light by Prime Minister John Key in person but it was based on flimsy intelligence. [SAS] [Afghanistan] [Civilians]
• Foreign ownership nears 50%
  7:14 am on 9 March 2017 Foreign ownership in New Zealand's privately-owned companies is nearing half. NZX Dr Rosenberg said $16.3bn in profits and investment income left this country in the year to March 2016. Photo: NZX / Supplied Figures compiled by Bill Rosenberg for the Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa show foreigners owned 47 percent of shares in firms in the year to March 2016, up from 37 percent the year before. That is the highest level since 2002, when it hit 60 percent. Dr Rosenberg said while foreign investment can bring money, technology and jobs, evidence showed New Zealand lost more than it gained. "New Zealand has a moderately high degree of overseas ownership. We're dependent on it in some quite critical areas such as finance. "The quality of investment here is not great, and a lot of our income is sent overseas," he said. [FDI]
• Foreign Control - Key Facts
  † indicates source. Last updated: February 2017 Note that there are often revisions to official data, leading to some changes to reported data for past years. [FDI]
• MP Melissa Lee: Korean War vets are my heroes
  By Melissa Lee 4:44 PM Sunday Mar 5, 2017 On Wednesday, veterans of the Korean War from all over New Zealand, will assemble at the Cenotaph in the Auckland War Museum Domain. Many of them will have sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters with them. Some will be there in remembrance of their loved ones; fallen husbands, brothers, fathers and uncles, who fought to keep the people of Korea free. I, too, will be there, to honour my "dads" one last time as NZKVA. [Korea War]

• New Zealand surprised Israel by sponsoring anti-settlement UN resolution
  ByHerb Keinon February 25, 2017 13:44 New Zealand was one of four countries, along with Senegal, Venezuela and Malaysia, that sponsored the resolution after Egypt withdrew sponsorship in the waning days of the Obama Administration. SYDNEY – Israel is waiting for an explanation from New Zealand regarding why it surprised Jerusalem and sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 2334 before there can be any talk of repairing the damaged ties between the two countries, a senior diplomatic official accompanying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told The Jerusalem Post. The official said Israel was stunned by New Zealand’s sponsorship of December’s anti-settlement resolution, especially because New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully was in Israel just weeks before and did not mention the likelihood of such an initiative. [Israel] [McCully]
• We thought New Zealand was an island nation. Scientists say it’s the tip of a ‘hidden continent.’
  By Avi Selk February 19 at 12:17 PM Zealandia has been written off for decades “as an amalgam of continental fragments and slivers” and ocean crust, but now researchers say the land mass meets all the definitions of a continent. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post) It's a vast, strange land; its canyons and mountain ranges almost entirely unexplored, its creatures like something out of myth. From what we know, it's beautiful — stretching more than a thousand miles from Savage Seamount across Three Kings Ridge, past swamp forests and volcanoes to the southern slopes. Pigeons feed on cabbage trees in Zealandia, whales have beaks, and peanut worms crawl above light-less abysses. In the last fraction of its long history, a relatively small band of humans has settled Zealandia's greatest mountain peaks, which they call the islands of New Zealand. This place exists, though most of the 2 million square miles lie beneath the Pacific Ocean.
• Finding NZ's place in the new world order
  The United States under President Donald Trump is throwing overboard long-standing norms. REUTERS The United States under President Donald Trump is throwing overboard long-standing norms. OPINION: New Zealand must find its place in the new world order. We must address the insecurity unleashed by the profound changes unfolding since the United States elections. Since World War II New Zealand and the US have worked together in the world as friends and allies, sharing common ideals for the creation of multilateral institutions to shape a better world. Our joint commitments to freedom of speech and elections, the rule of law and the upholding of human rights are important shared values. Speaking to the plenary session of the San Francisco conference in 1945 where the United Nations was born, our prime minister Peter Fraser set out the New Zealand position: "I am speaking for a country which, although small in area and population, has made great sacrifices in two world wars. I speak for the New Zealanders who died and are buried thousands of miles from their own land in the cause they believed to be just. I speak for the New Zealanders yet to be born. It is my deep fear that if this fleeting moment is not captured the world will again relapse into a period of disillusionment, despair and doom. This must not happen." Prime Minister Peter Fraser addressed the plenary session of the United Nations in 1945, speaking of the need to embrace ... Photo News Ltd Prime Minister Peter Fraser addressed the plenary session of the United Nations in 1945, speaking of the need to embrace multilateral institutions to shape a better world, or risk relapsing into a period of disillusionment, despair and doom. Over the years our increasingly independent stance on international affairs has grown. We disagreed with the US over Iraq, but helped in Afghanistan. For more than 30 years we worked to get over the hump in the road after NZ went nuclear free. We stuck to our principles, yet succeeded in maintaining our relationship because we saw in each other an underlying confluence of values. We have both been outwardly focused and liberal democracies. David Parker is Labour's foreign affairs spokesman. [Trump] [Cliché]
• Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says officials' work on US travel ban "inadequate"
  By Claire Trevett, Isaac Davison 8:51 AM Wednesday Feb 1, 2017 Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has hauled in his chief executive for a telling-off over the delay in confirming the impact of a US travel ban on Kiwis. McCully called a meeting with Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFat) chief executive Brook Barrington this morning. "I conveyed unambiguously the expectations that I have about the ministry's management of difficult issues with the United States system during this transition period," he told the Herald. MFat was unable to clarify with the US Administration whether New Zealand dual nationals were captured by US President Donald Trump's travel ban until last night - five days after the policy came into effect. That left Prime Minister Bill English in the dark about where New Zealand stood. McCully said the US Administration was undergoing a major transition that would "make life more complex for us". The ministry needed to "manage [itself] through that process with a high level of professionalism", he said. McCully said he did not want to single out any individual for criticism. "I'm not going personalise this - I am just owning up to the fact that the foreign ministry's performance on this issue has been inadequate." [McCully] [Trump] [MFAT] [Agency]

• Trump White House Assures Business as Usual
  Monday, 23 January 2017, 11:13 am
  Press Release: NZ DPRK Society Trump White House Assures Business as Usual for the Military Industrial Complex Relax, Lockheed Martin, your $6 billion of annual profits from military hardware sales are safe. Ignore the fact that Trump statements in recent weeks have dropped your stock price by 5%. Don’t worry about potential loss of revenue from the winding down of NATO. That was profitable while it lasted, but it is small beer compared with what has now been promised. Within minutes of inauguration, President Trump’s White House website committed to “develop a state-of-the-art missile defense system to protect against missile-based attacks from states like Iran and North Korea”. It is irrelevant that Iran has no ICBM capability. It is irrelevant that North Korea does not want war and has for decades been pleading for an end to hostilities in the form of the peace treaty (as provided for in the Korean War Armistice Agreement). What is relevant is that the value of the state-of-the-art missile defense contracts will be worth far more than the NATO armament supply contracts ever were. Relax, Lockheed Martin, and the rest of the military industrial complex, your billions of annual profits are assured. Tim Beal, Chairman, NZ DPRK Society. Peter Wilson, Secretary NZ DPRK Society. [Trump] [Military-industrial Complex]
  • Trump White House Assures Business as Usual
    Posted, 2017-01-22 Relax, Lockheed Martin, your $6 billion of annual profits from military hardware sales are safe. ...
• Bill English refuses to speculate on who will take on Foreign Affairs role
  6:05 AM Monday Jan 16, 2017 Prime Minister Bill English will not rule out trading away the Foreign Affairs portfolio in post-election coalition talks, despite the importance of the role in the aftermath of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump in the US. Asked about his intentions for the role while in London, English said it was an important time in international relations as New Zealand sets about trying to secure free trade agreements with the European Union, the United Kingdom and salvaging what it can from the Trans Pacific Partnership. Asked if the job was too important to hand over to a coalition partner such as NZ First leader Winston Peters or one of his MPs after the election, English said such questions would be addressed after the election. [Foreign Affairs]
• Rugby: China, The sleeping dragon of world rugby?
  By Julian Bennetts 5:00 AM Sunday Jan 8, 2017 The United States has often been touted as a future frontier of world rugby but Julian Bennetts reveals the beginnings of a real rugby revolution are already under way in China. When Japan beat South Africa in Brighton at last year's Rugby World Cup, the tremor from the shock result was felt 12,800km away in Beijing. While Japan has a long history in rugby, it is a sport that until recently had little place in the Chinese consciousness. That, though, is set to change. Even before Japan's victory, discussions were under way between World Rugby, the Chinese government and AliSports, the sporting arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba, over investment in the country's rugby structure. [Rugby] [China competition]
• Murray McCully's office vandalised on North Shore
  4:34 PM Wednesday Jan 4, 2017 Foreign Minister and East Coast Bays MP Murray McCully's office has been vandalised after New Zealand co-sponsored a UN resolution against Israeli settlements. A photograph posted to Reddit shows graffiti on the frontage of McCully's electorate office in Browns Bay, calling him a "traitor" and "Jew hater". A spokesman for McCully said the damage was reported to the landlord, who removed the spray paint today. He did not know if the incident had been referred to the Police. The vandalism comes after New Zealand co-sponsored a resolution in the United Nations Security Council criticising Israeli settlements as violating international law and undermining a two-state solution with Palestine. [Israel]

• Bill English reveals his reshuffled Cabinet in Wellington
  2:37 PM Sunday Dec 18, 2016 Prime Minister Bill English has appointed four new ministers in his first caucus reshuffle and taken the police and corrections portfolios off Judith Collins.
• Secretary-General Appoints David Shearer of New Zealand Special Representative for South Sudan
  United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of David Shearer of New Zealand as his new Special Representative for South Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Mr. Shearer succeeds Ellen Margrethe Løj of Denmark, who completed her assignment at the end of November 2016. The Secretary-General is grateful for Ms. Løj’s dedication and excellent leadership of UNMISS over the past two plus years, under extremely challenging political, security, humanitarian and human rights circumstances in South Sudan.
• David Shearer to quit for UN job: Mt Albert byelection looms
  5:30 AM Thursday Dec 8, 2016 Senior Labour MP's selection for role in South Sudan hailed as 'a huge deal'. Labour MP David Shearer is poised to resign from Parliament to take up the tough job of leading the United Nations' mission in war-torn South Sudan. The latest political bombshell will mean a byelection in his Mt Albert electorate early next year, the first electoral challenge for the new Prime Minister. LISTEN: Foreign Minister Murray McCully speaks to Mike Hosking about David Shearer's potential new UN role A recommendation for his appointment has been put before the UN Security Council in New York by outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. Once approved this week, Shearer will work alongside the commander of 18,000 peace-keepers, with a budget of about $1 billion. Any of the Security Council's 15 members has two days to object, but given Shearer's previous experience as a senior UN leader in trouble-spots, he is likely to be accepted.

• New Zealand earthquake: Two dead following powerful tremor
  Two people have died after a powerful magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck New Zealand's South Island. Prime Minister John Key said further details were not yet known. The US Geological Survey said it hit just after midnight (11:02 GMT on Sunday), some 95km (59 miles) from Christchurch. A tsunami arrived about two hours later. Officials warned everyone along the eastern coast to head inland or for higher ground.
• Ombudsman delays investigation of Department of Immigration
  Thursday, 20 October 2016, 2:53 pm Opinion: Hugh Steadman Press Release: For Immediate Release. NZ Government continues torture of its secret prisoner. Last week the Ombudsman announced a further delay in its investigation of the NZ Department of Immigration’s abuse of Canterbury resident and Canadian citizen, Carolyn Dare Wilfred. Prior to that, there had been two previous, six-week extensions by the Ombudsman’s office of its decision not to allow Carolyn’s lawyer access to the government’s response to the questions it had posed on her behalf. ‘ Why should Carolyn, on what was to be a brief visit to Canada, continue to be blocked at the border to prevent her return to her home and husband in Lincoln?’ Carolyn and her husband Harmon have now been forcibly separated for nearly fourteen months. The couple had been living in New Zealand since 2001. Harmon, a de facto stateless refugee and CIA whistleblower, had entered NZ on his American passport in fear of his life. In 2004, when Harmon approached the US Consulate in Auckland for renewal of his passport, it was confiscated in an attempt to force his return to the US. Rather than risk liberty and life, Harmon renounced his US citizenship. Ever since, he has been living with no travel documents and is thus, unable to leave the country. Successive New Zealand governments have refused Harmon’s repeated attempts to have his status regularised through the issue of citizenship for stateless persons under the New Zealand 1977 Citizenship Act. NZ’s refusal in this respect contravenes its treaty obligations to the UN in regard to Human Rights and the treatment of stateless persons.

• Envoy gives China benefit of doubt
  New Zealand Ambassador to Seoul Clare Fearnley, center, speaks during a breakfast talk sponsored by the Kwanhun Club at the Press Center, Tuesday. The panelists, from left, are Segye Times international department editor Cho Nam-kyu, Korea Times chief editorial writer Oh Young-jin, KBS digital news department chief Lee Kang-duk and YTN deputy managing editor Lee Dong-won. / Courtesy of Kwanhun Club By Oh Young-jin China often serves as the whipping boy for anything going wrong with North Korea. South Korea and the United States blame China for not being cooperative enough to give teeth to the international sanctions on Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile programs. Others say that it is a troublemaking bully trying to bump the U.S. in a fight for hegemony. But New Zealand Ambassador to Seoul Clare Fearnley projected a more positive view of Beijing, saying that it shares the same goals as other regional players in the peaceful resolution of the North Korean problem. "I take what China says at face value," Fearnley told a breakfast panel discussion sponsored by the Kwanhun Club, a fraternity of reporters, at the Korea Press Center, Tuesday. "China says that it wants peaceful management and the resolution (of the North Korean challenge) through dialogue." Calling Beijing the beneficiary of Pax Pacificana ? a peaceful era in the region ? she said, "Without peace and stability, no prosperity is possible and that should be part of their calculation." [NZ NK policy] [China hope]
• English's meeting canned over diplomatic sensitivity
  9:27 pm on 20 October 2016 Jane Patterson A meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Bill English and two prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy figures was cancelled after he was told it could be 'diplomatically sensitive'. Bill English 24 May 2016 Deputy Prime Minister Bill English. Photo: RNZ/Elliott Childs The advice came from the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was on an official visit to Beijing at the time. Martin Lee and Anson Chan were expecting to meet the Finance Minister on Tuesday morning, but got an email on Monday night saying the appointment had been cancelled because of an urgent matter. Ms Chan was the head of the Hong Kong Civil service during the island's transition from British to Chinese control. She and Mr Lee, a political activist, arrived in New Zealand this week after meeting senior Australian government figures to discuss support for democracy in the former British colony. [Hong Kong] [China NZ]
• Do We Need Poverty Targets?
  by Brian Easton
  No, but we need to address poverty. Focusing on poverty targets which are not to be achieved in the time of the government which sets them is wasting energy and opportunity. Despite being frequently ignored, Gilling’s Law is one of the most powerful social laws I know. Formulated by Don Gilling, a retired professor of accounting and finance, it states that the way you score the game shapes the way the game is played. A simple illustration is that when they increased the points for a try, rugby games became more attacking in order to score more tries. Very often the scoring system distorts the intention. Most academics recognise that is true for the Performance Based Research Fund where, in order to get high grades according to the scoring system, many researchers found themselves changing their research strategy for the worse. (Additionally, there is a huge waste of resources that could be used for research which are used, instead, to achieve the points of the PBRF system, further reducing the amount available for genuine research.) [Poverty] [Inequality] [Statistics]
• Key keen to progress FTA talks with India
  9:56 pm on 17 October 2016 Making progress on free trade talks with India will be on the agenda when the Prime Minister John Key visits there next week, he says. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, left and and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, visited New Zealand earlier this year. Photo: AFP Mr Key is leading a high-level business and education delegation for the four-day official visit which includes meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee, who both visited New Zealand this year. Mr Key said India was a key partner for New Zealand, with two-way trade now worth nearly $2.5 billion. But he said that trade was a fraction of what it could be if there was a free trade agreement, or FTA. "If you look at the demographics between India and China they are broadly about the same, and we broadly have eight times as much trade with China as we do with India, Mr Key said. "I don't think there is any great secret that part of what has facilitated that is the FTA. Obviously we are very keen to progress a [free trade agreement]." He and his delegation will attend a range of business events that focus on showcasing New Zealand companies doing business in India, and the nation's reputation as a education and tourism provider. [India NZ] [FTA]
• NZ has 'huge scope' with India - report
  8:26 am on 15 October 2016 There are huge untapped tourism and trade opportunities between New Zealand and India, a former high commissioner to India says. Graeme Waters wrote a report on the relationship between the two countries for the Asia New Zealand Foundation. The report said tourist numbers in each direction had more than doubled in the last ten years - last year about 46,000 Indian tourists visited here, while over 50,000 New Zealanders made the trip to India. Mr Waters said he was impressed how dynamic the Indian community in New Zealand was, and how it continued to grow. But he said better airline connections would bring more tourist dollars to New Zealand, and better trade would open the door for hundreds of businesses. Mr Waters said New Zealand's trade with India was only about 10 percent of what we traded with China. "It's a bit humbling to look at the stats compared to China and to reallise that we're only operating at about a tenth of the level we do with China, so huge scope for advancement and lots of cultural advantages in doing so." [India NZ]
• China rebukes Brownlee over South China Sea
  9:59 pm today China has rebuked Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee at the opening of a security forum in Beijing, criticising New Zealand's stance on tensions in the disputed South China Sea. no caption Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee and Chinese foreign affairs committee chairwoman Fu Ying Photo: RNZ / AFP The chairwoman of China's foreign affairs committee, Fu Ying, said countries "not involved" should not interfere. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also having claims. An international tribunal in the Hague ruled in July that China had no historical exclusive control over the waters and had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights there. That decision infuriated Beijing, which dismissed the court's authority. About $US5 trillion worth of trade passes through the sea each year. Mr Brownlee spoke at the start of the Xiangshan Forum, saying New Zealand opposed actions that undermined peace and eroded trust, and would like to see all parties actively take steps to reduce those tensions. [South China Sea] [China NZ] [Allegiance]
• China berates visiting New Zealand defense minister over South China Sea stance
  Ben Blanchard | BEIJING China rebuked New Zealand's defense minister at the opening of a high-profile security forum in Beijing on Tuesday, criticizing his stance on tension in the disputed South China Sea, saying countries "not involved" should not interfere. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion worth of trade passes each year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. An international tribunal in the Hague ruled in July that China had no historic title over the waters and had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights there. That decision infuriated Beijing, which dismissed the court's authority. We "hope that countries who are not involved in the disputes respect the countries who are having the disputes to ... work among themselves," Fu Ying, chairwoman of China's foreign affairs committee for parliament, said at the Xiangshan Forum, which China styles as its answer to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore. "Outside involvement, I think the developments have shown, interferences, can only complicate the differences and sometimes even add to the tension," said Fu, a former deputy foreign minister who was chairing the session. Fu's comments came in response to remarks by New Zealand Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee about his country's concerns over the South China Sea. [South China Sea] [Allegiance]
• The Rise of Chinese Agriculture
  Date: 27-28 October Venue: Hunter Council Chamber, Victoria University of Wellington Conference Description The Rise of Chinese Agriculture will be the most comprehensive analysis in New Zealand of China’s food and agricultural policies and market characteristics. It will review China’s efforts to construct a modern and professional Chinese agricultural sector as a response to market demands. The conference will bring together a select group of Chinese and international scholars and practitioners to assess agricultural policy goals and market trends, and to analyse the implications of these trends for New Zealand producers. The conference will be of interest to New Zealand policymakers and food producers involved with the Chinese market as well as scholars of agribusiness and of contemporary China. [China NZ] [Agriculture]
• Officials investigating how NZ plane ended up in North Korea
  7:06 pm on 4 October 2016 Chris Bramwell Deputy Political Editor Officials are looking into how a New Zealand-designed plane ended up in North Korea, Prime Minister John Key says. The plane, a P-750 XSTOL manufactured by Pacific Aerospace, was sold to China but was spotted last week by the Aviation Week website at North Korea's first airshow. A P-750 XSTOL manufactured by Pacific Aerospace is shown in a video published in 2014. Photo: Screenshot / Pacific Aerospace The plane, a P-750 XSTOL manufactured by Pacific Aerospace, was sold to China but was spotted last week by the Aviation Week website at North Korea's first airshow. Mr Key said it would concern him if the plane was exported there in some way because New Zealand has a ban on exports to North Korea. He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) was getting advice on exactly how the plane got there, under what conditions and how long it had been there for. "New Zealand certainly [directly] selling things to North Korea would be in breach of our sanctions, and we don't try and sell things to a third party to get into a country where we have sanctions, because that breaches the moral code of what we are doing. [Sanctions] [Subordinate]
• How did North Korea get its hands on a New Zealand plane made with American parts?
  By Anna Fifield | The Washington Post | Published: October 3, 2016 TOKYO — One of the planes displayed during North Korea's first air show last month was made in New Zealand with American parts, underscoring the difficulties of implementing sanctions when North Korea's long border with China remains so porous. North Korea put on quite the display at the Wonsan International Friendship Air Festival, held at the recently-upgraded Kalma airport on the country's east coast. Planes featured included a one-sixth size version of an American F-16 fighter jet and Soviet-era MiGs flown by female pilots known as "flowers of the sky." There also was a two-hour-long aerobatic display by North Korea's air force. [Sanctions] [US dominance] [Subordinate] [China NK]
• MFAT probes how Kiwi plane made it into North Korean air force
  6:45 PM Monday Oct 3, 2016 Foreign Affairs officials are investigating how a New Zealand-made aircraft turned up at a North Korean military air show painted up in the hermit state's colours. Specified goods are forbidden from being sold to North Korea and while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it understand "no aircraft have been exported'' to that country, it is looking into the case. [Sanctions] [US dominance] [Subordinate] [China NK]

• Request to MFAT for flood relief aid
  Letter to the CEO of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade from the NZ-DPRK Society
  As this is a genuine humanitarian need, not a political issue, we urge a generous donation to one or all of the following: The World Food Program, UNICEF or the International Committee of the Red Cross all of whom we understand to be assisting the Government of DPRK relief work in the disaster area but are faced with inadequate financial resources to adequately meet the need.
• ERA to hear dispute between Vic Uni and union
  A dispute over wages and allegedly anti-union job advertisements is heading to the Employment Relations Authority. Tensions between Victoria University and the Tertiary Education Union reached a head last week after a job listing by the university offered a far greater salary to those not on a collective agreement. The university recently advertised for a librarian and offered those on a union agreement a $41,874 - $73,910 salary. It offered $57,280 - $78,760 to those not on an agreement. The union said the ad breached good faith. "I think that it gives the impression to people who work at the university and are members of the union, that the university favours people who aren't in a union," said the union's deputy secretary, Nanette Cormack. "It also makes people who don't work at the university question the point of joining a union as it would be a disadvantage." In response, the university said union members were offered the same pay rates as other staff. [VUW]
• Vic Uni blames union for pay offer disparity
  2:43 pm on 6 September 2016 Victoria University is blaming the Tertiary Education Union for blocking its attempts to pay union staff more money. The university recently advertised for a librarian and offered those on a union agreement a $41,874-$73,910 salary. It offered $57,280-$78,760 to those not on an agreement. The union had said the job ad was a breach of good faith and has asked the university to take it down. [VUW]
• Vic Uni blames union for pay offer disparity
  2:43 pm on 6 September 2016 Victoria University is blaming the Tertiary Education Union for blocking its attempts to pay union staff more money. The university recently advertised for a librarian and offered those on a union agreement a $41,874-$73,910 salary. It offered $57,280-$78,760 to those not on an agreement. The union had said the job ad was a breach of good faith and has asked the university to take it down. But the university's vice-chancellor, Grant Guildford, said it was the union that was at fault - union members had been offered the same pay rates as non-union staff, but the Tertiary Education Union had turned them down. "It's a deeply mysterious situation to us," he said. "For some reason they're refusing to accept that on behalf of the union staff." The university's offer included modern terms and conditions of employment, Professor Guildford said. [VUW]
• NZ ambassador to the UN Gerard van Bohemen condemns North Korea nuclear threat
  2:49 PM Saturday Sep 10, 2016 New Zealand has taken a leading role in the response to what has been described at the United Nations as North Korea's "insane" nuclear arms build-up and clear threat to international peace and security. Gerard van Bohemen, New Zealand's Ambassador to the UN, announced after presiding over an emergency meeting of the Security Council in New York on Friday "appropriate measures" aimed at Pyongyang were being developed. The meeting was called after North Korea conducted its fifth and most powerful nuclear weapons test in breach of UN resolutions. "In line with this commitment and the gravity of this violation, the members of the Security Council will begin to work immediately on appropriate measures," van Bohemen told reporters after the meeting on Thursday. "From a New Zealand perspective, I can say we are extremely concerned and following it very closely." New Zealand, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, holds the rotating presidency in September. [Test] [US dominance] [Subordinate]
• Getting it right in Asia critical, but right experience being overlooked
  5:00 AM Monday Sep 12, 2016 Anyone who has ever done business in Asia, however briefly, will be familiar with the business card ritual. There's no sliding your card across a boardroom table as the meeting gets underway or dealing them out like you're playing a game of poker. You show respect by presenting your business card with both hands, holding it out for the person in front of you to receive. Then you take their business card in the same way, taking it with both hands and take time to reverently study the card as if it's the most fascinating thing you have ever seen. [Diaspora]
• NZ and Australia still 'BFFs forever' despite UK snub, Key says in Laos
  "We're BFFs forever," Prime Minister John Key declared at his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. JO MOIR "We're BFFs forever," Prime Minister John Key declared at his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. An unintentional Australian slight against New Zealand has been forgiven, with Prime Minister John Key declaring Malcolm Turnbull is his "BFF forever" - which translates to "best friend forever forever". The Australian prime minister quickly responded "yes, we are", smoothing over a few doubtful days after Turnbull declared Australia's closest bond was with the United Kingdom. Key and Turnbull met in Laos on Wednesday ahead of the East Asia Summit (EAS) on Thursday. John Key and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on one of their many friendly outings. John Key and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on one of their many friendly outings. Turnbull seemed thrilled to be reunited with Key, saying several times that it was great to see him. Key's "BFF forever" comment came about after he joked that the media had been giving him a hard time in the three days since Turnbull's remarks about his country's friendship with the UK. "There couldn't be two countries with closer bonds than Australia and Britain," Turnbull tweeted after meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May at the G20 summit in China.
  On Thursday, Key expected the biggest issue facing the summit leaders to be the "unpredictability" of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on the back of missile launches earlier in the week. "It's not clear, if we wanted to rein him in, just how we'd do that," Key said. "We don't know what he's going to do next, his behaviour and the way he's treated people ... Not only is it abhorrent, but it's barbaric." [John Key] [Unpredictable] [Deterrence]
• China threatens reprisals on NZ dairy, wool and kiwifruit if government doesn't back off cheap steel inquiry video
  Trade war with China could drive dairy farmers off their land
  WARWICK SMITH/Stuff.co.nz China has threatened "retaliatory measures" against New Zealand trade, warning it will slow the flow of dairy, wool and kiwifruit imports. The world's biggest trading nation is angry at New Zealand inquiries into a glut of Chinese steel imports flooding the market; the Chinese believe New Zealand is part of a US-led alliance to target Chinese national interests.
  The behind-the-scenes threat comes just days before the arrival of US Vice President Joe Biden in New Zealand, forcing government and commerce officials to scramble to open urgent talks with China. New Zealand is angry that China should take such a combative approach, and is asking that it desist. Pacific Steel, the sister company of iron miner and processor NZ Steel, has lodged a confidential application, under local and World Trade Organisation rules, for an investigation into China dumping cut-price steel on the New Zealand market. The local industry is struggling to compete with the glut of sometimes substandard Chinese metal, which is being used in major projects like the $1.4 billion Waterview Connection and bridges on the Waikato Expressway. But somehow, China learned of the application – and it is taking retaliatory action. In the past week, representatives of New Zealand's biggest export industries have been called in by Chinese [Protectionism] [Allegiance] [China confrontation]
• North Korea's missile launches huge talking point as John Key lands in Laos for summit video
  John Key set for talks with some of the world's most powerful leaders at East Asia Summit The "unpredictability" of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un will be a huge talking point for Prime Minister John Key and other leaders at the East Asia Summit following a series of nuclear tests in recent days. Key arrived in Vientiane, Laos, on Wednesday where he joined US President Barack Obama, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and a number of other leaders to discuss regional and economic issues. On Monday Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully condemned the multiple missile launches by North Korea and Key says it's a challenge to deal with because Jong-un (sic) "acts somewhat as a lone wolf" and isn't "strongly tied into the rest of the world". [Missiles] [Deterrence] [Ignorance]
• New Zealand's homeless: Living in cars and garages
  New Zealand was once a pioneer of the social welfare state, but now one in every 100 New Zealanders are homeless. By Tarek Bazley Wellington, New Zealand - "I don't want to take my family back on the streets again," says Alisia Finau, fighting back tears. She has invited me into the motel unit in South Auckland where she is living with her two sons, aged 16 and 17. We sit at the kitchen table while the boys loaf on single beds in the open-plan room. They are clearly bored and demotivated, passing time watching daytime TV on mute. It's been a tough year for the 38-year-old Tongan New Zealander. When the house she had rented for the past six years was sold, she was forced to move out. But she couldn't afford anywhere else. She had been working as a security guard but could no longer hold down the job. As a result her 61-year-old mother, two sons, her 14-year-old daughter and her dog moved with her into what she calls her "van" - a standard-sized estate car, or station wagon. [Poverty] [Welfare state]

• NZ participation in US-led war games in Korea is foolish and dangerous
  The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is again participating in US-led military exercises in the Korean peninsula. The US claims these are necessary to protect South Korea against an invasion from the North, but this has absolutely no credibility. The military budget of the US and its allies is some US$1000 billion, between 100 and 1000 times that of North Korea. The idea of North Korea starting a war against those odds is preposterous. More plausibly the exercises are to practise a potential invasion of North Korea and a subsequent war with China. [Joint US military] [Allegiance]
  • [PRESS RELEASE] NZ Participation in US-led War Games in Korea is Foolish and Dangerous
    Aug 29, 2016 [Originally released by NZ-DPRK Society, Thursday, 25 August 2016] [Reposted on Zoom in Korea] The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is again participating in US-led military exercises in the Korean peninsula. The US claims these are necessary to protect South Korea against an invasion from the North, but this has absolutely no credibility. The military budget of the US and its allies is some US$1000 billion, between 100 and 1000 times that of North Korea. The idea of North Korea starting a war against those odds is preposterous. More plausibly the exercises are to practise a potential invasion of North Korea and a subsequent war with China. It is understandable that the NZDF wants to play with the big boys’ toys – this is the largest military exercise in the world – and New Zealand prime ministers like to play golf with American presidents. But these are scarcely valid reasons to imperil the security of the nation and its economic well-being. [Joint US military] [Allegiance]
  • NZ Participation in US-led Korea War Games Foolish
    Tuesday, 30 August 2016, 2:03 pm Press Release: NZ DPRK Society
    Press Release NZ Participation in US-led Korea War Games Foolish and Dangerous The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is again participating in US-led military exercises in the Korean peninsula. The US claims these are necessary to protect South Korea against an invasion from the North, but this has absolutely no credibility. The military budget of the US and its allies is some US$1000 billion, between 100 and 1000 times that of North Korea. The idea of North Korea starting a war against those odds is preposterous. More plausibly the exercises are to practise a potential invasion of North Korea and a subsequent war with China. It is understandable that the NZDF wants to play with the big boys’ toys – this is the largest military exercise in the world – and New Zealand prime ministers like to play golf with American presidents. But these are scarcely valid reasons to imperil the security of the nation and its economic well-being. [Joint US military] [UFG]
• Comvita confident on China rules
  Thursday, 25 August 2016 Christopher Adams Natural products maker Comvita is confident its business will not be disrupted by impending Chinese regulatory changes facing honey processors, its chief executive says. But Scott Coulter says the Te Puke-based company is also pushing to diversify its export revenue through expanding sales outside Asia in markets including the United States and Europe. The Ministry for Primary Industries said last week that China's Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) would require registration of wineries and honey producers next year. New Zealand infant formula manufacturers were thrown into a state of flux in May 2014 when the same registration requirement was introduced for that industry. Products could not enter China without approval, and a number of Kiwi baby milk exporters went under following the rule change. Coulter said he was confident Comvita would get through the CNCA registration process - which is likely to involve Chinese officials auditing New Zealand manufacturing facilities - without disruption. "The [new regulations] will raise the bar in terms of manufacturing standards - and that's healthy for the industry [China NZ] [Trade]
• NZDF Takes Part in World's Largest Command-and-Control Exercise
  22 August 2016 Six New Zealand Defence Force personnel are taking part in the world’s largest simulated command-and-control exercise, which features about 500,000 South Korean and United States troops on the Korean Peninsula. Exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG), which runs from 15 August to 2 September, is an annual exercise that allows troops from the Republic of Korea and the United States to train together to ensure they are ready to respond to potential threats in the region. Military personnel from New Zealand and other United Nations member nations contribute to the readiness of the South Korea-US alliance by participating in the exercise as “sending states”. Their participation is coordinated through the UN Command Multi-National Coordination Centre in South Korea. [Joint US military] [UFG] [China Confrontation] [UNUS]
• Fran O'Sullivan: Fonterra raring to shake supply shackles
  Wednesday, 24 August 2016 The New Zealand Herald Growing competition in NZ dairy market means time is right to adopt growth focus. By Fran O'Sullivan Fonterra is pushing hard for the Government to remove the obligation on it to accept milk supplies from all comers even when it doesn't make commercial sense to do so. The dairy co-operative has a point. If there was ever a time to change the legislative regime that governs Fonterra so that it can concentrate on high-value growth instead of over-investing in stainless steel - this is it. There is a plus to this scenario which Fonterra does not talk about. That is within an environment where dairy farm prices are set to move sideways - instead of appreciating so farm investors once again see the potential to score lucrative, untaxed capital gains - putative dairy farmers will be forced to be focused on cash flows. Not simply riding on the coat tails of the industry behemoth and its existing farmer shareholders and suppliers. [Dairy] [Fonterra]
• Yashili NZ will supply powder to Danone
  Tuesday, 23 August 2016 By Jonathan Underhill Yashili New Zealand Dairy Co, the local unit of Chinese-owned Yashili International Holdings, has agreed to sell as much as $18.7 million of base powder dairy products to Danone under a contract that will run until the end of the year. The deal is disclosed in a notice to the Hong Kong stock exchange because Danone Asia owns 25 per cent of Yashili International and deemed a "connected person". The notice didn't cite volumes to be sold and the value given is described as an "annual cap for the aggregate consideration". The terms were negotiated on an arm's-length basis and the contract could be superseded by a strategic co-operation supply agreement, it said. [Diary] [IJV]
• US Ship Visit Set to End Standoff with New Zealand over Nuclear Policy
  21 July, 2016 Reuters – South China Morning Post The US Navy plans to send a ship to New Zealand in November, Prime Minister John Key said, formally ending a standoff over the Pacific nation’s anti-nuclear policy that dates back more than 30 years. If the ship meets New Zealand’s legal requirements it will attend the Royal New Zealand Navy’s 75th anniversary, Key said, a day after US Vice President Joe Biden assured neighbour Australia there would be no retreat from Washington’s pivot to the Asia-Pacific region regardless of who wins November’s presidential election. “Vice President Joe Biden confirmed in our discussions today that the US has accepted the invitation and intends to have a ship represent the US Navy at this event,” Key said during Biden’s one-day visit to New Zealand. Biden said it was “another expression of our close and cooperative relationship”. Under New Zealand law the prime minister can only grant approval if he is satisfied “that the warships will not be carrying any nuclear explosive device upon their entry into the internal waters of New Zealand”. Biden did not offer any detail about which ship would be attending. [US dominance]
• Megaupload's Dotcom to seek a review of U.S. court's forfeiture ruling
  By Harry Pearl and Charlotte Greenfield | SYDNEY German tech entrepreneur and alleged internet pirate Kim Dotcom will seek a review of a Federal Court decision which rejected his bid to keep hold of millions of dollars in assets held in Hong Kong and New Zealand, his lawyer said. A three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled two to one on Friday that Dotcom could not recover his assets because by remaining outside the U.S., he was a fugitive, which disentitled him from using the resources to fight his case. Dotcom’s lawyer Ira P. Rothken said his client would seek a review of the decision in front of the full bench and, if necessary, petition the Supreme Court. [Extraterritoriality]
• Alibaba floats airport free-trade zone
  Fran O'Sullivan Monday, 01 August 2016 By Fran O'Sullivan Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has floated a proposal for a free trade zone to be created in Auckland near to the airport. Alibaba president Michael Evans promoted the idea to senior Cabinet ministers during a recent visit to New Zealand. Trade Minister Todd McClay says the proposal "merits further consideration". McClay indicates that if it results in goods flowing more easily across borders it is worth pursuing. But, he says, given the regulatory issues it would need to have input from a range of government departments. Free trade zones typically facilitate cross-border trade by removing obstacles imposed by customs regulations and can ensure faster turnaround of planes and ships by lowering custom-related formalities. For New Zealand, which is a major food exporter, the proposal could also be tailored to ensure exports are pre-certified as meeting the relevant quality standards. [China NZ trade]

• 12 North Korean Waitresses Held Incommunicado in South Korea
  Jul 30, 2016 Press Release: NZ DPRK Society Originally posted on scoop.co.nz Plight of the 12 North Korean Waitresses Held Incommunicado in South Korea
  Press release repost on Zoom in Korea [Election Defection]
• 12 North Korean Waitresses Held Incommunicado in South Korea
  Friday, 29 July 2016, 11:32 am Press Release: NZ DPRK Society
  Plight of the 12 North Korean Waitresses Held Incommunicado in South Korea
  On the 5th April the male manager and 12 female staff left a North Korean restaurant in Ningbo, China and arrived two days later in Seoul. The speed of the journey via Southeast Asia and especially the timing aroused suspicion. This was just a few days before a general election in South Korea and it was alleged that the exercise had been organised by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to boost the ruling conservative Saenuri Party’s chances in the election. If that was the plan it failed. On 20 April seven waitresses from the restaurant who had returned to North Korea gave an interview in Pyongyang to CNN. They alleged that their co-workers had been tricked by the manager into leaving, believing that they were being transferred to a restaurant in Southeast Asia. North Korean SOEs operate some 130 restaurants in foreign countries including Cambodia and Vietnam. Although the ‘defection’ is subject to differing, and often conflicting, interpretations what happened next is beyond doubt. The 12 waitresses have been held incommunicado by the NIS for the last three months. There are rumours that one has died on hunger strike but that cannot be verified because access is denied. They have not been allowed to have contact with their families back in North Korea or with independent lawyers in South Korea and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Amnesty International has called for the ‘lifting of the veil of secrecy’: The South Korean authorities need to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the North Korean restaurant workers. There has been much speculation, claims and counter-claims as to the group’s plight, but what is missing from this story are the voices of the 13 workers. For months they have been denied contact with their families or lawyers of their choosing, raising questions as to whether their basic rights are being respected. The inescapable conclusion must be that the waitress have been kept in confinement, behind a veil of secrecy, precisely because they probably were tricked into going to South Korea and want to return home. [Election defection] [Abduction]
• McClay admits he was aware of China talks
  9:54 pm on 19 July 2016 Trade Minister Todd McClay now says he was made aware that Chinese officials had approached Zespri about trade retaliation. Zespri Kiwifruit is loaded onto the Atlantic Erica at the Port of Tauranga. Photo: Supplied The kiwifruit exporter has confirmed it was approached by officials in China two weeks ago and told of discussions about New Zealand imports. At this stage, the company hasn't given further details about what the officials said, but RNZ News understands they warned Zespri there could be retaliation if the New Zealand government investigated claims of China dumping steel in this country. "The official line from the Chinese, and we accept that, is there is nothing to see here" - Prime Minister John Key After refusing to comment yesterday, Zespri today confirmed it told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade about the Chinese approach - saying it was approached by an "industry body". It is refusing to confirm multiple reports that the threats were from China's Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Trade Policy (Mofcom). RNZ News understands the threats were made to Zespri's representative in China, Matt Crawford. Mr McClay has previously said he only became aware of the matter following media reports on Sunday. But speaking today at a trade summit in Indonesia, Mr McClay said he had remembered he was actually informed of the matter last week in China. [China NZ] [Dumping] [Response]
• McClay admits he was aware of China talks
  9:54 pm on 19 July 2016 Trade Minister Todd McClay now says he was made aware that Chinese officials had approached Zespri about trade retaliation. Zespri Kiwifruit is loaded onto the Atlantic Erica at the Port of Tauranga. Photo: Supplied The kiwifruit exporter has confirmed it was approached by officials in China two weeks ago and told of discussions about New Zealand imports. At this stage, the company hasn't given further details about what the officials said, but RNZ News understands they warned Zespri there could be retaliation if the New Zealand government investigated claims of China dumping steel in this country. "The official line from the Chinese, and we accept that, is there is nothing to see here" - Prime Minister John Key After refusing to comment yesterday, Zespri today confirmed it told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade about the Chinese approach - saying it was approached by an "industry body". It is refusing to confirm multiple reports that the threats were from China's Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Trade Policy (Mofcom). RNZ News understands the threats were made to Zespri's representative in China, Matt Crawford. [Dumping] [Response] [China]

• Diplomatic immunity waived for NZer in Korea
  3:21 pm on 28 June 2016 Jane Patterson, Political Editor - @janepatterson Foreign Minister Murray McCully has waived diplomatic immunity for a New Zealand government employee, who is based at the embassy in South Korea. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) said it was advised South Korean police were called to a bar in the Itaewon district on 24 May after a complaint from a female staff member about the conduct of two New Zealand businessmen. The ministry said police investigated the matter and determined no charges would be laid against the businessmen, who had since left South Korea. But MFAT said police did still want to talk to a New Zealander - a government employee based at the embassy - about an alleged altercation outside the bar. Mr McCully said he signed a document on 9 June, on behalf of New Zealand, that waived diplomatic immunity and allowed police to interview the man concerned.
• DPRK is nothing like I imagined
  Article by former MP Ross Meurant in the Pyongyang Times 25 June
  • top part
  • bottom part
• Bird-Watching in North Korea
  4:53 pm on 23 June 2016 Not many people get to North Korea, and if they do manage to get in, they don't always get out. But a team of avid birdwatchers and conservationists from New Zealand has been going to North Korea every year for the past three years to count and watch birds. The Yellow Sea area marks the stop-off point for millions of migrating birds heading from the Southern Hemisphere to the Arctic - known as the East-Asian Australasian Flyway. One of the team members, Keith Woodley from the Miranda Shorebird Centre in Pokeno, told RNZ what it was like to bird-watch in the world's most reclusive and secretive state. [Media]
• $34.5 million for new Centres of Asia-Pacific Excellence
  Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has announced $34.5 million in funding to develop new Centres of Asia-Pacific Excellence (CAPEs) in New Zealand universities as part of the Innovative New Zealand package in Budget 2016. “New Zealand’s future is increasingly tied in with the Asia-Pacific region,” Mr Joyce says. “With some 71 per cent of our total trade already with Asia-Pacific countries, we must secure our future by investing more in preparing our young people to understand the language, culture and economies of this diverse range of countries.” CAPEs will be cross-institutional centres of excellence in the language, culture, politics and economics of countries or groups of countries within the Asia-Pacific region. As well as teaching about and researching these countries, they will be mandated to help all learners, exporters, and government agencies improve their understanding of the countries and their languages.
• Seminar on the 2016 NZ Defence White Paper
  Monday 4 July 2016 9am to 5pm Chancellor 1, Level 16 James Cook Grand Chancellor 147 The Terrace Wellington
• 2016 Defence White Paper
  Centre for Strategic Studies has been busy providing commentary and analysis on the government’s 2016 Defence White Paper
  • Lowry
  • Thespinoff
  • Stuff
  • Stuff
  • Radio NZ
  • Incline
  • Radio NZ
• Chocolate made with meat, what next?
  NANCY ELGAMEL/Stuff.co.nz AgResearch senior scientist Mustafa Farouk, with the team at Devonport Chocolates, have made confectionery out of 50 per cent beef. . Meat in a chocolate might make even the most ardent foodie's stomach squirm. However, an AgResearch scientist and Auckland boutique chocolate maker Devonport Chocolates are betting to win people over with just such a chocolate, one that's 50 per cent beef. The meat lover's chocolate uses dairy beef that is processed and encased in chocolate. The result is a sweet with a consistency similar to a turkish delight. Any meat flavour or texture has been removed. Unless told, people would have no idea they just ate something containing beef, AgResearch senior scientist Mustafa Farouk, the creator, said.
• NZ Defence Force to get $20bn upgrade
  The government will spend $20 billion on the Defence Force in a long-term investment plan that includes a new cyber security system for defence networks. Member of the New Zealand Defence Force on a laptop in uniform Photo: NZDF The $20bn price tag will be spread over the next 15 years, according to a new White Paper, which updates the Defence Force's policy. The Paper - released this morning - did not contain a specific breakdown of costs, but detailed plans to replace the Air Force Boeing 757, the C130-Hercules, the Orion maritime patrol aircraft and the ANZAC frigates. It also said work was well underway to consider whether the existing Light Armoured Vehicles might be modernised, or replaced. A New Zealand Defence Force tank driving through the bush. Photo: NZDF While New Zealand did not face the prospect of an imminent military attack, there were growing threats from failing states and pressure on food and water resources, said the Paper. Other threats included tensions in the East and South China Seas, degrading relations between Russia and the West, as well as intensifying turmoil across the Middle East and North Africa. [Military expenditure] [MISCOM] [Allegiance]
• Why are there so many Maori in New Zealand's prisons?
  We go inside a prison to tell the stories of the Maori men living their lives "behind the wire". By Aaron Smale Quick Facts More than 50% of male inmates are Maori 58% of the female prison population is Maori 34% of the prison population are aged 20-29 Source: Department of Corrections New Zealand has one of the highest incarceration rates in the Western world, and more than half of the prison population is Maori. Journalist Aaron Smale goes inside to find out why and discovers that it is a reflection of the country's deeper inequalities. Turn out of suburbia and up a road that heads into a dead-end gully. A huge band of grey haze etched into the khaki hillside appears, a cross-hatched expanse stretched across a massive area with the blunt outlines of buildings barely visible. The grey haze grows closer, becomes more distinct. Layer upon layer of metal net fencing, fringed with razor wire, renders everything behind it into smudged shapes. The expression "behind the wire" becomes common in subsequent conversations - shorthand for the world inside this prison. 101 East - Locked Up Warriors The first layer is like airport security on steroids. The staff are part of a vast bureaucratic apparatus that is there to perform a function, not offer a service. Along with the razor wire, they are what stands between more than 900 inmates and the freedom most citizens assume as a right. Bag, belt and shoes pass through an X-ray machine. Step through a metal detector. A minor kerfuffle over paperwork that hasn't been passed on before a lanky guard comes through a side-door to take us through the next layers. Lots of fumbling with keys, buzzing and clunking of heavy metal doors follows before we get through to a prison within the prison [Maori] [Racism] [Prisoners]
• China must explain South China Sea plans to small nations, New Zealand says
  Published Jun 4, 2016, 9:00 am SGT HONG KONG/SINGAPORE (Bloomberg) – China should explain its island building programme in the South China Sea or it will continue to fuel insecurity among countries whose economies depend on free trade, including smaller nations many miles away, New Zealand Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said. “What we are looking to see from the Chinese is some better understanding about what it is about,” Brownlee said, referring to islands China has created that now cover more than 3,000 acres of land. “It is extremely important for the whole world’s economies that that remains a peaceable area and that open sea lanes and skies are available,” he said in an interview on Friday (June 3) on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue,a high-level security forum in Singapore. [Allegiance] [South China Sea]
• Panama Papers: Mossack Fonseca email shows how it used foreign trusts in NZ
  2:31 pm today RNZ's Gyles Beckford, Patrick O'Meara, Jane Patterson, One News' Lee Taylor, Jessica Mutch, Andrea Vance, & Nicky Hager* no metadata Panama Papers NZ - A 2014 email sent by Mossack Fonseca's New Zealand representative lays out exactly how the company uses foreign trusts in this country. An investigation into the Panama Papers - an unprecedented leak of 11.5 million files from the database of the world's fourth largest offshore law firm, Mossack Fonseca - by RNZ, One News and investigative journalist Nicky Hager has lifted the lid on how New Zealand is part of a tangled web of secretive shelf companies and obscure trusts. It has also raised questions over the country's foreign tax rules, including its disclosure requirements. Now, an email sent by Mossack Fonseca New Zealand's Daniel Leon has revealed - in his own words - the measures clients can take if they do not want their names to appear on the public paperwork. The email was in response to an enquiry on behalf of Juan Fernandez Methol from Studio Damiani, a Uruguayan firm offering legal and accountancy services to provide inheritance and tax "financial solutions". Panama Papers NZ - click here for full coverage In the 2014 email, Mr Leon responded to a query from one of his colleagues, a Mossack Fonseca lawyer in Panama, about how the company used New Zealand look-through companies (LTCs) and foreign trusts. Mr Leon noted in his email if the client did not "wish to appear as a registered shareholder", Mossack Fonseca could "offer the constitution of a foreign Trust NZ to be the holder of the shares of the LTC". View of the facade of the building where Panama-based Mossack Fonseca law firm offices are in Panama City, on May 9, 2016. Signage outside one of Mossack Fonseca's offices. Photo: RODRIGO ARANGUA / AFP He went on to say that, provided the trustee was not an Australian resident (because New Zealand and Australia have automatic disclosure), there were "minimum requirements for disclosure of foreign trusts in New Zealand". Mossack Fonseca would set up an LTC for $US2850, which would also include the provision of a "registered office" and a "NZ resident director" - often these would be New Zealand-based lawyers, and the addresses would be those of their law offices. A foreign trust cost $US2800 to set up through Mossack Fonseca New Zealand. For customers interested in a "combo", ie an LTC and a trust, the cost of the trust would be reduced to $US1500. [Panama Papers]

• U.N. Secretary-General Front-Runner Faces Internal Uproar
  Helen Clark is one of the leading candidates to succeed Ban Ki-moon, but critics inside Turtle Bay say she’s weakening the U.N.’s promotion of human rights. • By Colum Lynch • May 24, 2016 Helen Clark, the U.N.’s development czar, has emerged as a front-runner in the race for U.N. secretary-general, inspiring international hopes that a powerful woman could lead the world’s preeminent diplomatic organization for the first time. Back home in New Zealand, where Clark served as prime minister from December 1999 to November 2008, the teenage pop star Lorde declared she was “all in” for her “awe-inspiring fellow countrywoman.” Fans produced T-shirts proclaiming, “Aunty Helen for UN Secretary General.” But many of her own U.N. colleagues are not rooting for her. Clark’s seven-year stewardship of the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) has left a trail of embittered peers and subordinates, who accuse Clark of ruthlessly ending the careers of underlings in her quest to advance her candidacy and of undercutting the U.N.’s promotion of human rights. In the most controversial move, Clark’s top managers allegedly drove one UNDP official out of her job in retaliation for participating in an investigation that sharply criticized the agency’s response to mass atrocities in Sri Lanka, according to internal U.N. emails and several current and former U.N.-based officials and diplomats. The offices of the deputy U.N. secretary-general and a top aide to U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon lobbied Clark’s office to rescue the UNDP official’s career, but they were unsuccessful UNDP denies it retaliated against the employee or that Clark played any role in denying her a job. Clark’s supporters concede her popularity may have taken a hit after she led a traumatic restructuring of the development agency from September 2013 to September 2015, sacking more than 200 staffers at UNDP’s New York headquarters, part of an effort to thin the ranks of senior management in New York. But they say it is a testament to Clark’s leadership that she had the grit to undertake such painful cuts — something that few other U.N. managers have achieved. Even her detractors say she has been a tenacious advocate for her agency’s interests. “She is one of the most aggressive turf warriors the U.N. has ever seen,” one senior diplomat said. [UNUS] [Helen Clark] [Dirty tricks] [Canard]
• PM not suprised over dirty tactics in campaign for top UN job
  6:09 pm today The Prime Minister says Helen Clark's campaign to be United Nations (UN) secretary-general has got a little bit dirty, but he's not surprised. The international magazine Foreign Policy has run a feature on Ms Clark's tenure as the leader of the United Nations Development Programme saying she has "left a trail of embittered peers and subordinates" after carrying out large-scale restructuring. But Prime Minister John Key said Ms Clark was clearly the front-runner for the job and the article showed others didn't want her to win. The article also suggests Ms Clark's managers drove a UN employee out of her job for being involved in a report that criticised the agency's inaction during the Sri Lankan civil war. [UNUS] [Helen Clark]
• China's big hits coming to New Zealand theaters
  China Daily, May 25, 2016 Six popular Chinese films will be shown this week in New Zealand movie theaters amid efforts by both countries' governments to increase cultural exchanges. The films are "The Mermaid," "Xuan Zang," "The Monkey King 2," "Go Away Mr. Tumor," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny" and "Monster Hunt." The screenings were announced on Tuesday during the 2016 New Zealand China Film Week. Liu Qibao, the Communist Party of China Central Committee's publicity chief, attended the opening ceremony in Wellington, the New Zealand capital. He is leading a delegation of senior cultural officials on a visit to the country from Tuesday to Thursday that is aimed at boosting cultural exchanges. [China NZ] [Culture]
• New Zealand diplomat quizzed over bar incident
  Updated : 2016-05-25 16:00 By Lee Jin-a, Park Si-soo Police questioned a New Zealand diplomat on Wednesday for allegedly obstructing officers who tried to arrest his friends on suspicion of molesting a female bar worker. Yongsan Police Station in Seoul said two companions of the diplomat, whose identity remains unknown, allegedly molested a female employee at a bar in Itaewon Tuesday night and assaulted a security guard who tried to take them to police. As police tried to arrest the two, the diplomat allegedly pushed them and kicked the patrol car. The diplomat and his friends were taken to the police station that night. But the diplomat was freed under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which gives foreign diplomats here immunity from civil or criminal prosecution. The New Zealand Embassy in Seoul said it is aware of the diplomat's alleged involvement in the incident but refused to give detailed information about him. "We will actively cooperate with the police investigation about the case," the embassy told The Korea Times. "If his problem is confirmed, we will make him pay the price by stripping off his diplomat privilege." A foreign ministry official said although foreign diplomats are usually exempt from criminal charges under the Vienna Convention, this does not apply to those involved in serious cases.
• Cookie dynasty heiress: I'm being kept out of NZ because of government grudge against my husband
  By David Williams 8:32 AM Wednesday May 18, 2016 The heiress of a Canadian cookie fortune says she is being kept out of New Zealand because of a government grudge against her stateless husband, who claims to be a CIA whistleblower. Last Friday, Immigration New Zealand rejected an "investor plus'' residency application from Carolyn Dare Wilfred, who wants to invest millions of dollars in at least three Kiwi businesses. Speaking from Canada, Mrs Dare Wilfred, 64, said the Government's hard line was "absolutely'' because of her husband, Harmon Wilfred, who renounced his United States citizenship in 2005 after what he says were threats to his personal safety and freedom. "I just want to come home - or find a home, wherever that is, with my husband,'' she said yesterday. "I want this nightmare to stop.'' She said it was not surprising New Zealand would kowtow to the United States, adding: "It's disappointing that they don't have any balls, excuse me for saying that.'' [Whistleblower] [CIA] [Corruption] [US dominance]
• New Zealand Police Department's Running Man Challenge
  The New Zealand Police Department jumped into the 'Running Man Challenge' trend on May 2 and invited other police agencies to join in. In the challenge, people dance to the 1996 song 'My Boo' by Ghost Town DJ's. [Bizarre]
• Trading-up the Free Trade Agreement with China
  8:12 am today Demelza Leslie, political reporter Only eight years have passed since New Zealand signed its free trade agreement with China and it is already out of date. The effects of the dated document are hitting some business hard, but what, if anything, can be done to get New Zealand a better deal? Prime Minister John Key walks up the red carpet as he is officially welcomed by Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing. Prime Minister John Key is officially welcomed by Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing. Photo: RNZ/Demelza Leslie ?Listen (duration 27'?:20?) ?Download: Ogg? | ?MP3 The Prime Minister John Key touched down in China last month hot on the heels of his Australian counterpart. He arrived in its bustling capital, Beijing, with two of his ministers and a high-level business and investment delegation of more than 40 people, but that was a far cry from Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's entourage of more than 1000. Mr Turnbull was there to cement Australia's recently signed free trade agreement (FTA) with China, that cuts tariffs across many economic sectors. Mr Key, who was also there to talk trade, brushed off Mr Turnbull's more elaborate effort - an effort that would have been noted by the Chinese who value "face time". [China NZ] [China FTA]
• China imports milk cows from New Zealand
  China.org.cn, May 5, 2016 Editor's note: China has just imported 2,823 Holstein cows from New Zealand to meet the country's massive demand for milk. The Holstein cows were unloaded from the ships in the port city of Qingdao, Shandong Province, on May 3. They will be transported to north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after 45 days of inspection and quarantine in the Huangdao District of Qingdao. All the imported cows have been pregnant for several months and will produce calves in the near future and begin to produce milk. [China NZ] [Dairy]

• Death of Donald Borrie
  Friday, 22 April 2016, 10:37 am Press Release: NZ DPRK Society
  It is with sadness that we advise you that the Reverend Donald Borrie, Co-Founder, long time Chairman and in recent times, Patron of the NZ DPRK Society, passed away peacefully at his home yesterday.
  Don, along with other visionaries, established the NZ DPRK Society in 1972. For the next 44 years he unwaveringly advocated a peaceful non-military solution to the division of Korea as well as a better understanding within NZ of the injustice international geopolitics have inflicted upon the North Korean people.
  He worked tirelessly at promoting better relations between New Zealand and North Korea, both at government level and with people to people exchanges. As such he has been inspirational, not only to New Zealanders, but also to the North Koreans who held him in high regard.
  Our condolences go to his wife Lyndel and the wider Borrie family at the time of their loss.
  Tim Beal Chairman
  Peter Wilson Secretary
• Rev Don Borrie Funeral Notice
  Reverend Ian Donald (Don):Died suddenly at home on Thursday, 21 April 2016, aged 76 years. Much respected and dearly loved husband of Lyndel, father of Grant and Fiona, father-in-law of Shelley and Jason, and Papa to Connor, Ella, Hiria, Zach, and Finn. The funeral for Don will be held at The Church of Christ the King, Warspite Avenue, Porirua on Wednesday, 27 April at 11:00am, followed by private cremation. In lieu of flowers donations to Parkinson's New Zealand would be appreciated and may be left at the service or posted to P.O. Box 11-067, Manners Street, Wellington 6142. All messages to "The Borrie Family" c/- P.O. Box 50-347, Porirua 5240.
• New Zealand PM John Key visits Xi'an
  Xinhua, April 21, 2016 New Zealand Prime Minister John Key (C) visits the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 20, 2016. Key is on a tour to Shaanxi from April 19 to April 21. [Photo: Xinhua] [John Key] [China NZ]
• Green Party protests Oravida water exports
  Oravida is exporting millions of litres of New Zealand water to China, and the Green Party says it is wrong that they are paying practically nothing for it, while potentially making hundreds of millions of dollars. Oravida pays about $500 a year to draw up to 400,000 litres of water a day from the Otakiri Aquifer in Bay of Plenty. [China bashing]
• China, New Zealand agree to upgrade and expand FTA
  China.org.cn, April 19, 2016 China and New Zealand will further expand the bilateral trade with signing five cooperation agreements in areas including agriculture, scientific research, quality inspection and quarantine, finance and education Monday in Beijing. Both sides also agree to promote the negotiation on upgrading their free trade agreement (FTA) which was signed in 2008 after talks between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his New Zealand counterpart John Key, who is on his sixth China visit from April 17-22. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) holds talks with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key in Beijing, capital of China, April 18, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Tao) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) holds talks with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key in Beijing, capital of China, April 18, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Tao) China is ready to work with New Zealand to give full play to the FTA and create conditions for an early start of upgrading negotiation, Li said. New Zealand was the first developed country to recognize China's full market economy status in 2004 and the first to sign a FTA with China. Bilateral trade has seen double-digit growth over the past eight years, and China became New Zealand's biggest export market in 2014. Li said the fast growing bilateral relations and ever expanding cooperation have ranked China-New Zealand relations among the top of relations with developed countries. Key said New Zealand was willing to further strengthen cooperation with China in agriculture and animal husbandry in the spirit of reciprocity, and actively promote the negotiation on FTA upgrading. Li urged the two countries to strengthen cooperation in the whole industrial chain of agriculture and animal husbandry from investment, scientific research, management to food security, and establish a long-term stable cooperative partnership. He said China will support its entrepreneurs to participate in infrastructure construction programs in New Zealand and welcome New Zealand entrepreneurs to increase investment to China. He called on the two countries to conduct more exchanges in education and tourism, strengthen dialogue and cooperation in legislature and law enforcement, and make closer communication and coordination on international affairs, so as to promote regional economic integration and a sustainable growth of regional and world economy. Key said New Zealand attached high importance to the relations with China, respected China's core interests and supported China to play a role in international affairs. Li also briefed Key on China's current economic situation. He said the economy has seen some improvement recently, the domestic demand such as consumption and investment has seen a faster growth than that of the fourth quarter of last year. The economy is operating within a reasonable range. He said China needs to make more efforts to sustain the momentum of growth, due to the sluggish world economic growth in general, adding China will use policy tools flexibly, foster new drivers to growth and upgrade the traditional ones. The two prime ministers also discussed international and regional issues of common concern. After stay in Beijing, Key will also visit Xi'an and Shanghai. In his first visit to Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shannxi province, Key would support New Zealand business and cultural links with Xi'an, and visit the city's international trade and logistics hub, part of China's Belt and Road initiative. Key would also help to promote New Zealand's creative industries by attending the launch of the New Zealand Film Festival in Shanghai.
• China responds to Australia, New Zealand officials' comments on South China Sea
  Source: Xinhua | 2016-02-19 21:43:15 | Editor: huaxia BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday asked Australia and New Zealand not to interfere in the South China Sea issue as they are not directly involved. Spokesman Hong Lei was responding to reports that officials of Australia and New Zealand on Friday urged China to refrain from stoking tensions in the South China Sea. Hong said the islands in the South China Sea have been China's territory since ancient times, and China has the right to maintain its territory, sovereignty and maritime interests. He noted that deploying national defense facilities on its own territory is China's right granted by international law. What China has done has nothing to do with militarization, Hong said, urging Australia and New Zealand not to ignore the facts while raising some suggestions which are not constructive. [China NZ] [South China Sea] http://www.china.org.cn/world/2016-04/18/content_38265829.htm New Zealand PM kicks off 6-day China tour 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail CRI, April 18, 2016 Adjust font size: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has begun a nearly week-long visit to China this Sunday. Key is in China for 6-days, leading a high-level business delegation to the country. An upgrade of the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement is said to be one of the highlights of John Key's agenda. New Zealand became the first developed country to to sign a bilaterla FTA with China in 2008. That deal isn't due to fully take effect until 2019. Key's trip to China comes less than two days after Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull wrapped up his visit to China. [China NZ] [South China Sea]
• China's state news agency's warning to John Key
  9:45 PM Sunday Apr 17, 2016 China's state news agency Xinhua has warned Prime Minister John Key to steer clear of talking about territorial disputes in the South China Sea if he wants any traction in trade talks. Mr Key left for China today for a visit focusing on talks to "upgrade" the New Zealand China free trade agreement. Mr Key will meet China's President Xi Jinping on Tuesday. While trade is expected to be the main topic, Mr Key has also said he will raise the South China Sea issue. However, an editorial in Xinhua, often the Chinese Government's mouthpiece, has warned future relations could be endangered by recent comments about the South China Sea -- comments it said were critical of China despite New Zealand's claim not to take sides in the dispute. It said New Zealand should take its own stance rather than be "hijacked by the ambitions of its military allies". [NZ China] [Allegiance]
• NZ military exercises not provocative - Brownlee
  Wed, 13 Apr 2016 Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee says there is nothing provocative in New Zealand taking part in a military exercise in the South China Sea when the Prime Minister is in China. While he said exactly where it was happening was classified, it would not be taking place in any of the sea disputed by China. The exercise, Bersama Shield, will be hosted by Malaysia, which is one of many countries in dispute with China over territory in the South China Sea. [China confrontation] [Joint military exercises] [China NZ]
• Fran O'Sullivan: Key on critical China mission
  6:00 AM Thursday Apr 14, 2016 No piggyback New Zealand Prime Minister John Key will touch down in China on Sunday two days after Malcolm Turnbull's first mission as Australian Prime Minister wraps up. But this is not a mere piggyback exercise. A successful Beijing visit is mission critical for Key who wants the ground-breaking 2008 China New Zealand Free Trade deal upgraded so that Australia, which now has its own FTA, can't steal a march on NZ in critical areas like the dairy trade, export education and tourism. Key will be on message when he meets President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) will have prepared detailed talking points. But Key has shared enough private dinners and 'pull-asides' with China's leaders to have developed the necessary rapport to address some delicate questions in a nuanced fashion. [China NZ]
• Key to broach whether Australia has better deal on dairy with China, during visit next week
  . A better deal trade for Australian dairy exports into China would form the basis of talks for an upgrade to New Zealand's free trade agreement with China. Prime Minister John Key will lead a major business delegation to China early next week, and hold talks with President Xi Jinping. "There's a lot of financial benefit for New Zealand if we can get an upgrade. We also have a sense, at least, that Australia's FTA might be a bit better and we've been talking about this issue for some time," Key said. A "most favoured nation" clause written into the agreement with China eight years ago, was to ensure New Zealand investors remained no worse off than investors of any other countries. [China NZ] [China FTA]
• Auckland's police questioned for inaction in assault cases
  People's Daily, April 6, 2016 A recent spate of violent attacks on Asian students in Auckland has raised concerns about public safety, particularly in minority communities. In light of the attacks, many people are now wondering: is Auckland still safe? Two female Chinese students who attend the University of Auckland and a male Chinese student at the New Zealand National Institute were attacked and robbed in Auckland on the evening of March 22 and the morning of March 24 respectively. In addition, two female Japanese students suffered similar misfortunes on the evenings of March 22 and March 28. Altogether six young people were left bloodied, battered and terrified after the assaults. Inspector Joe Tipene of the Auckland Police Department says the four violent attacks aren't necessarily related. There is no evidence showing that this series of crimes is targeting any particular ethnicity. Tipene’s statement is somewhat reassuring to Auckland’s Asian students and the larger Asian community, but there are still concerns. Dr. David Mayeda, a sociologist with Auckland University, says that international students are more likely to be targeted by criminals, perhaps because they are not as familiar with the environment around them. They tend to inadvertently put themselves at more risk. There is also a widespread complaint in the Chinese and international student communities that the current law enforcement and judicial system in New Zealand take "special care" of certain ethnic groups or specific populations, namely indigenous Maori and Pacific Islanders. [Racism] [Education]

• UN Security Council - Non-proliferation/Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
  02 Mar 2016 New Zealand welcomes the unanimous adoption of today’s resolution imposing strengthened and expanded sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Our long-standing commitment to the nuclear non-proliferation regime, and to the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, is well known. The DPRK’s continued pursuit of its nuclear weapons programme, as demonstrated by its most recent nuclear test and ballistic missile launch, represents one of the most serious threats to the international non-proliferation regime. DPRK’s actions stand in defiance of international law, and this Council’s resolutions. When this Council met on 6th of January following the latest nuclear test, we committed to beginning work immediately to agree further significant measures in response. Today’s resolution represents the fulfilment of that commitment. New Zealand co-sponsored today’s resolution in recognition of the continued threat the DPRK’s actions pose to international peace and security, and to the security of our Asia-Pacific region. We do so with a heavy heart, wishing that the DPRK would choose a path of providing for the well-being and basic needs of its citizens, rather than preoccupying itself with the development of a nuclear weapons programme. The measures contained in this resolution will send a clear message to the DPRK. Specifically, that it will not benefit from its provocative and combative behaviour, and that the best path available to it is a return, in good faith, to negotiations on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. We commend the United States and China for the leadership they have shown in preparing the measures contained in today’s resolution. It is now incumbent on all Member states to ensure that they are implemented fully and effectively. Thank you Mr President. [UNUS] [Double standards] [Non-proliferation]
• [Photo] New Zealand soldiers in S. Korea for Double Dragon
  Posted on : Mar.11,2016 17:56 KST Soldiers from New Zealand wait for a transport Osprey MV-22 aircraft during the Double Dragon military exercises on the South Korean Dokdo Amphibious vessel, Mar. 9. (provided by the Navy) [Ssang Yong] [Joint US military] [Amphibious] [NZ]
• Korea, U.S. to Stage Drills with Commonwealth Countries
  South Korea and the U.S. will stage special forces drills with Australia and New Zealand and the U.K. this year to boost deterrence against North Korea. The drills will push the strategic boundaries in response to asymmetric threats from the North, the U.S. Forces Korea said Thursday. Australia and New Zealand have sent more troops to the joint South Korea-U.S. drills every year, rising to 190 this year.
  The underlying aim is to bring South Korea, Australia, Japan and the U.S. closer together to thwart China's military expansion in the Pacific. [Joint US military] [China confrontation] [Pretext]
• NZ troops should not be practising invasion in Northeast Asia
  Letter to Hon Gerry Brownlee, Minister of Defence from
  Tim Beal, Chairman, NZ-DPRK Society
  Rev. Prince Devanandan, Director - Mission and Ecumenical, Methodist Church of New Zealand.
  Commander Robert D Green Royal Navy (Ret'd), Disarmament & Security Centre
  Celine Kearney, President, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Aotearoa
  Kevin McBride, National Co-ordinator, Pax Christi Aotearoa-New Zealand.
  Peter Wilson, Secretary, NZ-DPRK Society
  We are alarmed at the announcement that 60 Defence Force personnel will be participating in the current US-led military exercises in South Korea. It appears that New Zealand troops will be involved in amphibious landings run by the US Marines, which are widely seen as practice for a possible invasion of North Korea. According to the South Korea press this year’s exercises are the largest ever, involving some 300,000 troops, not far short of the number used in the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
  The Seoul newspaper Korea Times notes ‘Korea-US drills shifting to offensive ‘ and that the exercises this year are also practising implementing OPLAN 5015 which involves, amongst other things pre-emptive strikes against North Korea. The Americans will be deploying advanced nuclear-capable submarines and aircraft.
  One aim of such exercises is to force North Korea to shift resources from the economy to defence and, as always, it is the vulnerable who go hungry in such circumstances. New Zealand should not be party to actions which may result in the malnutrition of children.
  Far worse would eventuate if the exercises moved from practice to reality, something which cannot be discounted. An invasion of North Korea would be fiercely resisted and would lead to full –scale war and China would probably be sucked in. Has the NZ Government really thought through the implications of getting embroiled in another war with China?
  New Zealand armed forces should not be deployed overseas for combat or for military exercises against states that want to live in peace with us.
• Cultivating networking and learning opportunities amongst Asia Savvy individuals
  Invitation to Asia Savvy networking event and presentation: “The ten commandments of doing business in China” By Paul O’Brien, an MBA Aumni, long-time friend of the Business School and Business Manager Nutraceuticals, Douglas Pharmaceuticals Date: Friday, 1 April 2016, 3.30-4.30pm Venue: Level 3, Owen G Glenn Building, 12 Grafton Road Paul, now with Douglas Pharma managing the Clinicians natural health business, has many years of experience in the China markets through his work with EasiYo, Good Health Products and Australian pharmaceutical wholesaler API. The turnover of EasiYo in China grew ten-fold when Paul was CEO from 2009 to 2013. [China NZ]
• US ambassador told Clinton staff in NZ were a problem
  Just-released emails reveal the former United States Ambassador to New Zealand, David Huebner, had serious worries about the competence and quality of senior staff at the American embassy in Wellington. Former US ambassador David Huebner, far right, pictured with Prime Minister John Key, left, and Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae preparing to lay a rose on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in June 2012. Former US ambassador David Huebner, far right, pictured with Prime Minister John Key, left, and Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae preparing to lay a rose on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in June 2012. Photo: AFP The emails were written in 2012 and copied to former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is now seeking the Democratic Party nomination to contest the US presidential election. In the emails, Mr Huebner said when he arrived in Wellington in 2009, there were 10 officers in both Wellington and Samoa he considered to be in upper-mid or senior positions. Four of them were performing at an impressive level while one was performing at minimum competency, he said. "Five - a full 50 percent of them - were performing well below acceptable competency and in ways that created serious morale, retention and performance issues for junior officers and locally engaged staff under them." Mr Huebner said he then took an active role in recruiting staff as positions became vacant. "I thought that such active involvement would correct the problem, which I had attributed to New Zealand and Samoa simply attracting a disproportionate share of 'lifestyle' or 'problem' officers because the posts have for the past two decades been low-activity, low-ambition outposts." But he said, many of the incoming officers exhibited the same incompetence as those who had left. "I would hope that my observations are not unduly discounted because I am a political appointee. My initial attempts to reorient the management culture at Post were met with various degrees of passive and active resistance and a couple of prior attempts to raise the issues in [Washington] DC were met with instinctive defence of DoS [Department of State] culture and excellence. "I am in fact an enthusiastic booster of the Department but that does not blind me to deficits that need attention." He was worried that without competent staff the significant progress made in relations with both New Zealand and Samoa would likely evaporate under a "less-hands-on" ambassador, he said. These emails were sent on to Mrs Clinton, who responded: "Really well done. Let's discuss." It was not clear whether any further changes were made to respond to Mr Huebner's criticisms.

• New Zealand Troops to Train with Korean and US Marines
  10 February 2016 Around 60 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) soldiers will take part in a large-scale exercise in the Republic of Korea starting on 24 February. Major General (MAJGEN) Tim Gall, the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, said gunners from the New Zealand Army’s 16 Field Regiment will participate in a complex exercise with the Republic of Korea Marine Corps and the US Marine Corps as part of Exercise Ssang Yong 16 (SY16). Ssang Yong, which means “twin dragons”, will be conducted mainly in Pohang on South Korea’s east coast until 24 March. The Australian Defence Force has also been invited to participate. Key activities include live mortar firing and a beach landing on 12 March. The exercise is part of 16 Field Regiment’s ongoing co-operation with the US Marine Corps 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, designed to develop the New Zealand Army’s capability in specialised military skills. This co-operation sees each unit hosting an event during a calendar year. “Opportunities to train and engage with other militaries are invaluable. These interactions help deepen defence co-operation between our countries and enhance our ability to work with them,” MAJGEN Gall said. “Exercises such as SY16 also enable the New Zealand Army to maintain its ability to operate alongside other militaries and improve its effectiveness in all types of terrain and environment.” [Joint US military]
• Toby and Toby on... North Korea, a rocket launch and violent storms
  Updated at 2:07 pm today OPINION: Toby Manhire & Toby Morris no metadata What is this rocket launch of which you speak? The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, a "rogue state" better known as North Korea and led by cushion-faced 33-year-old dictator Kim Jong-un, launched a long-range rocket on Sunday, successfully depositing a Kwangmyongsong ("Shining Star") satellite into orbit. And what's wrong with that? Plenty, according to the UN Security Council, which convened an emergency meeting and "strongly condemned" the activity. It breached numerous resolutions and confirmed "a clear threat to international peace and security continues to exist, especially in the context of the nuclear test". What nuclear test is that? Early last month, Pyongyang trumpeted its fourth nuclear test, which proved the small nation could, it claimed, "wipe out" the United States. In the eyes of much of the world, this latest launch is part of developing a long-distance capability that might deliver a nuclear-armed warhead as far as Europe, the west coast of the US, or Australia. [Satellite] [Bizarre] [Propaganda] [Cliché]
• McCully’s condemnation of satellite launch sadly predictable
  Foreign Minister Murray McCully’s condemnation of North Korea’s launch of an earth observation satellite was predictable - he never strays far from American guidance. It was also sadly short-sighted. As a small country it is in our long-term interest to defend the norms of international law, not condone their violation. The centrepiece of international law has to be the equality of nations. We cannot have one law for powerful countries and another for small ones. Satellites are an important, indeed essential, part of the modern scientific environment. They have been launched by a large number of countries, including South Korea. Why condemn only North Korea?
  Mr McCully’s repetition of the argument that the satellite launch employed ‘ballistic missile technology’ is disingenuous. All satellites are launched by ballistic rockets, but a satellite carrier rocket is not a missile. There are distinct and important differences.
  However, the same principles of the norms of international law apply to missiles. Many countries test and deploy missiles, including the United States, Russia, China, India, and South Korea. We may well think that missiles, along with strategic bombers and nuclear weapons, should be banned but this must happen on the basis of equality. All countries should be equal before the law. Condemning one country, North Korea, for doing what other countries do just because that aligns with American foreign policy takes New Zealand down a slippery slope, to our detriment.
  As a small country it is vital that New Zealand upholds the principles of international law because they offer us the best, and enduring, protection in a volatile global environment.
  Tim Beal, Chairman
  Peter Wilson, Secretary
  NZ-DPRK Society
  • NZ Condemns North Korea rocket launch
    Foreign Minister Murray McCully has condemned today’s long-range rocket launch by North Korea. “This action contravenes United Nations Security Council resolutions demanding that North Korea cease any launches using ballistic missile technology,” Mr McCully says. “While North Korea has claimed it as a satellite launch, the real purpose is widely believed to a long-range missile test. “North Korea’s decision to conduct a launch, and the nuclear test they carried out on 6 January, are irresponsible and fly in the face of international opinion. “New Zealand again calls on North Korea to refrain from actions which undermine peace and stability in the region. “We will work with other Security Council members on an appropriate response to the launch,” Mr McCully says. [Satellite]
• Health charge for New Zealanders and Australians is UK being 'pretty cheap', says John Key
  John Key says charging New Zealanders and Australians £200 a year to access some NHS services is ‘not in keeping with the history of the countries’ New Zealand prime minister John Key New Zealand prime minister John Key said the move to make Kiwis pay a health surcharge in the UK was ‘not really in keeping with the history of the two countries’. Photograph: Phil Walter/Getty Images Eleanor Ainge Roy in Dunedin Monday 8 February 2016 03.25 GMT Last modified on Monday 8 February 2016 11.02 GMT The New Zealand prime minister, John Key, has accused Britain of being “pretty cheap” after it revealed plans to make New Zealanders and Australians pay a surcharge to access some health services. Australians and New Zealanders visiting the UK for six months or more – or who are already in the country and are applying for an extension – will now have to pay an annual fee of £200 (about $AU410 and $NZ437) for health and dental care. Those aged 18 to 30 will pay a discounted surcharge rate of £150. Key said the change was “chipping away of New Zealanders’ rights in the UK”. “I think we have had this relationship based on the history of our country and New Zealand being a British colony. I would have thought charging Kiwis £150 if they’re over there for a bit longer as a surcharge, over and above the national health system, is pretty cheap and not really in keeping with the history of the two countries.”

• Don Borrie Steps down as Chairman of the NZ DPRK Society
  Press Release: NZ DPRK Society
  Wednesday, 20 January 2016, 10:31 am
  After many years at the helm of the NZ DPRK Society, co-founder Rev. Donald Borrie has stepped aside as Chairman because of ill health and accepted appointment as Patron.
  The Society was formed in 1973 by Donald Borrie and Wolf Rosenberg. Over the subsequent 43 years Don has been active in promoting a better understanding in New Zealand of North Korea whose official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK, is reflected in the title of the Society. He has visited the DPRK many times over this period, building relationships with institutions in Pyongyang such as the Korea-New Zealand Friendship Society and the Korean Christian Federation.
  The former Vice Chairman Dr Tim Beal becomes the new Chairman. Tim is a retired academic who has written extensively on Asia. He has been Secretary of the NZ Asian Studies Society and was foundation director of Victoria University’s Centre for Asia/Pacific Law and Business. Tim has written numerous articles and two books about the Korean peninsula and has been described as NZ’s leading expert on North Korea. He is an occasional columnist for the Washington-based specialist website NK News and is frequently interviewed by Russia Today on Asian issues.
  In accepting the Chairmanship, Tim Beal paid tribute to Don Borrie’s long service in the advocacy of peace on the Korean peninsula. “Don has worked tirelessly to promote better relations between our two countries, which would produce benefits for both. New Zealand has a lot to offer, and North Korea, with its 25 million energetic people, has considerable potential as a market for us. Don has considerable mana in North Korea, reminiscent of that of Rewi Alley in China”, he said.
  Tim added, “Fortunately the rest of the team remains in place. Rev Dr Stuart Vogel, well known in the Asian community, remains Aid Co-ordinator and Peter Wilson, who has decades of experience working on agricultural projects in Asia, including the DPRK, continues to fulfil the crucial role of Secretary with incredible energy and unflagging enthusiasm.”
  The NZ DPRK Society remains committed to its objectives which are:
  
  • To promote peace and understanding between the People of the DPRK and NZ
  • To support the peaceful reunification of the DPRK and ROK
  • To facilitate the exchange of people and resources between the DPRK and NZ.
  • To support recognition of DPRK by the international community of nations
  • To encourage DPRK’s full participation in all international organisations.
• Minister beats superbug
  5:00 AM Tuesday Jan 19, 2016 Foreign Minister Murray McCully regained his ministerial warrant yesterday after two and a half months off work including a spell in North Shore Hospital's intensive care unit and contracting a superbug. Mr McCully had three general anaesthetics within a short time but says he has been given the all-clear. He had private surgery in November to remove a tumour from his pancreas, which turned out to be benign. He was rushed to North Shore hospital in an ambulance a week later when he contracted an infection and was admitted to the ICU. He then contracted the MRSA superbug, which can be deadly.
  Mr McCully said one of the first things he will be doing this year is to take a paper to Cabinet to lift the UN sanctions against Iran, following similar moves overseas in line with the agreement to limit Iran's nuclear capability. The sanctions were imposed in 2011, when Iran was refusing to co-operate over its nuclear programme. Since 2011 it has been unlawful for any New Zealand company doing business in Iran without registering with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr McCully admits the sanctions have not had much impact - but those of other countries which has affected potentially large trade deals. "The real impact on New Zealand business has not been from the UN sanctions but really the US banking sanctions which have made some of the big trade deals basically unbankable." Another priority would be what New Zealand does in its second and last year on the Security Council, including the situation in Syria, Iraq and the Middle East peace process. April could be a busy month with China chairing the council.
• The North Korean Hydrogen Bomb
  Peter Wilson and Tim Beal
  Friday, 8 January 2016, 2:30 pm
  The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) announces it has tested a "miniaturised" hydrogen bomb which has been a "perfect success" and elevates the country's "nuclear might to the next level". This once again sets off a depressingly predictable cycle of events. All to no avail. In fact the situation just gets worse with each turn of the cycle. [H-bomb] [Test]

• Gordon Campbell on the Police harassment of Nicky Hager
  December 18th, 2015 So now we know. If you’ve done something to really annoy the Establishment – hello, Kim Dotcom, Heather Du Plessis Allen, Nicky Hager and teapot tapes photographer Bradley Ambrose – not only will you rocket to the top of the priority list for the Police and their scant resources, but chances are they’ll overstep their lawful authority while turning you over. Meanwhile the dodgy behaviours and payments documented in Hager’s book Dirty Politics will go un- investigated. How many more examples of Police partiality in the use of its investigative discretion do we need? The Police are a tool. Cross their political masters and you’ll pay the price. In the case of the Hager investigation there are several disturbing aspects. Beforehand, the Police knew they were unlikely to find any evidence relevant to the identity of the hacker they were trying to find. Hager was officially not a suspect. Justice Clifford’s decision says that this was a mission motivated by little more than hope. Secondly, what the judge called the Police’s “fundamental error” was that they failed to reveal to the District Court judge issuing the search warrant that the target of their warrant was a journalist – and therefore someone likely to enjoy the protections afforded to journalists under the Evidence Act. This looks particularly suspicious when – at 8.30am in a search that went on to 6pm– the Police actually asked Hager whether he wanted to invoke his journalistic privilege. Which Hager immediately did. As a result, this prevented the Police from examining the material they were gathering. It became evidence that had to be bagged and sealed, and could be opened subsequently only at the order of (another) judge. Therefore, if this was a raid designed to get evidence that would quickly uncover the hacker’s identity, it had become pointless almost as soon as the Police gained entry to Hager’s house.
• Nicky Hager house raid found to be illegal
  3:58 PM Thursday Dec 17, 2015 Author Nicky Hager had his house raided following the publication of his book Dirty Politics. Photo / Christine Cornege The police search on the home of investigative journalist Nicky Hager has been ruled as illegal, the High Court has found. READ MORE: Chilling details of intrusion into Nicky Hager's privacy In a judgment released today, Justice Denis Clifford ruled against the way police went about obtaining the warrant used to search Hager's home in the hunt for identity of the hacker who supplied information for the Dirty Politics book. The judgment also delivered police a rap on the knuckles for the way they went about allowing Hager to claim journalistic privilege, saying the way detectives went about it was "not the type of facilitation that I consider the Search and Surveillance Act anticipates".
• Oil giant Shell looks at selling New Zealand assets
  Xinhua, December 10, 2015 Multinational oil giant Royal Dutch Shell is mulling the possibility of exiting New Zealand with the announcement Thursday that it is reviewing its interests there. The review was in keeping with the company's strategy to become "a simpler, more profitable and resilient company," Shell New Zealand country chairman Rod Jager said in a statement. Choices had to be made to streamline the global portfolio given the current environment, said Jager.

• New Zealand female MPs thrown out of parliament after disclosing sexual assaults
  Women ruled out of order by Speaker for demanding prime minister John Key apologise for accusing opposition of ‘backing the rapists’ MPs are thrown out of New Zealand’s parliament after sharing experiences of sexual assault Photograph: @katiebradford Eleanor Ainge Roy in Dunedin Wednesday 11 November 2015 06.11 GMT Last modified on Wednesday 11 November 2015 16.38 GMT The women’s intervention came after prime minister John Key on Tuesday accused opposition Labour and Green MPs of “backing the rapists” in a row over the detention of New Zealanders by the Australian government. Opposition politicians had raised concerns in parliament over the detention of New Zealand citizens awaiting deportation after the Canberra government cancelled visas for those convicted of certain crimes. Key went on a tirade after being questioned by Labour leader Andrew Little, telling Little “you back the rapists”, before being cut off by the Speaker, David Carter. “Some of the [detainees] are rapists, some of them are child molesters, and some of them are murderers,” Key said. “These are the people that the Labour party are saying are more important to support than New Zealanders who deserve protecting when they come back here.” Key told Labour MP Kelvin Davis, who has said the detentions make a mockery” of the Anzac relationship: “If you want to put yourself on the side of sex offenders, go ahead my son, but we’ll defend New Zealanders.” An estimated three-quarters of Labour MPs walked out of parliament directly after Key’s comments on Tuesday, along with several Green members. Key told the house and New Zealand media that he stood by his comments. [John Key]
• Amnesty International criticizes proposal to halt ICC action against Israel
  s Israel sends blunt message to New Zealand: Don't try to renew peace talks New Zealand circulates UNSC draft resolution for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks Amnesty International on Tuesday criticized a section of New Zealand's proposed UN Security Council resolution which calls for a renewal of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), yet proposes that the Palestinians pause their efforts to bring Israel to the dock of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague. In a statement, Amnesty expressed that it is "deeply concerned" that the move could damage chances for a lasting peace. Amnesty's Executive Director in New Zealand Grant Bayldon wrote that the proposal "disregards the situation of Palestinian and Israeli victims... and would not address the impact of the long-standing impunity in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories." [Israel]
• S. Korean government stays mum as WTO candidate is hacked
  Posted on : Nov.9,2015 17:34 KST The NSA’s Xkeyscore hacking program, Data: The Intercept Response to hacking contrasts sharply with New Zealand, where allegations sparked a spirited debate Months after the fact, it was brought to light that a South Korean diplomat and university professor’s email accounts with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Seoul National University were spied on in 2013 by a New Zealand intelligence agency using surveillance software developed and administered by the US government’s National Security Agency (NSA). The surveillance of this diplomat’s emails was reported by the New Zealand media this past March, but the South Korean government has yet to make any kind of response. In March 2015, the New Zealand Herald and called The Intercept, the investigative news website, reported that a New Zealand intelligence agency called the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) had used the XKEYSCORE surveillance program, which was developed by the NSA, to spy on the email accounts of eight candidates for director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO) during the campaign, which lasted from the end of January until the end of April 2013, on behalf of the New Zealand candidate. [Hacking] [SK NZ] [WTO]
• Speech: Kennedy Graham on GCSB spying
  Kennedy Graham MP on Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - 18:22 01.04.15 - General Debate - Part 10 Video of 01.04.15 - General Debate - Part 10 It is time the Government leveled with the public on the question of spying. It is time the Government gave an honest account of how much, in what circumstances, and with what moral and legal justification it undertakes electronic interception. Because all the public has been getting lately is a stylistically shallow assurance from the Prime Minister that he has been advised by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) that everything it is doing is within the law. That is demonstrably lame, to a point of self-contradiction. It is like releasing a murder suspect on the grounds that he told the police not to worry as he is innocent. On something as important as the nexus between civil liberties and State power, we deserve something better than this. The Green Party recently laid a complaint with the Inspector-General regarding revelations that the GCSB has been undertaking mass surveillance through electronic intercepts of people in the Pacific region. There are two target categories. The first is foreign governments, and the second is New Zealand citizens. Spying on Pacific neighbours is offensive. Spying on New Zealanders is essentially illegal. [Hacking] [SK NZ] [WTO] [Snowden] [NSA] [Greens]
• S. Korea to hold photo exhibition of iconic mountain range of two Koreas
  2015/10/28 11:35 SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- The Unification Ministry said Wednesday it will hold a photo exhibition of a mountain range that runs most of the length of the Korean Peninsula to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The ministry said it will display a total of 70 photos of a chain of mountains, known as Baekdudaegan, taken by Roger Shepherd, a mountaineer from New Zealand, until Nov. 10 in Islan, north of Seoul. Baekdudaegan, described as the backbone of the peninsula, starts from Mount Baekdu in North Korea, the peninsula's highest peak located on the border with China, to Mount Jiri in the southwest province of South Korea. The photos to be put on display are the same ones as those showcased at an exhibition in Pyongyang in August, according to the ministry. "The exhibition is meaningful as photos of the mountain range will show South and North Korea were originally one," the ministry said in a statement. "(The government) will make efforts to promote cultural exchanges between the two Koreas." Shepherd has taken photos by climbing mountains in the Baekdudaegan range since 2008, and published a collection of related photos and an English brochure in 2013. sooyeon@yna.co.kr
• New Zealand’s Zionist Diplomacy in the UN Security Council: “Israel Has a Right to Defend Itself”
  By Dr. Vacy Vlazna Global Research, November 02, 2015 The reprehensible draft ‘resolution’ circulated by New Zealand (NZ), the present chair of the UN Security Council, is so blatantly biased against the Palestinian people that it proffers, in this instance, the correct diplomatic protocol to mind it’s own business….. particularly as NZ is an on-the-record, apologist and morally blind supporter of Israel. On July 22, 2014 as Israel’s vicious war on the people of Gaza raged relentlessly, Prime Minister John Key, repeated the zionist mantra that “Israel has a right to defend itself.” In June this year, during a visit to Israel, NZ’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully ran the idea of the resolution by Netanyahu. So, sure enough, NZ, like all western governments, obsequiously replicated zionist propaganda in the ‘resolution’: ?NZ normalises Israeli atrocities by falsely presenting Israel and Palestine as equal perpetrators and equal victims and ?by pushing the demand that Palestine gives up its endeavour for justice in the International Criminal Court thus letting Israel off scott free for its monstrous war crimes and crimes against humanity. ?While NZ demands that Israel freezes its rapacious settlement expansion (in which NZ invests..see below), it absurdly promotes the farce of negotiations that expand settlements. There is no demand by NZ that the zionist infiltrators leave the present settlements that have illegally expropriated half of the remaining Palestinian West Bank. ?NZ obediently keeps up the pretence of a two state solution when Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out Palestinian sovereignty: Dr. Vacy Vlazna is Coordinator of Justice for Palestine Matters. She was Human Rights Advisor to the GAM team in the second round of the Acheh peace talks, Helsinki, February 2005 then withdrew on principle. Vacy was convenor of Australia East Timor Association and coordinator of the East Timor Justice Lobby as well as serving in East Timor with UNAMET and UNTAET from 1999-2001.

• Political roundup: New Zealand's closed government
  Bryce Edwards ' Opinion Bryce Edwards is a lecturer in Politics at the University of Otago. 11:24 AM Friday Oct 23, 2015 While the Prime Minister is extremely open about his personal life, his government is increasingly opaque. John Key is the most open prime minister in New Zealand history. This was surely proven beyond dispute with his recent participation in an interview on Radio Hauraki in which he answered all sorts of crude personal questions not normally put to heads of government - you can watch the two-minute interview here: John Key - Thank You For Your Honesty. In response, US television host John Oliver discussed the clip and declared it The "greatest political interview of all time". You can listen to Jeremy Wells' one-minute parody of Mike Hosking reacting to John Key's honest answers. Toby Manhire has also compiled John Key on the John Oliver Show - the Complete NZ Works (So Far). There's a serious side to the issue of John Key's accessibility [John Key]
• China-US Relations in Global Perspective
  Date: 8 -9 October, 2015 Location: Hunter Council Chamber, Kelburn Campus, Victoria University of Wellington Conference Description The relationship between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America is the most important bilateral relationship in today's world. The sole superpower in the post-Cold War world, the United States still has the largest economy, the strongest military forces, and the dominant voice in international institutions. The most populous country and the second largest economy with rapid growth, China is poised to catch up with the United States in the coming decades. It is critical that China and the Unites States handle their relations well, for both China and the United States, for the Asia-Pacific region, and for the entire world. [China US]
• New Zealand-China Defence Ties: Cooperation...and Concerns
  6/10/2015 Authors: David Capie and Robert Ayson When Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee left for China earlier this week, he said the aim of his visit wasto gain a better understanding of China’s views on regional and global issues. What he forgot to mention is that he would be giving one of the most important indications of the Key government’s thinking about the shape of the emerging Asia-Pacific security order. Mr. Brownlee’s speech to China’s National Defence University is a noteworthy one in that it provides the most detail yet of how New Zealand sees China’s role in global and regional security. There are plenty of compliments. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is described as ‘having demonstrated its capacity as a responsible world actor’ in numerous disaster relief operations and the MH-370 search mission. There is a nod to Chinese participation in counter-piracy operations, and its leading role in UN peacekeeping, including providing force protection to NZDF personnel taking part in the mission in South Sudan. Closer to home the PLA’s participation in Exercise Tropic Twilight in the Cook Islands is highlighted. ‘We see real value in working together with partners such as China to help build capacity and resilience in South Pacific communities.’ [NZ China] [Allegiance]
• New Zealand's Security Council Doctrine
  22/9/2015 Author: Robert Ayson John Key is off to New York for the annual Leaders Week and the UN’s 70th anniversary. With a third of New Zealand’s two-year Security Council stint already complete, it’s timely to determine whether a distinct and consistent New Zealand view has been emerging on the Council. Undertaking this assessment means getting through a veritable pile of statements which New Zealand’s representatives have made since January. This is a rare pleasure because the Key and McCully years have been lean ones for the production of declaratory foreign policy. At an average of six statements per month, New Zealand is on target in 2015 to exceed the total of Security Council statements made in the previous six years. Of course a very significant increase was always to be expected given New Zealand’s new (albeit temporary) role. But the five statements delivered already by New Zealand’s Foreign Minister himself outnumber the total number of his speeches to all venues in 2013 and 2014 which can be found on the Beehive archive. [UNUS] [UNSC]
• New Zealand’s Strategic Objectives in a Contested Asia
  Author: Hugh White
  9/6/2015 Matt Hill, in his pithy and neatly-argued post about the regional setting for New Zealand’s 2015 Defence White Paper, is absolutely right that New Zealand’s strategic situation is being very significantly transformed by the escalating strategic rivalry between the US and China over the future Asian strategic order. This marks a fundamental change from the circumstances which have framed New Zealand’s (and Australia’s) defence policies for over 40 years. Since the early 1970s, the peace and stability of the Asian region has been underwritten by the simple but enormously important fact that US primacy has been uncontested by any other Asian power. That has sharply limited the risk of a major regional conflict which could have profoundly affected our nations’ well-being, which in turn has limited the kinds of wars our militaries have had to be prepared to fight. Now that is no longer true: while far from inevitable, the risk of a US-China conflict with devastating consequences for both countries is far higher today than it has been at any time since 1972, and on current trends it is likely to keep rising. Matt quite correctly sees this as having big implications for New Zealand’s defence needs. But if I may presume to offer a view from across The Ditch, I’m not sure he goes quite far enough in exploring the implications for New Zealand of the trends we are seeing. [Allegiance]

• New Zealand Donates Tractors to North Korean Cooperative Farm
  August 29th 2015
  Press Release from NZ-DPRK Society
  In a ceremony earlier this month six small two wheel tractor with trailer units were presented to the Sambong Cooperative NZ Friendship Farm, Pyongyan Province, North Korea. The ceremony was attended by three Kiwis and seven Australians who were visiting North Korea to take part in events commemorating the end of WWII, or Liberation Day as it is known as in the Koreas. The tractors were purchased by the NZ DPRK Society with money provided by the NZ Ambassador to North Korea’s Head of Mission Fund. Located 40 minutes NE of Pyongyang, the 900 ha. farm, home to some 2,000 people, is intensively cultivated and produces rice, maize, potatoes, soya bean, barley, vegetables, pip and stone fruits. The tractors will be used for transporting inputs such as fertiliser and compost, as well as bringing in harvested produce.
  https://www.flickr.com/photos/39416050@N00/sets/72157657404990199 [Aid]
• A New Zealand perspective: the state of global dairy trade
  Speaker: Deborah Roche Deputy Director General Policy and Trade, Ministry for Primary Industries Event Date: Thursday 15th October 2015 Event Time: 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Event Location: Bell Gully Level 21, 171 Featherston Street, Wellington, 6011. Please note no building access after 6pm. Registration is essential Please use the button below or go to https://asiaforum-2015-10-15.eventbrite.co.nz with password “asiaforum” to register for this event. [Dairy]
• Dairy Development: Fonterra working to develop dairy industries in key Asian markets
  Speaker: Phil Turner Event Date: Thursday 24th Sep 2015 Event Time: 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Event Location: Russell McVeagh 157 Lambton Quay Wellington, Wellington 6011 Please note no building access after 6pm. Registration is essential Please use the button below (or go to https://asiaforum-2015-09-24.eventbrite.co.nz) with password “asiaforum” to register for this event. [Dairy]
• No grounds to extradite Kim Dotcom, says Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig
  6:00 AM Thursday Sep 17, 2015 One of the world's leading experts on copyright has reviewed the Kim Dotcom case and says there is no ground for extradition. Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig has weighed into the Megaupload prosecution with a legal opinion which condemns the prosecution case against the filesharing website. In an opinion released by Dotcom's lawyers, Professor Lessig said the allegations and evidence made public by the US Department of Justice "do not meet the requirements necessary to support a prima facie case that would be recognised by United States federal law" Professor Lessig is internationally regarded as an expert in copyright and fair use. He co-founded the nonprofit Creative Commons and has written widely in articles and books on copyright, law and the internet age. The US-based Electronic Freedom Foundation said he had "played a pivotal role in shaping the debate about copyright in the digital age". It comes ahead of the Megaupload case finally heading to court next Monday for an extradition hearing in which New Zealand government lawyers will argue Dotcom and three others should be sent to the United States to face charges of criminal copyright violation, conspiracy to violate copyright, money-laundering and operating as an organised criminal conspiracy. [IPR] [Kim Dotcom] [Extraterritoriality]
• 'Experience China' event launched in Auckland
  By Wang Qian China.org.cn, September 10, 2015 A group of dancers and singers from the China Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble staged a fantastic performance in Auckland, New Zealand on Sept. 9., to unveil the "Experience China -- Culture Exploration of West China in Australia and New Zealand" event. Sun Zhijun, vice minister of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) speaks at the opening ceremony of the "Experience China -- Culture Exploration of West China in Australia and New Zealand" event on Sept. 9. [Photo by Wang Qian/China.org.cn] With a history of more than 60 years, the China Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble is the only national-level performance group representing the country's ethnic minority groups. It draws top artists from 37 ethnic minority groups including Mongolian, Hui, Zhuang, Tibetan and Uyghur people. At the opening ceremony attended by nearly 200 guests, Sun Zhijun, vice minister of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said: "China is a unified country with various ethnic minority groups. Western China is where many of them live, and is known historically as the place where the ancient Silk Road was formed. The diversified culture of western China is one of the key components of Chinese culture. And songs and dances of ethnic minority groups are the most vivid reflection of this." He said the event in Auckland aimed to allow people to experience the diversified Chinese culture so as to enhance the mutual understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries. Hon Todd McClay, associate minister of foreign affairs of New Zealand, who also attended the opening ceremony on behalf of the New Zealand government, said it was a wonderful opportunity for New Zealand to learn more about China, particularly to know more about its western region. "We have many people from New Zealand traveling to China for tourism, education and also for business, but a lot of the focus is on the eastern coast. Though I have had opportunities to visit on a number of occasions, it has never included western China, so I am very much looking forward to going there. As for tonight's show, I am grateful that China has decided to come and bless New Zealand with such an occasion to share culture. " The event, which will run to Sept. 18, is organized by China's State Council Information office and Chinese embassies and consulates in New Zealand and Australia as a special event to showcase and promote culture and landscape of western China to local residents. Besides the two-day folk song and dance show held in Auckland, a series of activities including a "Glamor of western China -- Thangka and Painting Exhibition" will be held in Sydney and Melbourne from Sept. 11 to Sept. 18. According to Lu Guangjin, director of the Human Right Affairs Bureau of the State Council Information Office, it is the first time for China to host culture exchange activities focusing on the culture of western China overseas. "Through hosting events like folk song and dance performances as well as the painting exhibition of ethnic minority groups, we can see how traditional Chinese culture and ethnic culture are passed on and protected. During the process of modernization, these things are very important to every country. China cherishes this culture and we will try our best to protect it." {Xinjiang] [Minority]

• Kiwi Tractors : NZ DPRK Society donates tractors to Cooperative Farm in North Korea
  36 photos · 17 views By: michael.weston
• Peter and Thelma Wilson on gifted tractor on NZ Friendship Farm
  August 2015
• 20th CBRNE participates in Ulchi Freedom Guardian
  August 19, 2015 By Walter T. Ham IV, 20th CBRNE Command Public Affairs 20th CBRNE participates in Ulchi Freedom Guardian FILE PHOTO: The 20th CBRNE Command (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) is participating in Exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian in South Korea, Aug. 17 - 28. Related Links 20th CBRNE News STAND-TO!: Regionally Aligned 20th CBRNE Forces STAND-TO!: 20th CBRNE - Globally Engaged, Regionally Aligned STAND-TO!: 20th CBRNE Command - CBRNE Leaders Course 20th CBRNE on Twitter 20th CBRNE on Facebook 20th CBRNE Command supports exercise in Australia Troops sharpen skills during leaders course 20th CBRNE participates in nationwide IED exercise U.S. Army Forces Command YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea (Aug. 19, 2015) -- The 20th CBRNE Command (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) is participating in Exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian in South Korea, Aug. 17 - 28. Soldiers from the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland-based command are training with U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) Alliance forces during the defense-oriented exercise.
  U.S. and South Korean forces are being joined by United Nations Command troops from Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. [cbe] [Joint US military]
• Scorched earth
  By Bruce Munro on Mon, 3 Aug 2015 Jane Kelsey (59) is professor of law at the University of Auckland, social commentator and author of The Fire Economy, in which she calls for urgent action to develop a socially progressive alternative to the neoliberal economic model. Photo by Dean Carruthers. Jane Kelsey (59) is professor of law at the University of Auckland, social commentator and author of The Fire Economy, in which she calls for urgent action to develop a socially progressive alternative to the neoliberal economic model. Photo by Dean Carruthers. Trade ministers from 12 countries have been working feverishly to further entrench an economic system that Prof Jane Kelsey says puts us at risk of social, political and financial crisis. Bruce Munro talks to neoliberalism's New Zealand arch-nemesis about trade deals, the urgent need to find an alternative model and whether Kiwis have the wherewithal to lead the charge. It is not unusual to be trying to calculate time zone differences when emailing or telephoning Prof Jane Kelsey. For the past five years, the authoritative critic of globalisation has relentlessly tailed trade ministers and negotiators to all corners of the globe as they have crafted the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). She wanted to be in Hawaii to witness what was being touted as the probable successful conclusion of the TPPA, the first of three mega free-trade deals that proponents hail as heralding a significant boost to jobs and export growth, but that Prof Kelsey warns will only make it harder to escape a dysfunctional and fragile global economic system headed for further crises. Instead, she was in Auckland, desperately trying to get a last-minute judicial review aimed at forcing the Government to tell New Zealanders the T's and C's of the deal it was poised to sign on their behalf. She was also busy promoting her new book The Fire Economy, drawing attention to our precarious future, and getting ready for university lectures. ''I start teaching again next week ... I've got classes every day. So I just have to follow it from here and rely on my mates up there [in Hawaii],'' the University of Auckland law professor says. New Zealand is in a state of denial, Prof Kelsey says on the telephone from her home in Mt Wellington, southeast of Auckland's city centre. We think we have come through the global financial crisis (GFC) relatively unscathed. But we fail to see our vulnerability to its ongoing, rumbling aftershocks, she says. [TPP]
• NZ's bowel cancer treatment slated
  Updated at 7:12 pm today Karen Brown, Health Correspondent - karen.brown@radionz.co.nz A third of patients with bowel cancer in this country don't find out they have the disease until they reach a hospital emergency department. That's one of many key findings in a major study released today highlighting gaps in bowel cancer treatment in New Zealand. Another is that less than half of patients with advanced, or stage four, disease receive life-prolonging chemotheraphy.
• Unlocking Maori identity: keeping New Zealand’s indigenous people out of jail
  A new program is tackling a sober reality for NZ’s Maori, who make up 15% of the country’s population but half of those behind bars Toby Manhire Saturday 15 August 2015 03.26 BST Last modified on Saturday 15 August 2015 08.17 BST For the most part Te Ao Marama looks just like the other low to medium security units at Waikeria prison. Sixty cells surround a central yard on three sides. On the fourth is a dining hall, behind that the meeting areas and offices. The perimeter fence is lined with coils of barbed wire, over which fantails dart back and forth, pecking at the grass. Here, however, pou whenua (traditional posts) which have been carved by inmates, rise from the ground along with the ageing basketball hoop. Visitors pass through not just the sliding grey security fence, but also the ornate gateway, or waharoa. For the prisoners, the experience is untypical too, with just about every part of the rehabilitative program underpinned by Maori principles, or tikanga Maori. Te Ao Marama (World of Light) is one of five units around the country that make up the Te Tirohanga, or Focus, program. Together they represent a small attempt to tackle a huge problem: the alarmingly disproportionate quotient of indigenous people locked up in New Zealand prisons. With 8,500 prisoners among a national population of 4.5 million, New Zealand ranks as one of the highest jailers in the developed world. But as has been repeatedly highlighted in reports by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Maori component is staggering. While those who identify as Maori make up about 15% of the New Zealand population, the corresponding figure behind bars is more than 50%. Among women, for whom there is no Te Tirohanga option, it is higher still, at 60%. [Prisoners]

• NZ Governor-General visits Beijing
  By Chen Boyuan China.org.cn, July 22, 2015 Governor-General of New Zealand Jerry Metaparae and his wife Janine Metaparae pay a visit to the former residence of Madame Soong Ching Ling, former Honorary President of China and wife of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, on Wednesday, July 22, 2015, during their visit to China. [Photo by Chen Boyuan / China.org.cn] [China NZ]
• China, New Zealand to further promote strategic relations
  Xinhua, July 21, 2015 Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd R) and his wife Peng Liyuan (1st R) pose for a group photo with New Zealand Governor-General Jerry Mateparae (2nd L) and his wife at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, July 21, 2015. [Xinhua] China and New Zealand pledged to further promote their comprehensive strategic partnership in a talk between President Xi Jinping and visiting Governor-General Jerry Mateparae on Tuesday. Xi said the bilateral relationship is entering a new stage. The two countries should continue to abide by the principle of mutual respect and reciprocity, and expand cooperation in all areas. Xi called on the two sides to strengthen communication and exchanges between governments, political parties, localities and all circles of life, expand cooperation in areas including agriculture, animal husbandry, food safety, biological medicine, new energy and infrastructure construction. He said the two countries could further advance their defense cooperation through high-level visits, defense consultation, joint military exercises, training and officer exchanges. Xi said the two sides should increase judicial cooperation to jointly fight against transnational crimes, and strengthen exchanges between students and talented people, as well as cooperation in such areas as scientific research, Chinese-language and sports. [China NZ]
• The Chinese stock meltdown and NZ
  Updated at 5:34 pm on 9 July 2015 Kate Gudsell - kate.gudsell@radionz.co.nz The dramatic rise and fall of the Chinese stock market does not augur well in the short term for New Zealand exports to the world's second largest economy according to local economists. A man watches a screen board at a stocks market in Huaibei, east China's Anhui Province, July 6, 2015. A man watches a screen board at a stocks market in Huaibei in east China's Anhui Province. Photo: AFP New Zealanders woke today to news of a downward spiral in the Chinese stock market. The Shanghai Composite index fell 5.9 percent, taking the value of shares to 32 percent below their peak in June. But lying beneath that headline number the story is about a stock market which has seen a large correction over a short period of time, and the dramatic plummet, comes off a dramatic high, and in reality the stock market is back to similar levels as to where it was in March this year. [China NZ]
• As habitats vanish, migratory birds flock to N. Korean shores
  July 12, 2015 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS To the untrained eye, it's just a lot of birds on an otherwise deserted stretch of muddy, flat coastline. But for ornithologists, North Korea's west coast is a little piece of paradise each spring--and both the birds and a dedicated group of birdwatchers travel a long way to get there. While North Korea is wary of letting foreigners inside its borders, a recent trip by a New Zealand research team to the mudflats near Nampo, southwest of the capital, Pyongyang, underscores some tentative but significant progress by outside scientists to conduct small-scale research projects--as long as they don't rub up against sensitive topics and are seen as useful to North Korea itself. Last year, for example, an international team of scientists was allowed to set up seismographs and other equipment to monitor ominous activity on Mount Paektu, a huge volcano that straddles North Korea's border with China. In typical North Korean style, the New Zealand ornithologists were told not to take photos of the birds in some places. Their mobile phone and computer access was also partly restricted. But the researchers say that overall, the trip went smoothly.
• Top 10 best-designed public toilets in the world
  By Xu Lin China.org.cn, July 13, 2015 Kumutoto, one of the 'top 10 best-designed public toilets in the world' by China.org.cn. Location: Wellington, New Zealand Designer: Studio Pacific Architecture Kumutoto in Wellington, New Zealand is perhaps the most unusual-looking public toilet in this list. With a weird appearance, the facility is designed to be practical. Taking into account security and hygiene, the designers tried to create a structure with a sculptural form which is iconic, visible and unique, and can be integrated into the surroundings. They made it!
• The U.S. Is Producing a Record Amount of Milk and Dumping the Leftovers
  by Lydia Mulvany July 2, 2015 — 11:00 AM NZST Updated on July 3, 2015 — 7:56 AM NZST There’s so much milk flowing out of U.S. cows these days that some is ending up in dirt pits because dairies can’t find buyers. Domestic output is set to be the highest ever for a fifth straight year. Farmers are still making money as prices tumble because of cheaper and more abundant feed for their herds. Supplies of raw milk are topping capacity at processing plants in parts of the U.S. and compounding a global surplus even with demand improving.
  è Record Output “The world needs less milk,” said Eric Meyer, president of HighGround Dairy, a Chicago-based broker. Price Slump Global dairy prices have dropped 39 percent from an all-time high in February 2014 and are the lowest in five years, United Nations data show. In Chicago, benchmark Class III milk futures, used in cheese making, are down 36 percent to $16.11 per 100 pounds from a record $25.30 in September. Prices may fall to $14.41 by the end of the year before recovering in 2016, said Tom Bailey, a New York-based analyst at Rabobank International. New Zealand’s dollar has tumbled to a five-year low as falling milk prices amplified speculation the nation’s central bank will cut interest rates this month. The kiwi slid against almost all of its 16 major peers this year. [Dairy] [China NK]

• Expert says NZ should seek 'Five Eyes' role change to protect China relations
  New Zealand should seek changes to its role in the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance so it can avoid spying on important trading partners like China, a senior security analyst says. Former US intelligence advisor Paul Buchanan said there was no possibility of New Zealand pulling out of the pact with the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia. "That's like trying to get out of the mafia." But it could think about renegotiating its involvement in Five Eyes by saying some of its targets were not New Zealand's targets. "So ... if you ask us to take the lead on spying on the Chinese in some way, we'd rather pass", because the relationship was very important and if they reacted badly they could harm New Zealand in a way they couldn't harm the other partners. "We'll do other things but don't ask us to do things that if found out could destroy us," Buchanan said, in a presentation to Otago University's 50th Foreign Policy School conference. His paper was one of several that looked at the conundrum facing New Zealand as it tried to balance its traditional security links with the US and the emergence of China as a crucial trading partner. He said trade and security had become "uncoupled" for New Zealand. [Surveillance] [US dominance] [Allegiance] [China confrontation] [Dilemma]
• John Key rules out rejig of 'Five Eyes' role to protect China trade relations
  New Zealand will not seek to exclude itself from spying on the Chinese under the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, Prime Minister John Key says. Security and intelligence expert Paul Buchanan said the pact with Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia could be renegotiated on the basis New Zealand would be harmed by a potential backlash from such an important trading partner as China. But Key rejected the idea. [Surveillance] [US dominance] [Allegiance] [China confrontation] [Dilemma]
• Shorebird Stopover
  Keith Woodley from the Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre and a couple of other members of the Pukorokoro Miranda Naturalists' Trust (PMNT) have just returned from North Korea to search for spots where New Zealand migratory shorebirds might take a rest-stop while on their way to their breeding grounds on the tundra of eastern Russia and Alaska. [Radio programme]
• New Zealand to invest US$87m in AIIB
  Xinhua, June 15, 2015 The New Zealand government announced Monday that the country will invest NZ$125 million ($87.27 million) in the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) paid over five years. New Zealand has agreed to become a founding member of the AIIB, which is being established to invest in new infrastructure across Asia, Finance Minister Bill English said in a statement. The bank aimed to address a significant gap in infrastructure investment in the Asian region, which would enhance the Asian region's growth and in turn be good for New Zealand, English said. "New Zealand was the first Western developed nation to join negotiations to set up the bank and our membership will enhance our already strong economic, trade and investment links with the Asian region," said English. It was envisaged the bank would have initial capital of close to $100 billion to invest, which would be financed by individual country contributions proportionate to their economic size. Asia was important to New Zealand's future so it made sense to contribute to infrastructure investment in the region, Foreign Minister Murray McCully said in the statement. "Asia is driving global growth and it is full of opportunities for New Zealand," McCully said. "This new bank will be a welcome addition to existing institutions and it stands to make a significant contribution to infrastructure in the region," he said. "New Zealand is benefiting from the rapid and sustained development across Asia. To ensure we achieve further growth and that more people in the region are lifted out of poverty, Asia needs to address continuing constraints posed by infrastructure bottlenecks." The next step would be a formal signing ceremony in Beijing later this month, and the bank was expected to begin operations before the end of the year. [AIIB]

• WomenCrossDMZ Declaration
  2015 International Women's Grand March for Reunification & Peace of Korea Declaration Whereas the year 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Korea and also the 70th year since Korea was divided by outside forces; Whereas the tragedy suffered by the Korean people, the only nation to remain divided as a result of the Cold War, can no longer be ignored by the global community;
• A Korean Peace Initiative - the Kiwi Connection
  PRESS RELEASE. 29 May 2015
  Last Sunday – International Women’s Peace and Disarmament Day – 30 international women including such luminaries as feminist Gloria Steinem and two female Noble Peace prize Laureates, crossed over the DMZ from North Korea into South Korea. Their demand? A declaration of peace on the Korean peninsula. Surprisingly, Kiwis set the precedent and helped bring this about. In August 2013 a team of Kiwi motorcyclists led by Gareth and Jo Morgan made history when they rode from Mt. Paektu in the North, across the DMZ and down to Mt. Halla on the island of Jeju of the South of the peninsula. This triggered the formation of WomenCrossDMZ.org, a group of female activists who are committed to women catalysing an end to the Korean War. Their objective is replacement of the 1953 Korean War Armistice with an internationally agreed upon peace settlement.
  More Information: https://www.womencrossdmz.org/ https://www.womencrossdmz.org/press.html https://www.womencrossdmz.org/endorsements.html
  [Peace effort] [WomenCrossDMZ]
• UN racism ruling piques government
  Korea told to scrap HIV test on foreign teachers By Jung Min-ho The government remains slow in responding to calls for the removal of racist policies, running the risk of further alienating itself from global standards. The latest case involves a New Zealand woman who brought her case to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) after she was denied a contract extension in 2009 for refusing to submit her HIV test results. The U.N.-affiliated committee ruled Wednesday that the HIV testing of foreign teachers in Korea is a form of discrimination.
• The Toxic Myth of Anzac
  by Eamonn Mccann Derry, Northern Ireland. Scott McIntyre was sacked last week as a sports presenter on the Australian TV network Special Broadcasting Service for having tweeted acerbic comments about Anzac Day – the annual commemoration on April 25th of the role of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli in 1915. “The cultification of an imperialist invasion of a foreign nation that Australia had no quarrel with is against all ideals of modern society,” was McIntyre’s opening salvo. Australians should rather be “Remembering the summary execution, widespread rape and theft committed by these ‘brave’ Anzacs.” The anger has been phenomenal. An online petition calling for McIntyre’s sacking attracted a reported 180,000 signatures in a day. Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull denounced him as “despicable…difficult to think of more offensive or inappropriate comments.” Twenty four hours after the messages were sent, SBS announced that it had “taken decisive action to terminate Mr McIntyre’s position with immediate effect.” Anzac Day is of huge significance in Australia and New Zealand. Australia had become independent 13 years before the outbreak of the first world war, New Zealand six years later. The white section of the population regarded itself still as empire-loyalist, but now with this difference: that in joining the conflict as independent entities, they could see themselves as having taken their place among the nations of the world. I The writer of “Waltzing Matilda”, Banjo Paterson, caught the note perfectly: The mettle that a race can show Is proved with shot and steel And now we know what nations know And feel what nations feel. McIntyre had trashed the foundation myth. More generally, he had drawn attention to the way soft-lit Remembrance is used slyly to promote wars of the present and future. On a visit to New Zealand on the eve of Anzac Day, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot referred to soldiers fighting in the Middle East today as “Sons of Anzac.” There are no exact parallels with Ireland’s experience, except in this: that the sentimentalisation of slaughter which McIntyre lost his job for exposing is evident, too, in the memorialising of the Irish misled into following England’s flag. Like the Kiwis and the Aussies, they, too, were flung to their deaths like fistfuls of chaff. [ANZAC] [Manipulation]

• What’s To Commemorate?: The Making of Gallipoli into a Marketable Memory
  by Gordon Campbell It is easy to know what we don’t want to commemorate on Anzac Day this year. We don’t want to (a) glorify war (b) commercialise it (c) politicize it (d) watch our leaders weep crocodile tears over it or (e) do anything that might heighten the chance of something like Gallipoli ever happening again. That may not leave very much left over. In fact, is there anything that can be validly commemorated on this 100th anniversary of Gallipoli ? Beyond, that is, a fleeting sense of empathy with the thousands of soldiers killed or wounded on April 25 1915 and in the months thereafter, until the whole thing was finally called off in December 1915. (Most of the New Zealand survivors were transferred to the trenches in France, and eventually to the battle of the Somme in 1916.) And lest we focus unduly on the Gallipoli fallen, what about everyone who has died or been wounded physically or psychologically in wars before and since… and lets not forget the pacifists, either. Or the Turks, whose own commemorations began on March 18, when the Dardanelles campaign began in earnest. Most of them didn’t want to be there, either. Point being, the more we focus on this object of national veneration, the more it eludes our grasp. Sure, we can admire the bravery and endurance of those who fought, died or survived at Anzac Cove and elsewhere – but even that sentiment can’t legitimately be separated from anger at (a) those who dreamed up this folly, or (b) the politicians who have decked out the carnage ever since with platitudes about courage, honour and duty to King and Empire. We’ve been hearing the modern variations on these patriotic themes all month, to the point where “Anzac fatigue’ may be setting in. To repeat : Is there any valid way to commemorate this anniversary? Perhaps if we eliminate all the things we don’t like about the sentimental bath into which the country has been plunged this month, a residue might remain that we can still feel OK about. Its worth a try. [Militarisation]
• New Zealand prime minister John Key apologises for pulling waitress's hair
  Apology comes after Auckland waitress revealed that the PM repeatedly pulled her ponytail in what he now says was ‘a bit of banter’ Newly elected Prime Minister John Key leaves after speaking to the media. John Key says the hair-pulling was part of ‘fun and games’ at the cafe and ‘lots of practical jokes’. Photograph: Hannah Peters/Getty Images Toby Manhire Wednesday 22 April 2015 08.00 BST Politicians are routinely upbraided for behaviour befitting a schoolyard, but the New Zealand prime minister has now become embroiled in a controversy that centres, quite literally, on hair-pulling. On Wednesday morning John Key apologised following allegations by an Auckland waitress that he had repeatedly tugged on her ponytail, a pattern of conduct she regarded as harassment. Through a spokesperson, the prime minister apologised for the hair-pulling, saying it “was never his intention to make her feel uncomfortable”, but did not dispute the waitress’s version of events. Speaking to reporters at Los Angeles airport while en route to Turkey, Key repeated the apology saying that there were “a lot of fun and games” at the cafe and “lots of practical jokes”. The hair-pulling had taken place “in the context of a bit of banter” and he had apologised to her “when I realised she took offence”. Key said when he gave her the wine and apologised, the waitress had told him, “that’s all right, no drama”. In an anonymous blog post at the Daily Blog site, the waitress accused Key of acting “like the schoolyard bully tugging on the little girls’ hair trying to get a reaction”.
• EXCLUSIVE: The Prime Minister and the Waitress
  By The Daily Blog / April 22, 2015 / 129 Comments This is a guest blog from an anonymous waitress about the way John Key kept touching her when he repeatedly visited her place of work. The waitress contacted us with her story, The Daily Blog did not seek her out or pressure her in anyway to write this blog. We are protecting her identity so she is not punished by her employer or social media victim blaming. The question to ask after reading her words is if this bullying behaviour is acceptable from the Prime Minister of NZ. ********** His actions commenced during election time last year, I can recall discussing it with regular customers at this time, as he was often a topic of their conversation. He was frequenting the cafe far more than ever before. It was election time and he was out showing his face, being seen. In the beginning, the first time he pulled on my hair, I remember thinking to myself he’s probably just trying to be playful and jolly, seeing as the general consensus of most who meet him is “he’s such a nice guy”. He’s trying to play into that to earn votes, I thought to myself. I didn’t respond positively to his ‘gesture’, in fact I didn’t address his behaviour at all, besides an unimpressed expression. Pulling someones hair is hardly an acceptable form of greeting. The next time he came up behind me and pulled my hair I was annoyed. Great, I thought, this wasn’t just a one off. Despite my obvious annoyance I didn’t comment on his behaviour. It then happened yet again when he next visited the cafe and again I didn’t respond verbally, but everything about my body language screamed I DON’T LIKE THAT.
• John Armstrong: Rock-star economy loiters at rocky road to recession on quest for surplus
  5:00 AM Saturday Apr 18, 2015 A much-anticipated return to surplus somehow metamorphoses into yet another unwelcome deficit; dairy prices slump ever lower; the New Zealand dollar keeps rising ever higher; the overheated Auckland property market makes the South Sea Bubble of the 1700s look like an exercise in financial probity. Is this the so-called rock-star economy? Or the rocky road to recession? It is not raining on John Key and his colleagues. It is pouring.
• Leaked papers reveal NZ plan to spy on China for US
  David Fisher is a senior reporter for the NZ Herald. 5:00 AM Sunday Apr 19, 2015 The revelation has sparked a firm Chinese diplomatic response giving rise to concerns NZ's security relationship with the US is impacting its trade relationship with China. Photo / Mark Mitchell The revelation has sparked a firm Chinese diplomatic response giving rise to concerns NZ's security relationship with the US is impacting its trade relationship with China. Photo / Mark Mitchell Our spies and America's top government hackers cooked up a plan to crack into a data link between Chinese Government buildings in Auckland, new Edward Snowden documents reveal. The project appeared aimed at tapping data flowing between the Chinese consulate and its passport office in Great South Rd — and using the link to access China's computer systems. The revelation is the most explosive of the information about New Zealand revealed in the Snowden documents — and has sparked a firm Chinese diplomatic response giving rise to concerns our security relationship with the United States is impacting our trade relationship with China. [Allegiance] [Cyberespionage] [China confrontation]
• How NZ and US agents plotted to spy on China
  By Nicky Hager, Ryan Gallagher 5:00 AM Sunday Apr 19, 2015 Five Eyes allies identified a diplomatic data link between Chinese offices as a target for hacking. Nicky Hager and Ryan Gallagher dissect the plan. The files show how, under the John Key National govt, spying has been prioritised against China, NZ's largest and most important trading partner. Photo / Getty Images The files show how, under the John Key National govt, spying has been prioritised against China, NZ's largest and most important trading partner. Photo / Getty Images On Auckland's busy Great South Rd in the suburb of Greenlane, the Chinese consulate, a white modern building, is tucked behind a row of bushes and small trees. A five-minute walk down the road, opposite a cafe, is a smaller, grey building that houses the Chinese Visa Office. Between the two is a data link used to transmit diplomatic communications. In 2013, New Zealand's spies hatched a top-secret plan to hack into it. The operation, a joint project with the US National Security Agency (NSA), is revealed in classified documents seen by the Herald on Sunday. The files show how, under the John Key National Government, spying has been prioritised against China, New Zealand's largest and most important trading partner. [Allegiance] [Cyberespionage] [China confrontation]
• Secret documents shine light on GCSB spying in Bangladesh
  By Nicky Hager, Ryan Gallagher 5:00 AM Thursday Apr 16, 2015 Secret files reveal the GCSB spies both on and for the South-East Asian nation. Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion benefits from NZ spy activities and allegedly uses that to terrorise its own citizens. Pictures / AP Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion benefits from NZ spy activities and allegedly uses that to terrorise its own citizens. Pictures / AP Secret documents reveal New Zealand has shared intelligence collected through covert surveillance with Bangladesh despite that country's security forces being implicated in extrajudicial killings, torture and other human rights abuses. The documents shine light on the major role played by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) in electronic spying operations conducted in the small South Asian nation. The surveillance has been used to aid the United States as part of its global counter-terrorism campaign, launched after the September 11 attacks in 2001. The New Zealand Herald analysed the documents in collaboration with US news website The Intercept, which obtained them from the NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden. The Bangladesh spying is revealed in an April 2013 US National Security Agency (NSA) report about its relationship with New Zealand. In a section called "What Partner Provides to NSA", it says "GCSB has been the lead for the intelligence community on the Bangladesh CT [Counter-Terrorism] target since 2004." The GCSB provides "one of the key SIGINT [signals intelligence] sources of [Bangladesh counter-terrorism] reporting to the US intelligence community." [Surveillance] [Subordinate] [Cyberespionage]
• Late Goal Allows Korea to Win Against New Zealand in Friendly
  Lee Jae-sung celebrates after scoring against New Zealand in their friendly match in Seoul on Tuesday. /Newsis Lee Jae-sung celebrates after scoring against New Zealand in their friendly match in Seoul on Tuesday. /Newsis Korea beat New Zealand 1-0 in Tuesday's friendly at the World Cup Stadium in Seoul with substitute Lee Jae-sung scoring the lone goal. It was Korea's first win since beating Iraq 2-0 in the 2015 Asian Cup semifinals in Australia.
• New Zealanders’ Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples – 2014 Annual Survey
  Author Asia New Zealand Foundation with text and analysis by Colmar Brunton In a podcast our director, research Dr Andrew Butcher talks with Shamubeel Eaqub, Principal Economist, New Zealand Institute of Economic Research; Professor Siah Hwee Ang, the BNZ Chair in Business in Asia at Victoria University of Wellington and Trish Carter, media consultant and trustee of the Asia New Zealand Foundation about their general impressions of the survey and their views on New Zealanders’ warming attitudes to people from Asia, and on the survey’s findings on attitudes toward housing, investment and language learning. [Public opinion] [China NZ]

• Australian spy officer was sent to New Zealand to lead new surveillance unit
  New revelations also show NZ’s spy agency, GCSB, had access to NSA program to hack phones and computers of targets in the Asia-Pacific Paul Farrell Tuesday 10 March 2015 22.25 GMT Last modified on Tuesday 10 March 2015 22.29 GMT Australia’s defence intelligence agency sent an officer to work with New Zealand’s spy agency to help them develop their cyber capabilities and lead a new operational unit, new documents from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowd en reveal. On Wednesday the New Zealand Herald and the Intercept published new revelations about the role of New Zealand’s spy agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) which disclose new details about its role gathering intelligence from Vietnam, China, India, Pakistan, Japan, South Pacific nations and other countries. [Surveillance]
• Political roundup: The Ramifications of the Spying Scandal
  Wednesday March 25, 2015 NZ POLITICS DAILY Bryce Edwards How much longer can the GCSB spying scandal run? Nicky Hager recently told the radio station bFM that “in some respects we’re only just at the beginning of what people are going to find out”. This continued drip-feeding of information about what our spies have really been up to will not bring down the Government or lose National the Northland by-election, but the ongoing revelations might still seriously tarnish New Zealand’s international reputation, as well as erode the public’s faith in its surveillance institutions. New Zealand’s reputation tarnished The latest revelations from Nicky Hager and Ryan Gallagher purport to show how New Zealand spies on important diplomatic and trading partners, and that it even does so in an attempt to further the international careers of the governing party’s own senior politicians – see: GCSB had Solomons post, papers show and How spy agency homed in on Groser's rivals. The potential upshot of these revelations is that New Zealand is revealed as an unethical bully on the international stage. According to Fran O'Sullivan, the allegations about New Zealand spying on the director-general of the World Trade Organisation, and the other candidates when they were running for the job, will be damaging to our country’s reputation in both the WTO and Latin America – see: WTO spy revelations blow to NZ's image. O’Sullivan says that “there will be a good deal of work to overcome this latest hit to New Zealand's external image”. [Surveillance]
• How spy agency homed in on Groser's rivals
  By Nicky Hager, Ryan Gallagher 5:00 AM Monday Mar 23, 2015 GCSB used United States’ XKeyscore surveillance system to intercept emails mentioning other candidates for WTO job and paid close attention to Indonesian contender. Prime Minister John Key and National Government minister Tim Groser are in South Korea this week to sign the trade agreement that South Korean Minister of Trade Taeho Bark helped make happen. Photo / NZPA Prime Minister John Key and National Government minister Tim Groser are in South Korea this week to sign the trade agreement that South Korean Minister of Trade Taeho Bark helped make happen. Photo / NZPA A top secret document reveals New Zealand's surveillance agency spied on candidates vying to be the director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), a job sought by National Government minister Tim Groser. The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) programmed an internet surveillance system so it would intercept emails about the candidates from Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea, Brazil, Kenya, Ghana, Jordan and Costa Rica in the period leading up to the May 2013 appointment. Mr Groser missed the selection. The minister in charge of the GCSB at the time was Prime Minister John Key, raising the question of whether he knew about and personally approved the electronic eavesdropping to help Mr Groser. Read the WTO document here Under Cabinet "no surprises" rules, officials would be likely to ensure that the responsible minister was briefed on such a sensitive operation. One of the WTO candidates targeted in the GCSB surveillance was the South Korean Minister of Trade, Taeho Bark. Mr Bark had agreed to restart stalled South Korea-New Zealand free trade talks when he met Mr Groser in October 2012, a few months before the surveillance. Mr Key and Mr Groser are in South Korea this week to sign the trade agreement that Mr Bark helped make happen. Deploying GCSB's surveillance capabilities to gain the upper hand in the WTO selection is far away from terrorism, the Islamic State and other security issues for which Mr Key has claimed the agency is used. [Surveillance]
• Former diplomat, minister shocked by WTO spy claims
  5:00 AM Tuesday Mar 24, 2015 Spying by the GCSB on those competing against National Government minister Tim Groser for the World Trade Organisation's top job has appalled a former foreign affairs and trade minister and astonished one of the country's most experienced diplomats. An inquiry is likely into the actions of the GCSB after Labour leader Andrew Little said he would ask the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security to investigate today. The Herald and US news site the Intercept yesterday revealed a top secret GCSB document showing the electronic surveillance agency had been searching for email communications which mentioned Mr Groser, the Trade Minister, in association with names of candidates competing against him. The news broke as Prime Minister John Key and Mr Groser prepared to sign a Free Trade Agreement in South Korea, whose former trade minister was among the surveillance targets vying for the $700,000 WTO job. [Surveillance]
• Korea, New Zealand Sign FTA
  Korea and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement on Monday. The trade ministers of both sides inked the pact after a meeting between President Park Geun-hye and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key at Cheong Wa Dae. Key said, "The free trade agreement will deliver real economic benefits to both our countries... and will make it easier for Koreans and Kiwis to do business with each other." Both leaders vowed to ensure that the FTA is ratified by September. Korea is expected to benefit in terms of exports of automotive parts, machinery and trucks, and New Zealand will scrap all tariffs on Korean imports seven years after the FTA goes into effect. Tariffs on cars (five to 12.5 percent), construction machinery (five percent) and trucks (five percent) will be eliminated within three years, and duty on washing machines will be abolished immediately. President Park Geun-hye poses with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key (left) at a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Monday. /AP-Newsis President Park Geun-hye poses with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key (left) at a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Monday. /AP-Newsis But Korean farmers are expected to take a hit. New Zealand beef ranks third behind Australian and U.S. beef imports here. At present, Korea levies a hefty 40-percent tariff on it, but that will be scrapped within 15 years. The 45-percent tariff on New Zealand kiwis will be scrapped within six years, but honey, rice, apples, peppers, garlic and some other agricultural products were left out of the FTA. [FTA]
• Kiwi Chamber celebrates 50-year Korea-NZ ties
  New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Clare Fearnley speaks to members of the local business community at a forum in Seoul, last week. / Courtesy of EDGE Communications By John Redmond New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Clare Fearnley has stressed the importance of her country's 50-year diplomatic and trade relationship with South Korea. She also thanked the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea (Kiwi Chamber) for its role in strengthening the partnership between the Korean and New Zealand business communities. "The Korea-New Zealand FTA will give new momentum to what is a wide-ranging relationship between our two countries," Fearnley said.
• New Zealand Prime Minister Retracts Vow To Resign if Mass Surveillance Is Shown
  By Glenn Greenwald ?@ggreenwald Tuesday at 7:31 AM In August 2013, as evidence emerged of the active participation by New Zealand in the “Five Eyes” mass surveillance program exposed by Edward Snowden, the country’s conservative Prime Minister, John Key, vehemently denied that his government engages in such spying. He went beyond mere denials, expressly vowing to resign if it were ever proven that his government engages in mass surveillance of New Zealanders. He issued that denial, and the accompanying resignation vow, in order to reassure the country over fears provoked by a new bill he advocated to increase the surveillance powers of that country’s spying agency, Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) — a bill that passed by one vote thanks to the Prime Minister’s guarantees that the new law would not permit mass surveillance. Since then, a mountain of evidence has been presented that indisputably proves that New Zealand does exactly that which Prime Minister Key vehemently denied — exactly that which he said he would resign if it were proven was done [Surveillance] [John Key]
• Key on mass data collection - 'I don't know what you mean'
  John Key: 'The law is very clear about what it allows us to do when it comes to New Zealanders, and all the advice I've had is that we are 100 percent compliant.' Prime Minister John Key has refused to respond to claims by the former GCSB director of "mass collection" of data on New Zealanders. Mr Key, speaking to Radio New Zealand this morning, said he didn't understand what former GCSB director Bruce Ferguson meant by the term. "I don't even know what he mans by that, so there's no point in asking me the question. I can't tell you what's in Bruce Ferguson's head and what he means by that. "The law is very clear about what it allows us to do when it comes to New Zealanders, and all the advice I've had is that we are 100 percent compliant." Mr Key said he did not agree that New Zealanders had a right to know whether their emails, text messages and personal data was being gathered by a state intelligence agency. "Well, as a general rule the answer to that should be no […] but it depends on the circumstances," he said. Mr Key told Radio New Zealand the law did not allow spying on New Zealanders, except in special conditions, and the advice he's received is that those legal requirements were being met. "Where we go and collect information there's always a very good reason for that," he said. [Surveillance]
• Juche: Self-Reliance in DPRK (North Korea)
  Alysha Janus (Author)
  Publication Date: February 20, 2015 [Kindle Edition] This is the story of 18 fascinating months spent in Pyongyang, the capital of the DPRK, teaching at one of the local universities. Within the constraints of the environment, I was able to interact with the local students and teachers, and learn about their culture, their country and their lives. Although in many ways this was not an easy time, I developed a deep fondness and respect for the local people with whom I worked and interacted. They also showed me great respect and kindness in many ways, and I will be eternally grateful for the time that I was privileged to spend there. I also learned a great deal about myself, about self-reliance (Juche), about the value of the others with whom one shares one’s life, and about the importance of remembering there are always at least two sides to every story. [EWA] [A NZer who taught at Kim Il Sung University]
• Snowden: New Zealand spying on Pacific countries
  Xinhua, March 5, 2015 New Zealand is spying on its neighbors and allies, including countries in the Pacific region, new documents released by U.S. fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden showed Thursday. According to the documents, published by the local NZ Herald newspaper, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu, Nauru and Samoa were targets of the New Zealand Government Communication Security Bureau (GCSB). Information collected from across the Pacific was then shared with New Zealand's Five Eyes partners, the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia. The revelations also raised questions about whether New Zealanders living in the Pacific were subject to the mass surveillance operation. [Cyberespionage] [Five Eyes]
• Snowden files expose NZ's part in America's spy network
  Wed, 4 Mar 2015 Edward Snowden New Zealand's role in the vast United States spy network is about to be revealed, giving an unprecedented insight into the workings of our intelligence agencies. The Herald -- with investigative journalist Nicky Hager -- is working on stories based on files from the United States National Security Agency (NSA), taken by whistleblower Edward Snowden in the biggest intelligence breach in history. Internationally, the information obtained by Snowden has sparked concerns about the behaviour of the intelligence agencies in the grouping of Five Eyes nations, of which New Zealand is a member. [Surveillance] [NZ] [Cyberespionage]
• #snowdenNZ : The price of the Five Eyes club: Mass spying on friendly nations
  By Nicky Hager, Ryan Gallagher 5:00 AM Thursday Mar 5, 2015 New Zealand's electronic surveillance agency has dramatically expanded its spying operations during the years of John Key's National Government and is automatically funnelling vast amounts of intelligence to the US National Security Agency, top-secret documents reveal. Since 2009, the Government Communications Security Bureau intelligence base at Waihopai has moved to "full-take collection", indiscriminately intercepting Asia-Pacific communications and providing them en masse to the NSA through the controversial NSA intelligence system XKeyscore, which is used to monitor emails and internet browsing habits. [Cyberespionage] [Five Eyes] [Subordinate]
• #snowdenNZ / How foreign spies access GCSB's South Pacific intelligence
  6:49 AM Thursday Mar 5, 2015 Edward Snowden claims John Key hasn't told the truth on mass surveillance In September last year, Edward Snowden said he had seen large quantities of metadata from New Zealanders' communications while working in the NSA's regional headquarters in Hawaii. He was presumably referring to New Zealanders' communications intercepted during the Asia-Pacific regional monitoring conducted at Waihopai and other allied bases. READ MORE • NZ spies on its Pacific friends • The price of the Five Eyes club The Snowden documents show how foreign intelligence staff follow a step-by-step process to access the GCSB's South Pacific intelligence, including the metadata and communications of New Zealanders living, holidaying and interacting in that region. [Cyberespionage]
• #snowdenNZ : Leaked documents show New Zealand spies on its Pacific friends and sends the data to the US
  Updated less than a minute ago 5:00 AM Thursday Mar 5, 2015 David Fisher David Fisher is a senior reporter for the NZ Herald. EXCLUSIVE: GCSB collects phone calls, emails and internet data from NZ's closest and most vulnerable neighbours, secret papers reveal John Key and Barack Obama in the Oval Office last year. New Zealand's electronic surveillance agency has dramatically expanded its spying operations during Key's prime ministership. Photo Getty Images John Key and Barack Obama in the Oval Office last year. New Zealand's electronic surveillance agency has dramatically expanded its spying operations during Key's prime ministership. Photo Getty Images New Zealand's spies are targeting the entire email, phone and social media communications of the country's closest, friendliest and most vulnerable neighbours, according to documents supplied by United States fugitive and whistleblower Edward Snowden. Snowden's files reveal a heavy focus on "full-take collection" from the Pacific with nearly two dozen countries around the world targeted by our Government Communications Security Bureau. Information from across the Pacific is collected by New Zealand's GCSB but sent onto the United States' National Security Agency to plug holes in its global spying network, the documents show. [Cyberespionage]
• Chinese 'not taking over formula industry'
  An Auckland dairy company says Chinese businesses are competing aggressively but are not taking over the New Zealand infant formula industry. Some infant formula companies have complained that new industry rules introduced last May were helping Chinese businesses. Under the regulations, infant formula exports must be made by manufacturers accredited by China. Managing director of Biopure Health Simon Page said Chinese businesses now owned about half of the 10 registered baby formula factories in New Zealand. However, he said that was not an indication the rules were benefiting them. [Dairy] [China NZ]

• Islamic State: Motivations and Implications for New Zealand
  Parliament Buildings, Grand Hall Wednesday, 25 February 2015 6pm-7:30pm

• Korea-New Zealand Friendship Advisory Group established
  January 20, 2015, 10:12 am The Embassy of the Republic of Korea today announced that it has established a Korea-New Zealand Friendship Advisory Group in order to further deepen relationships between the two countries in business, trade, culture and people to people exchanges. The Advisory Group includes eight honorary advisors, and Michael Stephens, Wellington Lawyer and Chair of the Korean Cinerama Trust, will be the Coordinator of the Group. The other initial honorary advisors are: Stephen Epstein, Associate Professor and Programme Director at Victoria University’s School of Languages and Cultures; Melissa Lee, MP and Chair of the New Zealand-Korea Parliamentary Friendship Group; Des Vinten, NZ Korea Veterans Association President; Eric Barratt, former Managing Director of publicly listed Sanford Limited and Chair of the Korea NZ Business Council; Peter Kennedy, former NZ Ambassador to Korea and Executive Director of the NZ Institute of International Affairs, Adele Mason, Asia NZ Foundation’s Acting Executive Director who was also instrumental in establishing the Korea Film Festivals; and Simon Park from the NZ KIMCHI Club Network.
• With New Zealand at UNSC, Palestine’s saviour could be Antarctica’s neighbor
  In this photo provided by the United Nations, Jim McLay, left, New Zealand's U.N. ambassador, talks with Nawaf Salam, Lebanon's ambassador, during a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014 at U.N. headquarters. (AP) By Amanda Fisher | Special to Al Arabiya News Wednesday, 21 January 2015 Inside the territory of Palestine lives a resilient, primarily Muslim population of about four million, encircled by a hostile neighbour. Some 21 hours’ flying time away is another resilient, highly atheist population of about four million, encircled by water. Aside from their relative isolation, population sizes and reputation for fortitude, not much else unifies these two lands. Palestine is one of the oldest inhabited territories in the world, while the far-flung archipelago of New Zealand is one of the youngest; Palestine is just over 6000 square kilometres, while New Zealand takes up more than 268,000 sq km. So the Antipodean country seems a somewhat unlikely hero for the Palestinian people. But the quirks of diplomacy mean the former British colony could offer a lifeline to the former British protectorate in its quest for statehood. New Zealand has opened the start of their third term on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) – their first in 21 years – with fighting words. “New Zealand believes that failure of this U.N. Security Council to bring leadership to the [Israel-Palestine] issue, at this time, amounts to an abdication of its responsibilities,” the country’s U.N. Ambassador Jim McLay said on Jan. 15. “Arguments that this Council doesn’t have a role, or that it can’t add value, can no longer be justified, particularly as other ways to find a solution haven’t succeeded.” Experts tell Al Arabiya News that McLay’s remarks reflect New Zealand’s intention to be instrumental in the peace process and drive renewed efforts at a two-state solution.
  Lessons of history
  To the Editor [Dominion Post, Wellington]
  Ben Macintyre from The Times (17 January) is shocked that North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has been invited to the Moscow celebrations of the defeat of Nazi Germany and, by extension, Japan. Macintyre thinks it odd that Kim would have an interest in 20th century history. Far from it. Kim, like most Koreans, no doubt has an intense interest in history; they have 5000 years of it after all. Kim will also be very aware of a pertinent bit of history that apparently Macintyre doesn’t. His grandfather, Kim Il Sung, was the leading guerrilla fighter against the occupying Japanese and so, was in effect an ally of Britain, and of New Zealand. It is very appropriate that he attend the celebrations. By contrast, Park Chung-hee, the father of the current president of South Korea, Park Geun-hye, voluntarily served in the Japanese army. Despite that, Russia has diplomatically invited her to attend. The anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the lessons of history, and to move beyond the past to build a better future. It is up to the West to respond to the challenge. Let us hope that New Zealand will do its part and attend.
  Tim Beal
  Published 22 January 2015 under the heading 'North Korean invite does make sense' It was written in response to an article reprinted from The Times (where it was headed ‘Putin has weaponised history to fight the west’. The article said, in part,
  Kim's interest in 20th-century history may seem odd for a dictator whose principal obsessions are computer games, basketball, Eric Clapton and retaining power through brutal Stalinist repression. But his attendance at the Moscow ceremony has nothing to do with real history and everything to do with international power. It is part of a disturbing trend in which the events of the past are hijacked for political ends. The anniversary ought to be a celebration of peace; instead, it has become yet another source of friction between Russia and the west. Events marking the end of the war in 1945 have become a grim reflection of mounting hostilities in 2015. Mr Putin has invited all "representatives of anti-Hitler coalition countries" to the ceremony. Korea was under Japanese rule before and during the war; the Soviet Union declared war on Japan in August 1945 and invaded northern Korea. By welcoming the pariah state Mr Putin has all but ensured that other countries, including the US and Britain, will stay away from the Victory Day celebrations in Russia on May 9.
• New Zealand's voice at the Security Council
  Sunday, 18 January 2015, 11:33 am Press Release: Palestinian Human Rights Campaign New Zealand's voice at the Security Council By Leslie Bravery | 19 January 2015 | Palestine Human Rights Campaign www.palestine.org.nz In a statement to the United Nations Security Council on 15 January 2015, New Zealand's Permanent Representative to theUN, Jim McLay, admitted that, “The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has endured for too long, and its resolution is overdue.” However, healso went on to say, “It has devastated Palestinians and Israelis alike.” Such even-handedness ignores the enormous chasm ofdisparity that lies between the day-to-day lives of Israelis and the relentless trauma that truly devastates the Palestinian peoplethrough discrimination, military occupation and blockade. Palestinian homes are invaded almost daily and a large proportionof home invasions by the Israeli Army are carried out at night.While Israelis drive their motor vehicles unhindered across the land, Palestinians living under occupation must endure the crushing economic costs and daily indignities of Israel's myriadmilitary checkpoints. [UNUS] [Israel]
• Why NZ spy chiefs can no longer get away with saying 'we can neither confirm or deny'
  1:39 PM Tuesday Dec 9, 2014 Greater openness by our spy agencies has been driven by a need to bolster public trust in their secret activities, says one of the country's most senior civil servants from the heart of the intelligence community. Former police commissioner Howard Broad - who is tasked with overseeing our "national security" - said greater openness carried with it the risk of revealing information which could place New Zealand in jeopardy. But he conceded issues including the illegal spying on internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom and the international scandal of NSA contractor Edward Snowden gone rogue have required work to bolster public faith. "This is a secret business. It's a secret business for a reason. It operates behind a veil and that veil is trust." Mr Broad is now deputy chief executive of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC), with responsibility for security and intelligence, during a period in which our intelligence community has been exposed to greater scrutiny than ever before. [Surveillance]
• Toby Manhire: I spy next boss of secret agency
  9:30 AM Friday Jan 16, 2015 So long, Ian Fletcher, but don’t worry, we have plenty of outstanding candidates. John Key, Judith Collins and Sonny Bill Williams are all good candidates for the NZ Spying Game. Only fitting, really, for a spy boss to exit under a shroud of mystery. And so it is with Ian Fletcher, the reforming, information-age director of the Government Communications Security Bureau - in Bond-speak, our "M" - who surprised everyone this week by announcing he is jumping ship three years into a five-year term, and just before an independent review of intelligence agencies. The specified grounds are " air quotes " family reasons. At this critical juncture, who might replace the enigmatically understated Mr Fletcher? Let's push the boat outside the box.
• Nick Sheppard: Clark strong choice if gender trumps geography
  9:30 AM Tuesday Jan 13, 2015Clark is the most powerful woman at the UN and is rumoured to want the top job. Helen Clark has long been rumoured to have an interest in succeeding Ban Ki-moon as secretary-general of the UN in 2016. She was even criticised by the Guardian newspaper for being too openly ambitious. Due to factors such as nationality, gender and timing, she may very well be the front-runner. The election of a UN secretary-general is a complicated process and takes place behind closed doors. Clark has much in her favour: serving her second term as head of the UN development programme, she is the most powerful woman at the United Nations and third most powerful person in the institution overall. She has made a few television appearances, raising her profile and a recent cost-cutting drive at the development fund may appeal to the UN's main Western donor nations.
• Bryce Edwards: Polarised NZ debate about the Paris killings
  1:23 PM Monday Jan 12, 2015 The Charlie Hebdo media murders in Paris have sparked a polarised debate in New Zealand about democracy and liberty. At one end of the spectrum the killings are seen as understandable, in terms of being a reaction against alleged oppression and bigotry. Derek Fox has controversially epitomised this stance, but there are others who hold a more nuanced or moderate version of this point of view. At the other end of the spectrum, democracy is seen to be entirely contingent on free expression, and the right to offend is not only defended but encouraged. Between these polar points of view, there is much argument about what the killings - and many related concepts - mean for countries like New Zealand. [Charlie]
• NZ an independent voice McLay
  5:30 AM Friday Jan 2, 2015 Audrey Young looks at our United Nations Security Council role in the last of a three-part series. Jim McLay, New Zealand's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Photo / Greg Bowker Jim McLay, New Zealand's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Photo / Greg Bowker United Nations Ambassador Jim McLay dismisses suggestions that New Zealand will be in the pocket of the United States on the Security Council. "All I can say is 'watch us'." New Zealand had always been independent at the United Nations, he told the Herald, and would continue to be, as it promised in its campaigning for the seat. The criticisms have come from the left but MPs of all persuasions, writing for the Herald today, are urging New Zealand to maintain its independence in the face of pressure from larger countries on issues facing the council. "If we have to step on powerful toes to make a case then the next two years would be a good time to do so, " writes NZ First leader Winston Peters, "as we tried to do in the case of Rwanda when we last served [1993 - 94]. "What I want is that at the end of our term, governments and people everywhere might recall that New Zealand stands for decency, humanity and that it speaks for those who don't always have a voice in times of crisis." The US State Department each year assesses how closely other countries vote the same as it on issues. In 2013, New Zealand voted the same way as the US 46 times and the opposite way 26 times and was rated 63.9 per cent the same, compared with Israel at 94.7 per cent and Australia at 80.9 per cent. [UNSC]

• 2015 TIBE to feature NZ as theme nation
  Taipei Book Fair Foundation Chairwoman Doris Wang (left) welcomes Kevin Chapman (second right) from New Zealand, the theme nation of the 2015 Taipei International Book Exhibition, Dec. 22 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of TIBE) •Publication Date:12/23/2014 •Source: Taiwan Today The Taipei International Book Exhibition has selected New Zealand as the 2015 theme nation, further reaffirming the annual event’s cultural diversity and Taiwan’s profile as a key player in the international publishing sector. The 23rd TIBE will present a Kiwi-themed feast rich in literary offerings and cultural exchanges between local and foreign traders. Held Feb. 11-16 at the Taipei World Trade Center, it will feature 22 authors from New Zealand and representatives of that country's 17 publishers.
• What's next? John Key prepares platform for post-political career
  5:00 AM Saturday Dec 27, 2014 The strong leadership roles John Key has played on the world stage will give him invaluable contacts. Photo / AP 2015 is set to be another year of promise for New Zealand. The country is in good heart and so is its leader John Key, who is off to play golf on top Los Angeles courses before heading to Maui for his summer break. There are domestic issues aplenty to attend to when Key gets back to Wellington later in January. And a big juggling act ahead as the Prime Minister enters the next stage of his political career - either building a domestic legacy by successfully tackling some major domestic issues; building the platform for his international post-politics career; or managing both through to the point where National does win a fourth term in office in spite of the Prime Minister's increasing profile on the world stage.
• New Zealand to add Chinese yuan as reserve currency
  CRI, December 16, 2014 New Zealand's central bank has announced plans to introduce renminbi as one of the country's foreign currency reserves. New Zealand thus becomes the second country after the UK to introduce the Chinese currency as a reserve currency. The RMB will become the second largest reserve currency with a 20 percent weight, second only to the Australian dollar, which currently holds a 22 percent weight. Meanwhile, the US dollar slid from top spot with 31 percent into third place with a 12 percent weight. The New Zealand central bank says the weight of each foreign reserve currency is decided by the volume of the country's bilateral trade with New Zealand. Last year, China became New Zealand's biggest trading partner and biggest export market with total bilateral trade hitting a record high of over 18 billion New Zealand dollars. [RMB]
• Chinese history and archaeology expert to receive honorary doctorate
  A world authority in the field of early Chinese history and archaeology, Dr Noel Barnard, is to receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature at Victoria University of Wellington’s December graduation. 3 December 2014 Dr Barnard completed his undergraduate studies in History and Geography at Victoria University. He then moved to Sydney and was awarded one of the first PhD scholarships offered by the Australian National University (ANU), specialising in Chinese studies, going on to become the University’s first graduate in Chinese history. He enjoyed a highly successful academic career at this institution for more than 50 years. The 92-year-old will be travelling to Wellington from his Canberra home especially for the graduation ceremony on Thursday 11 December.
• Lydia Ko to Study Psychology at Korea University
  Golf superstar Lydia Ko, recently named the youngest ever Rookie of the Year in the LPGA, will attend Korea University starting in March. Ko was admitted to a psychology program through a special scheme for ethnic Koreans living overseas, the university said. She immigrated to New Zealand when she was 6 years old and completed all education there.

• Xi: China, New Zealand 'usher in new cooperative era'
  China.org.cn, November 21, 2014 The formation of China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership has "ushered our two countries into a new cooperative era," Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the launching ceremony of China-New Zealand Mayor Forum in Auckland on Friday. Chinese President Xi Jinping and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key attend the launching ceremony of China-New Zealand Mayor Forum in Auckland, New Zealand, Nov. 21, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua] President Xi and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key attended the launching ceremony of the forum, a sideline event of Xi's state visit to the island country. Xi told mayors from the two countries that the Chinese and New Zealand economies are "highly complementary" and the two peoples "bear friendly affections toward each other." Don't miss: • China, NZ enter comprehensive strategic partnership • Xi hopes to chart new blueprint for China-NZ ties He compared the China-New Zealand relationship to an oil painting. "How spectacular such an oil painting can be depends not only on the overall structure but also on its detailed elements." The 30-plus pairs of friendly cities from the two countries, he added, constitute "the detailed elements" of the grand landscape. China has been making efforts to speed up industrialization, informationization, urbanization and agricultural modernization. "Such endeavors provide more opportunities for New Zealand and greater space for bilateral cooperation," he said. The president urged localities of the two countries to seize the opportunities and enhance cooperation in an effort to "paint a new picture of China-New Zealand friendship." For his part, Key said Xi's visit to New Zealand has facilitated the upgrading of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and has filled the two sides with full expectations for the future. He hoped the two countries can expand local cooperation and promote people-to-people exchanges for further growth of bilateral ties. Xi and Key also met with representatives of Chinese enterprises in New Zealand as well as members of the "New Zealand China Council", a New Zealand government organization established in 2012 for promotion of trade and other links with China. Xi is on a three-day state visit to New Zealand, the first by a Chinese president in 11 years. He is scheduled to fly to Fiji later Friday to continue his South Pacific trip, which has already taken him to Australia.
• Xi arrives in New Zealand for state visit
  China.org.cn, November 20, 2014 Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived on Wednesday evening in Auckland, New Zealand, starting his state visit to the country. At the invitation of New Zealand Governor-General Jerry Mateparae and Prime Minister John Key, Xi began his first state visit to New Zealand after he took office as president last year. Upon his arrival, the Chinese president extended sincere greetings and good wishes to New Zealand people. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 42 years ago, China-New Zealand relations have achieved leapfrog development, which brings great benefits to peoples of the two nations and makes contribution to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region, Xi said. Xi said he is looking forward to working with New Zealand leaders and people from all sectors during his visit, in a bid to chart a new blueprint for the future of the bilateral relationship. Following his state visit to Australia, New Zealand is the second leg of Xi's ongoing visit, which will also take him to Fiji.
• [Editorial] With new FTAs, we’re being played for suckers
  Posted on : Nov.18,2014 17:15 KST Now with New Zealand, following China, South Korea has just concluded negotiations for its fourteenth free trade agreement (FTA). The total number of countries now stands at 52. Seoul has been crowing about the big new additions to its “economic territories” - the countries where we can trade with low or no tariffs. But a look at the agreements themselves, and the ways they were negotiated, shows plenty of problems. Thanks to Seoul’s over-the-top secretiveness, even the representatives of the public in the National Assembly have been left bystanders in the process. It wouldn‘t be out of line to say we’re being played for suckers. FTAs have the effect of putting the interests of different industries and groups at odds. They may have a positive effect on the national economy in the long run, but that’s not necessarily true for the short or medium terms. And the industries and groups that are losing competitiveness - most notably farmers and agriculture - can bear the biggest brunt of all. History has shown this time and time again, and that’s why the government needs to provide the public, and the groups that stand to be hurt the most, with timely updates on the negotiation process, while hearing what they have to say about it. If that’s not possible, then at the very least the National Assembly ought to do it. That’s not how the South Korean government has played it. On Nov. 17 the Hankyoreh reported that the administration failed to comply fully with a request for data on the South Korea-New Zealand FTA from one of the National Assembly’s standing committee chiefs. [FTA]
• S. Korea, New Zealand strike free trade deal
  The leaders of South Korea and New Zealand said Saturday that their countries have struck a free trade agreement that will help boost mutual trade. "The FTA will provide a basis to further expand and develop bilateral investment and trade," South Korean President Park Geun-hye said in a joint news conference with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key in Brisbane on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies. Key also described the deal as a win-win agreement. The agreement came more than five years after the two countries launched negotiations. The two sides agreed to remove tariffs on more than 96 percent of all products traded between them within 20 years of the deal taking effect. The deal should allow South Korean companies to compete in New Zealand on a more equal footing with other countries. Prior to the deal with South Korea, New Zealand inked free trade agreements with 15 countries, including China, Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. South Korea and New Zealand plan to hold a legal review before formally signing a deal on the free trade agreement early next year, according to South Korea. The deal is subject to parliamentary ratification in both capitals before taking effect. New Zealand agreed to immediately remove tariffs on South Korean washing machines and tires, and eliminate tariffs on auto parts, heavy construction equipment and refrigerators within three years of the deal coming into force. The two sides agreed to exclude rice, a key staple food for Koreans, and other sensitive agricultural produce, including apples, garlic and chili peppers, from the deal. The deal could help boost South Korea's exports to New Zealand, which heavily relies on imports for most industrial products, South Korea said. [FTA]
• Juha Saarinen: How to stop the law playing dirty
  11:10 AM Thursday Oct 9, 2014 Be smart with phones, use throwaway internet accounts -- and never play the fourth track while driving. The raid on Nicky Hager's home shows journalists need to be able to protect their sources, no easy task in the age of GPS. Photo / Christine Cornege In the wake of Nicky Hager's home being raided to ferret out Rawshark, the hacker who allegedly supplied the emails that led to Dirty Politics, it's become clear that journalists are seen as a source of information by authorities in more ways than one. What can a journalist concerned about the safety of his/her sources do then, apart from giving up and quitting the job? There are a few things, actually. Here's a non-comprehensive round of suggestions for journalists wanting to make life a little more difficult for the long arm of the law. [Surveillance] [Media]
• Tim Beal at RT International on New Zealand national flag referendum
  RT coverage of the flag debate with a small extract of an interview with me. What was excluded was the point that if we were to have an independent national identify we needed to reassess our foreign relationships, primarily that with the US. In particular, we need to position ourselves so that we are not caught in the confrontation, and perhaps conflict, between the US and China.
  • Full interview
    The questions to which I was responding, are not included in this clip. They covered the importance of the discussion about changing the flag, the role of the monarchy, possible confusion with the IS flag and the various popular options for a new flag. I reiterate that the flag is merely a symbol and what is really needed is a discussion about national identity, and particularly our relationship with the US in the context of its continuing confrontation with China.

• The impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership on health: Why an independent, comprehensive health impact assessment is crucial prior to signing
  Joshua Freeman, Gay Keating, Rhys Jones, George Laking, Marilyn Head, Alexandra MacmillanTuesday 28 October 2014, 10:46AM Abstract Trade agreements can restrict policy options available to governments to protect the health of their citizens. For this reason there have been repeated calls for greater involvement of the health sector in developing the terms of these agreements. Currently, New Zealand and 11 other Pacific Rim countries are negotiating a trade agreement claimed to be the most comprehensive and far-reaching to date; the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). In stark contrast to the involvement of transnational corporate interests in the TPP negotiation process, independent health experts have effectively been excluded. The TPP has therefore evoked widespread alarm from the health sector both internationally and in NZ, and in response political leaders have made general assurances that specific direct threats to health will be avoided. However, in light of the available evidence, such assurances are unconvincing because the TPP would entitle foreign corporate investors to sue participating governments for introducing health policies that compromise their anticipated profits. [TPP] [Health]
• Kimchi Kiwis – Motorcycling North Korea
  $5.99–$35.00 Join Gareth and Jo and their companions as they rattle and splash their way around the Kolyma Highway, the main road of the terrible Soviet gulag archipelago. Experience with them the thrill of riding through North Korea, the hermit kingdom itself. Ever since the cessation of hostilities in the Korean War in 1953, the Korean Peninsula has been divided into two states. The Armistice Agreement drew a line between North and South Korea, and friends and families found themselves on either side of a jealously guarded political divide, their sorrow part of a macabre relic of the folly that was the Cold War. Kiwi motorcycle adventurers Gareth and Jo Morgan had been frequent visitors to South Korea before they were invited to travel to North Korea in 2012. While on that trip, they told the North Korean authorities of their wish to ride their motorbikes the length of the Korean Peninsula, as the fitting climax to a ride the were planning along the Road of Bones, the Kolyma Highway in Siberia, Russia. The North Koreans declared themselves willing to help — and in 2013, the Morgans’ dream came true. Join Gareth and Jo and their companions as they rattle and splash their way around the Kolyma Highway, the main road of the terrible Soviet gulag archipelago. Experience with them the thrill of riding through North Korea, the hermit kingdom itself. Chew your nails as they prepare to cross the Demilitarised Zone between the Koreas, one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world. Rejoice with them as they press on down the length of the Baekdu Daegan, the sacred mountain range that forms the spine of the Korean Peninsula, to complete the first ever motorcycle traverse of both Koreas. Above all, discover with them the truth behind the headlines that define North Korea and its people to the outside world, and sorrow at the tragedy that has prevented one third of the Korean people taking their place in the world.
• NZ faces claims of spying on friends
  5:00 AM Tuesday Oct 14, 2014 New documents released by NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden suggest New Zealand's embassies have been involved in spying on friendly nations on behalf of the United States, just as this country is seeking all the support it can get to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council. Adam Bennett Adam is a political reporter for the New Zealand Herald. [Espionage] [Subordinate]
• Kiwis pay $103m 'membership fee' for spying
  David Fisher is a senior reporter for the NZ Herald. 2:00 PM Tuesday Oct 21, 2014 The $103 million taxpayer funding of New Zealand's intelligence agencies is effectively a membership fee for joining the Five Eyes surveillance club with the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, according to a de-classified report. The report says the money pays for our spies to do a few "niche" tasks well and to use our international partners to do the rest. The "Murdoch Report" was written by former diplomat and senior public servant Simon Murdoch in 2009 for the State Services Commissioner and classified secret because of the details contained about New Zealand's spy agencies. It was a review of the framework in which the agencies operated, carried out at a time when New Zealand's intelligence-sharing relationship with the United States was undergoing massive change. [Cyberespionage]
• Murdoch report
  
• UN choices may strain friendships, McCully says
  5:00 AM Saturday Oct 18, New Zealand will be Security Council voice for small countries. New Zealand ambassador Jim McLay (left) talks with Nawaf Salam, Lebanon's ambassador. Photo / AP Foreign Minister Murray McCully is quite prepared to test friendships including with China and the US during New Zealand's two-year term on the Security Council, starting in 2015. "Being on the Security Council is going to put us in the position where we will need to make choices and some days we will disappoint our friends," he told the Weekend Herald last night from New York. Mr McCully was speaking at the end of a day of tension, relief and celebration after New Zealand topped the voting for three countries for two elected seats on the Security Council. New Zealand got through on the first ballot, ending a decade-long bipartisan campaign begun by Labour, centred largely on it being an independent voice for small countries. [UNSC]
• New Zealand lands seat on UN Security Council
  Tracy Watkins Last updated 06:42, October 17 2014 AT THE TOP TABLE: New Zealand will sit on the United Nations Security Council in 2015/16. New Zealand has won a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council. In a vote at the UN's New York headquarters on Thursday local time (Friday morning NZT), New Zealand won support with 145 votes to take one of the 'Western Europe and other nations' seats, ahead of Turkey and Spain in the first round of voting. New Zealand will take its seat on the council for two years, starting on January 1, 2015. The last time New Zealand sat on the council was 1993-94. It had earlier stints in 1953/54 and 1966. New Zealand's coup in securing a seat on the United Nations Security Council has been hailed a victory for small states by Prime Minister John Key. New Zealand will sit on the Security Council for the 2015-16 team after resoundingly winning a ballot of UN countries. Key said it came after hard work over a decade lobbying for the seat. "We have worked very hard on the bid for close to a decade because we believe that New Zealand can make a positive difference to world affairs and provide a unique and independent voice at the world's top table. "It has been more than 20 years since New Zealand was last on the Council and we are ready to contribute again. "It was a tough campaign against Spain and Turkey, two much bigger countries and close friends." Key acknowledged the work of New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully had also been working full-time on securing the seat. "Our win proves small countries have a role to play at the UN and we are determined to represent the perspective of small states at the Security Council table," Key said. "At the moment the Council faces a number of challenging issues. New Zealand is looking forward to serving on the Council and making a positive contribution throughout our two-year term." The campaign for a seat started in 2004 and culminated this week in last ditch lobbying by McCully and his Labour Party opposite David Shearer. Venezuela, Angola and Malaysia were the other nations elected in the first round of ballots to coveted seats on the Security Council.
  Venezuela's socialist government was unopposed for the single seat allocated to Latin America, and the Caribbean, gaining 181 of 182 votes;……….. Venezuela's foreign minister, Rafael Ramirez, quickly dedicated "this huge triumph" to late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. He said the election win came despite a "malign campaign against our country." The United States, which torpedoed Venezuela's last attempt to join the council in 2006, would not discuss how it voted. Ten countries abstained in that vote. Despite current President Nicolas Maduro's close ties with Syria's President Bashar Assad and Iran and its support for Russia over the Ukraine crisis, the United States chose not to publicly oppose Venezuela's candidacy this year. [UNSC] [UNUS]
• Dirty Politics: Police raid puts Hagers on edge
  5:00 AM Tuesday Oct 7, 2014 Lawyer thinks Dirty Politics author could have grounds to object. Author Nicky Hager says the police raid on his house was 'dangerous for journalism'. Photo / Christine Cornege The family of journalist Nicky Hager have been left worried and afraid after a 10-hour police search of his home in a bid to find the hacker Rawshark. Computers and papers were seized in what appeared to be an attempt to discover the identity of the person who provided information used in his Dirty Politics book. The book was an election bombshell based on hacked email and social media material belonging to Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater.

• McCully Speech to UN General Assembly
  Sunday, 30 September 2012, 10:57 am Speech: New Zealand Government Hon Murray McCully Minister of Foreign Affairs 30 September 2012 Speech Speech to United Nations General Assembly Mr President I bring greetings from the South Pacific. For the past year New Zealand has had the privilege of chairing the Pacific Islands Forum - a regional body that represents some of the smallest and most vulnerable states on this planet. For us this has been an important responsibility. Because we are a small country with modest resources, we choose to focus much of our attention on our own region.
  Many of you will be aware that New Zealand is an energetic candidate for election to the Security Council for the 2015-16 term. You will hear more from us on these topics over the next two years. We are a small country, with a big voice, and an approach that is fair minded and constructive. Mr President, in the past few days this Assembly has heard from both Prime Minister Netanyahu, and President Abbas. We are now on notice that the issue of Palestinian status in the UN will come before this Assembly this session. We look forward to seeing the text of a resolution, and engaging in the consultations that have been signalled. I said earlier that New Zealanders are constructive and practical. They are also fair minded people; and they expect to see their Government bring all of those attributes to the consideration of this resolution – and that we will do. Having said that, let me also be clear that we see such a resolution as a very poor substitute for the direct discussions that need to occur between two leaders who live half an hour down the road from each other.
  In his address to this Assembly earlier this week Prime Minister Netanyahu set out clearly the grave implications for the Middle East – and for the global community more generally - of a nuclear ‘break out’ in the region.
  Like other Member States, New Zealand believes Iran must be told to step back from a course that risks a further dangerous escalation of the situation. [Nuclear weapons] [Double standards]
• Snowden fatigue is spreading abroad
  By Stewart Baker September 20 at 10:31 AM ? If you think Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald have stopped attacking NSA, you haven’t been following them closely enough. While American media have largely lost interest in Snowden and Greenwald, the pair continue to campaign outside the United States against the intelligence agency. Their most ambitious effort was in New Zealand, a member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance with the U.S. and U.K. The center-right New Zealand government has been embroiled in accusations of illegal surveillance of Kim Dotcom, who grew wealthy running a file-sharing site and is now fighting extradition to the United States for copyright violations. As part of that fight, Dotcom dove into New Zealand’s national elections, hoping to unseat the two-term government and, in his words, “to close one of the Five Eyes.” Snowden and Greenwald dove in with him, joining eagerly in campaign events sponsored by Dotcom. Greenwald used his new Omidyar-funded news site to release a lengthy article in the last week of the campaign; it accused New Zealand of working with NSA to conduct mass surveillance. When the prime minister denied the accusation, Snowden called him a liar. The combination of carefully timed Snowden leaks and Dotcom’s millions looked potent. Dotcom even funded a new Internet Party, aligned with the small Mana party, which already had a seat in New Zealand’s Parliament. Well, New Zealanders went to the polls today, and the results are in. The biggest losers? Snowden, Greenwald, and Dotcom. The prime minister whom Snowden accused of lying won an “overwhelming” victory that may give him the first outright majority for any New Zealand party in nearly twenty years. Meanwhile, Dotcom’s Internet Party bombed, even costing its tiny ally the only seat it held in Parliament. [Surveillance] [Snowden] [Triumphalism]
• NZ spied on Pacific neighbours - Greenwald
  Andrea Vance Last updated 16:07 16/09/2014 Fairfax Media political reporter Andrea Vance sat down with American journalist Glenn Greenwald following the 'Moment of Truth' reveal. THE WORDS: American journalist Glenn Greenwald, who first published the documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, testifies in front of the Brazilian Federal Senate's Parliamentary Inquiry Committee. Reuters SPIES AND LIES: American journalist Glenn Greenwald claims the Government has misled the New Zealand public over the extent of GCSB surveillance activities. The Snowden files will show New Zealand spied on its Pacific neighbours and other Western democracies, journalist Glenn Greenwald says. Fugitive whistle-blower Edward Snowden has claimed that Kiwis have been subject to mass surveillance through the contentious spyware XKeyscore. He has also said that the US National Security Agency (NSA) has two facilities in New Zealand - a claim that is denied by Prime Minister John Key. Greenwald - one the recipients of the vast cache of NSA documents leaked by Snowden - said there were more "significant" disclosures to come about New Zealand's foreign spy agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau. "I don't want to give you the reporting before it's ready ... but what I feel comfortable saying is part of the reporting will identify the other nations on which the GCSB spies, either for its own purposes or at the behest of the United States. "And that list includes adversary countries that most New Zealanders will probably expect and want the GCSB to be spying on. But then it also includes countries which I think will be very surprising, including Western democracies or neighbouring countries or countries that are deemed allies of New Zealand. And if the debate in other countries is an indication, that will be much more controversial." [Surveillance]
• Snowden leak: U.S. Govt tapping expats to help maintain global “supremacy”
  Imtiaz Muqbil From students to academics and businesspeople, American expatriates and citizens are being tapped to provide the U.S. government with information on anything that could help uphold its global supremacy, especially in the sectors of business, science, technology and defence, according to the latest Edward Snowden leak published by journalist Glenn Greenwald on 05 September. The leak of the Quadrennial Intelligence Community Review (QICR) 2009 makes clear the following: (+) U.S. national security, geostrategic leadership and supremacy are all seen as being part and parcel of the same package; a threat to one is seen as a threat to the other. (+) Information is power, and the U.S. government is attempting to vacuum up just about everything that can help it influence policy and safeguard U.S. national security interests. (+) Preservation of the power of U.S. multinationals is seen as being critical to the power of the U.S. government. Foreign multinationals and emerging countries such as the Brazil, India, China, South Africa and, to some extent, Iran, are seen as potential threats, especially if they begin to work together. The document has immense importance for the travel & tourism industry because U.S. multinational hotel corporations, credit card giants, Internet companies, bookings and reservation websites, and more, are all dominant players in their respective areas, and hence potential contributors to the U.S. policy agenda. Mr. Greenwald’s reporting of the original leak, published here, focussed on one aspect of the QICR. But there is a lot more to it than that. The entire QICR can be downloaded in full from Mr. Greenwald’s website, The Intercept. [Surveillance]
• John Key 'comfortable' that NSA is not spying on NZ
  Updated 31 min ago 4:55 PM Wednesday Sep 17, 2014
  - Key concedes claim NZ data may be accessible through XKeyscore
  - Says NZ contributes some information to Five Eyes databases
  - "But not mass, wholesale surveillance as people might say"
  - No evidence of mass surveillance, says security chief
  - MORE: NZ 'spied on friends for US' Prime Minister John Key says he can't give an absolute assurance New Zealanders are not subject to mass surveillance by the US National Security Agency (NSA) but he is "comfortable" that is not happening. Mr Key this afternoon said he was "sure it's absolutely true" that former NSA analyst Edward Snowden had the capacity to see information about New Zealanders when he worked for the agency, but that information would not have come from mass surveillance programmes run by this country's Government Comminications Security Bureau (GCSB). During Monday night's Kim Dotcom-sponsored "Moment of Truth" Snowden claimed that as an NSA analyst stationed in Hawaii some years ago, he regularly came across New Zealanders' data held in the agency's XKeyscore system. Snowden claimed at least some of that information was gathered via mass surveillance programmes the GCSB was involved with. Mr Key has continued to deny that and pointed to Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Cheryl Gwyn's statement this morning that she had "not identified any indiscriminate interception of New Zealanders' data in my work to date". "It's pleasing to have someone that's completely independent of the political process coming out very clearly and very strongly saying there is no evidence to support there has been mass surveillance by the GCSB of New Zealanders", Mr Key told reporters this afternoon. ''I hope New Zealanders will accept my word on it because it's absolutely correct ." He said Ms Gwyn had powers to "see under the covers" of what was happening with New Zealand's spy agencies, but not what other countries did. "We've always said there are other agencies around the world that either legally as a result of their own laws, or illegally will be out there potentially collecting information on New Zealanders. "I'm not aware of that but there always could be." Asked whether he could rule out mass surveillance of New Zealanders by the NSA he said: "I don't run the NSA any more than I run any other foreign intelligence agency." "The NSA is bound by the laws of the United States of America... I'm not responsible for that. I can't control that and I don't influence that." [Surveillance] [NSA] [Snowden]
• 'Moment of truth' - do believe the hype
  ANDREA VANCE Last updated 06:57 16/09/2014 OPINION: When people tell you the "moment of truth" was an anti-climax, a fizzer, a nothing - don't believe them. Edward's Snowden's appearance, by livestream, in the Auckland Town Hall last night was remarkable. It had nothing to do with Kim Dotcom's spurious claims about a Hollywood plot. The dodgy Warner Bros email is as relevant to the NZ Snowden Files as John Key's declassified documents. The timing of Glenn Greenwald's reporting is pertinent only to the spin which National is pushing. Snowden says New Zealand had access to X-KEYSCORE, the data harvesting programme at the centre of the global spying scandal which his whistle-blowing sparked last year. Not only that, but the Government Communications Security Bureau contributed to its development and expansion. Snowden also says the NSA operates a facility in Auckland. None of Snowden's previous disclosures about the US, Canada, Australia and Britain have been disputed. His assertions came after journalist Glenn Greenwald published details of Project Spearhead - GCSB's masterplan for mass surveillance. He backed up his reporting with NSA documents showing the operation was underway, and US and New Zealand spies were waiting for domestic legislation to complete the project. In his captivating broadcast, Snowden raised two extremely important questions. Firstly, why did Key not make details of Project Spearhead public during the public debate about the new spying laws? That trashes Key's claims about enhanced transparency on intelligence and security issues. Secondly - and this is the point which demolishes Key's counter attacks this week - why was the GCSB planning (and partly implementing) a programme of mass surveillance when it would have been illegal? For the GCSB/NSA proposals to get off the ground, the agencies needed that law reform. [Surveillance]
• Spying claims force PM to release classified documents
  5:00 AM Sunday Sep 14, 2014 Glenn Greenwald says the GCSB has been spying on New Zealanders. Photo / Michael Craig Prime Minister John Key will declassify highly sensitive documents to prove the GCSB pulled the plug on plans to spy on New Zealanders. Last night Key said he suspected that former Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald's mass surveillance claims were "part of a conversation" of a surveillance plan that was never formulated. "I am prepared to declassify documents and release proof in the coming days," said Key. "There is no mass surveillance of New Zealanders by the GCSB [Government Communications Security Bureau] and there never has been. "Mr Dotcom's little henchman will be proven to be incorrect because he is incorrect." Key told 3 News the mass surveillance plan was in response to cyber attacks targeting New Zealand businesses in 2011. A spokesman for the GCSB last night said the agency was aware of the PM's suggestions but could not comment. The accusations were flying within hours of Greenwald's whistlestop New Zealand visit as he promised to dish the dirt on our spy agency five days out from the general election. [Surveillance]
• Dotcom, Greenwald, Assange and Snowden target New Zealand
  Summary: Glenn Greenwald says he has spent the last few months working on a story that will reveal the role of the Five Eyes network's smallest partner. By Rob O’Neill | September 14, 2014 -- 07:33 GMT New Zealand's role in the Five Eyes surveillance alliance has been a sideshow to debates that have erupted in the USA, UK and Europe since former NSA contractor Edwards Snowden began releasing his trove of classified documents. But that may change tomorrow night NZ time at the Auckland Town Hall. Kim Dotcom With five days left until a general election, Kim Dotcom, founder of the Internet Party contesting that election, is being joined by Glenn Greenwald, who is promising to reveal information showing New Zealanders have been the subject of mass surveillance by their own government. If he delivers, that will draw statements made by New Zealand's Prime Minister, John Key, into question. The Prime Minister has already promised to resign if mass surveillance has taken place. Key, who called Greenwald "Dotcom's little henchman", said he will declassify documents to prove he has been telling the truth. He said New Zealand's communications security agency GCSB looked into a plan for such mass surveillance after a series of cyber attacks, but the plan was rejected and never implemented. The election has already been disrupted by a hacking of a controversial blogger's emails that led to the resignation of a Government minister. Edward Snowden is expected to beam in from exile in Russia, presumably on the same subject: New Zealand's role in the Five Eyes alliance. Dotcom, meanwhile, is promising to show that he was granted citizenship to trap him in New Zealand and facilitate his eventual extradition to the USA. Dotcom faces racketeering charges there related to his now forcibly shuttered file sharing website Megaupload. Now add Julian Assange to the mix. Exactly what Assange will contribute is not yet known, but he is scheduled to beam in from his sanctuary, the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Greenwald arrived in New Zealand two days ago to immediately embark on a series of media interviews previewing his upcoming revelations, which he says will be published on his The Intercept website to coincide with the Auckland event. Greenwald said he has been working on the New Zealand part of the Snowden reporting for several months. The New Zealand government, he said, made statements in connection with a new spying law that was enacted last year, including assuring it did not engage in mass surveillance and it doesn't target New Zealanders indiscriminately. "One of the things that we wanted to do was to investigate the truth of those statements and to do the reporting that would let New Zealand citizens know whether or not their government deceived them about what these spy agencies are doing, and I can tell you — although I can't tell you what the reporting is yet — I can tell you that there are serious questions about whether the current government was at all truthful with its citizens in connection with that bill," he said. Greenwald said there are no "bit players" in the alliance. "Obviously, some countries are bigger and spend more money on surveillance than other countries within the alliance, and New Zealand is on the end of the countries that spend fewer rather than more resources, but New Zealand spends an extraordinary amount of resources, for a country of this size, on electronic surveillance, and every single thing that the NSA does that we have been reporting on over the last year and a couple of months involves New Zealand directly. "They are full-fledged allies of this effort." Greenwald added New Zealand was also helping the US to spy on other nations in the region. [Surveillance]
• Korean fishing vessel forfeited to New Zealand government
  By Jung Min-ho A Korean fishing vessel has been forfeited to the New Zealand government for dumping fish off the country's coast. According to the Ministry for Primary Industries of New Zealand, Sept. 4, Lee Dae-jun, 30, captain of the Oyang 77, was fined $120,500 New Zealand dollars (102 million won) in the Christchurch District Court for dumping the fish and misreporting his catch. The trawler, owned by Sajo Oyang, and its gear were forfeited to the government, the ministry reported on its website. In New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone, east of South Island, Lee dumped 53 tons of hoki because the fish were "small, damaged and unmarketable," according to the ministry's statement. Lee filled his vessel with higher-quality fish worth $73,000, according to the Dominion Post, a local newspaper. Other species involved in the case included squid and barracouta. The total catch reportedly weighed 75.8 tons. Lee was aware of his obligations not to dump fish at sea, and told crew not to dump anything when ministry representatives were around, the ministry's statement said. Lee reportedly admitted during the trial that he had omitted to report certain details about fish that had been lost or returned to the sea. The ministry's district compliance manager, Peter Hyde, said in the statement that unlawful dumping of quota species undermined the integrity of New Zealand's quota management system and threatened sustainable fishing. "Accurate information is also used to ensure we have sustainable fisheries for the future," Hyde was quoted as saying. "The system relies on honest and accurate reporting." No one from Sajo Oyang was immediately available for comment. But an official from Sajo Haepyo, an affiliate of the Sajo Group, which also includes Sajo Oyang, said it would be difficult to contact Oyang "because it has no marketing team."
• Fonterra to invest in Chinese dairy business
  Xinhua, September 9, 2014 Global dairy cooperative Fonterra will buy a 20-percent stake in Chinese dairy giant Beingmate to increase its access to China's infant milk market, Beingmate has announced. The Shenzhen-listed firm said on Monday evening that Fonterra will invest 3.68 billion yuan (599 million U.S. dollars) to become Beingmate's major shareholder. The deal is expected to be completed within a month, providing it is approved by China's Securities Regulatory Commission. After the share transfer, Beingmate and Fonterra will build a joint-venture milk powder factory in Victoria, Australia. Beingmate will invest more than 185 million U.S. dollars in the factory, in which it will have a 51-percent ownership, it said. Beingmate is based in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, and is the third-biggest Chinese dairy firm in terms of production. With an annual dairy processing output of 22 billion liters, Fonterra is the world's largest dairy processor and exporter. In addition to consumer brands such as Mainland cheese and Anchor butter, it is also the world's largest dairy ingredients supplier to Nestle and McDonald's. Fonterra's reputation was damaged in the 2008 scandal over melamine-tainted baby formula produced by China's Sanlu Group. Fonterra bought a 43 percent-stake in Sanlu in 2005. [Dairy] [IJV] [FDI]
• Israel rejects NZ ambassador
  Hamish Rutherford Last updated 14:50 08/09/2014 Israel is refusing to accept New Zealand's ambassador because he will also have contact with Palestinian officials. While Israel insists it is upholding a long-established protocol, diplomats in Wellington say New Zealand's ambassador to Israel has had contact with Palestine since 2008 with no issue being raised. Foreign Minister Murray McCully has confirmed that Israeli officials had advised in recent days that they would "not accept as ambassador a person who was also a representative to the Palestinian Authority". [Israel]
• Israel refuses to share New Zealand ambassador with Palestinian Authority
  Israel’s objections led the new ambassador to cancel his planned trip to Israel, and are threatening to create a diplomatic crisis with the Commonwealth country. By Barak Ravid | Sep. 8, 2014 Israel’s Foreign Ministry has refused to allow New Zealand’s new ambassador to Israel to present his credentials to President Reuven Rivlin this week, because he was also to be accredited to the Palestinian Authority. Israel’s objections led the ambassador to cancel his planned trip and are threatening to create a diplomatic crisis with the Commonwealth country. New Zealand does not maintain an embassy in Israel; its relations with Israel are handled by its embassy in Ankara, which is responsible for several countries in the region. Its ambassador to Turkey serves as nonresident ambassador to Israel and comes to Jerusalem every month or two for meetings. New Zealand’s new ambassador to Turkey, Jonathan Curr, was meant to come to Israel this week to present his credentials. A packed schedule for his visit was almost set, when last Thursday he told Foreign Ministry personnel that since he is also responsible for New Zealand’s relations with the PA, he also planned to visit Ramallah for an official ceremony with PA president Mahmoud Abbas as well. This was not to be a full presentation of credentials, since New Zealand does not recognize a state called Palestine. Curr was to present instead a letter of introduction, a document which merely informs Abbas that he is the New Zealand diplomat who handles ties with the PA.
  On Sunday, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman decided not to allow any exceptions to the regulations. When the incensed New Zealand ambassador understood that Israel was not going to be flexible, he canceled his trip to Jerusalem and now it isn’t clear when, if ever, Israel will have a New Zealand ambassador. A Western diplomat involved in the case said the government in Wellington, which is very pro-Israel, is furious and insulted by Israel’s handling of the matter. “Israel has scored a marvelous own goal,” the diplomat said. [Israel]

• Hacker 'Rawshark' disrupts NZ election campaign
  Summary: Cabinet minister resigns after email reveals contacts with controversial blogger. By Rob O’Neill | August 31, 2014 -- 01:25 GMT New Zealand cabinet minister Judith Collins resigned yesterday in what appears to be a direct response to the hacking of a controversial blogger's email. The resignation is a blow to the ruling National Party which, while well ahead in the polls, has seen its campign plan torn apart by a series of unexpected and unwelcome disclosures. The identity of the hacker, who calls him- or herself "Rawshark", is a mystery.
• Judith Collins resigns: The money men and how they toppled her
  5:00 AM Sunday Aug 31, 2014 High-profile Kiwis likely to be dragged into investigation over smear campaign. An inquiry into Judith Collins' downfall is poised to investigate links between former Hanover boss Mark Hotchin and right-wing bloggers who waged a smear campaign against ex-Serious Fraud Office (SFO) chief executive Adam Feeley. The top-level investigation is set to drag in numerous prominent New Zealanders. They include property developer Tony Gapes, Shareholders' Association founder and former Financial Markets Authority (FMA) member Bruce Sheppard, high-profile lobbyist and PR agent Carrick Graham and Cameron "Whaleoil" Slater. Collins resigned yesterday as Justice Minister after a leaked email from Slater claimed she had been "gunning" for Feeley while she was minister in charge of the SFO. She will remain as MP for Papakura and is set to stand in the general election. Further emails, expected to be released today, are believed to show Graham - who was at one time employed by Hotchin - and another right-wing blogger, Cathy Odgers, alias Cactus Kate, were behind attacks on Feeley. Read more of our coverage: As former managing director of Hanover Finance, Hotchin was at the time under investigation from the SFO and FMA for his role in the failure of Hanover in 2008. About 16,000 people with investments totalling more than $500million lost most of their money following the failure of Hanover and related companies and the sale of assets to Allied Farmers. Correspondence obtained by hackers who targeted the Whaleoil site showed Slater and Odgers were working together with Graham to attack Feeley while he was responsible for investigating Hanover Finance. [Corruption]
• The real reason behind Judith Collins' demise
  Matt Nippert Justice Minister Judith Collins' resignation was sparked by a Fairfax investigation into a smear campaign by bloggers apparently backed by controversial financier Mark Hotchin. Hacked emails appear to show Hotchin secretly paid bloggers Cameron Slater and Cathy Odgers to write attack posts undermining the Serious Fraud Office, its director Adam Feeley, and the Financial Markets Authority, who were probing his collapsed Hanover Finance in 2011 and 2012. The emails indicate the campaign was orchestrated by Hotchin's then spokesman Carrick Graham, a PR consultant and tobacco lobbyist. Hotchin is a former part-owner of the Warriors league team who built New Zealand's most expensive residential home in Auckland. Hanover Finance collapsed in July 2008 owing $465 million to 13,000 investors. Knowing Fairfax was investigating the hacked emails, it is believed Odgers (known by the blog name Cactus Kate) went through her own emails and found some that could be seen as implicating Collins. This correspondence then found its way to a Beehive staffer on Friday. "I take it you found the smoking gun," Odgers said in an email to Fairfax shortly before Collins resigned. She declined to comment further yesterday.
• NZ’s UN Security Council bid hangs by a nuclear thread
  By Bob Rigg 27 August, 2014 On 16 June the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna circulated a request backed by 18 members of the Arab League calling on Israel to place its nuclear facilities under the IAEA’s inspection regime and to formally commit to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). This Arab resolution, which has been something of a hardy annual for decades now, will also be supported by almost all Muslim states, many non-aligned states, and others. Although the IAEA cannot require Israel to join the NPT, its members can apply enormous political pressure on Israel through the IAEA’s premier decision-making body. In the meantime the Arab League Secretary General has “urgently” contacted all IAEA states including New Zealand, formally requesting them to support the Arab initiative. The IAEA General Conference will open on 22 September, just two days after New Zealand’s elections. Within a month of the IAEA decision the UN General Assembly will decide on New Zealand’s bid for membership of the UN Security Council (UNSC). New Zealand’s rivals for a UNSC seat – Spain and Turkey – are also members of the IAEA. Spain appears to have its nose in front at present, leaving Turkey and New Zealand battling it out for the second seat. As a Muslim Middle Eastern state Turkey is most likely to vote for the Arab League resolution. All eyes will then be on New Zealand. [UNSC] [NWFZ] [Israel]
• Tidal wave of dirt that could swamp election
  David Fisher is a senior reporter for the NZ Herald. 5:00 AM Saturday Aug 23, 2014 The political fallout from the release of Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics book keeps on coming. David Fisher looks at key developments so far It often comes in like a wave, the release of a book from Nicky Hager, breaking on the shores of public awareness awash with assertions that are too much to take in at once. Allegation, denial, allegation, rebuttal, confusion over who is right or what the book was really about anyway. Then the tide goes out and public awareness goes with it. "This book has struck a chord in New Zealand more than anything I've written," says Hager, author of Dirty Politics. Other books have been criticised and lauded, but they come and then they go, leaving the public often puzzled about what happened. Not this time. It's 10 days since this wave crashed in and there's no sign of it receding. Dirty Politics is a tidal wave of a book, a best-seller.
• Hager's tell-all chapters
  5:00 AM Sunday Aug 17, 2014 Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics has set the election campaign alight. Have our politicians reached a new low in gutter tactics? Hager picks five crucial parts of his book and invites you to make up your own mind On the Len Brown affair Far from feeling remorseful, Cameron Slater was empowered by his spectacular attack on Len Brown. Just one week after the affair was made public, when it was clear Brown was not going to resign, Slater started hunting for more sex-related dirt on the mayor. On October 23, he asked his ex-prostitute friend if she could help to dig up some more stories: "Rattle your cages to see if Len rooted in brothels." He declared confidently: "He will have. I'd love a hooker to come forward and tell all about Lenny." His friend wrote back: "What man in grey hasn't?" Slater continued: "Get me dirt ... he will get away with it otherwise ... whatever you can rustle up, what he likes, when, how, and how he pays." His friend said: "I will get my sticky feelers out." Slater often pumped his ex-prostitute friend for information.
• Gordon Campbell on Nicky Hager’s new book
  August 14th, 2014 According to Minister of Everything Steven Joyce – whose duties now extend to fielding questions about Nicky Hager’s new book Dirty Politics – Hager has got it all wrong, and the apparent collusion recorded in its pages between the prime minister’s office and blogger Cameron Slater is really no more than business as usual between government on one hand, and the journalists they brief as a matter of course on the other. Nothing to see here, move on. If that’s true, one wonders why almost all the key players mentioned in the book have gone to ground, and don’t seem to be available for interview. To date, the other well-worn route of response has been to cast aspersions about Hager’s motives and to denigrate his modus operandi. Prime Minister John Key laid out that line of defence yesterday – even before Dirty Politics was out of the box – by trying to write Hager off as “a screaming left wing conspiracy theorist” who didn’t really know what he was talking about. Methinks the PM protests too much. The simple antidote to all this ad hominem abuse is to read the book. I doubt that many people who do read the book – and especially the emails that provide the bulk of its narrative – will feel very happy about how politics is being conducted in this country right now. That’s the thing. Hager hasn’t needed to clothe the content in a conspiracy theory: the emails speak very eloquently for themselves. Just as in The Hollow Men, the damning material is right there in black and white, in the contributions of Cameron Slater, Jason Ede, Carrick Graham, Judith Collins etc. And that’s the real problem for Key with this stuff; if he didn’t know about the conniving that has been going on right under his nose, he is incompetent. If he does know, he is complicit.
• NZ politician under fire for insults against China
  By Zhang Lulu China.org.cn, August 12, 2014 A New Zealand politician is currently under fire for his racist remarks targeting Chinese people. Winston Peters, the leader and founder of New Zealand First, a political party in the country, said "Two Wongs don't make a white" in a campaign speech last Sunday, according to New Zealand media. While Peters said it was a joke and refused to apologize for it, the remark has sparked a wave of criticism among New Zealand politicians and the Chinese community there. New Zealand's ACT Party leader Dr Jamie Whyte condemned the remarks as "shameful," and recalled that the phrase was first raised by an Australian politician, Arthur Calwell, who was a staunch defender of the "White Australia" immigration policy which notoriously favored Western immigrants over their Eastern counterparts. "Mr. Peters is an experienced Australasian politician. He must be aware of Calwell and his xenophobic policies. Repeating an even less amusing version of his joke is shameful." Whyte said. Steven Young, former president of the New Zealand Chinese Association told New Zealand news agency NZ Newswire that "It's a very old schoolyard joke that's more suited to seven and eight year olds rather than a mature statesman who, in the past, has acted as a foreign minister dealing with China as our main trading partner." [China bashing]
• Powerful US spy tools were set for NZ installation
  David Fisher David Fisher is a senior reporter for the NZ Herald. 2:55 PM Friday Aug 1, 2014 The most instrusive and powerful tools in the United States' electronic spying armoury were being lined up for installation in New Zealand last year, according to a document obtained by the Herald. An engineer visited a GCSB base near Blenheim in February 2013 to talk about setting up a "Special Source Operations" site. The SSO is the division of the United States' National Security Agency which carries out cable tapping and has vast resources to trawl and capture massive amounts of internet content and electronic communication, including the PRISM system. Disclosures of its powers were the most controversial of those made by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden when he began revealing its capabilities last year. Use of the powerful tools has created diplomatic rifts and forced US president Barack Obama to talk of reigning in his electronic spies. The GCSB has refused to say whether it went ahead with plans to install the SSO site. [Surveillance]

• Democracy, ethics and the public good: The 2014 Geering Seminar:
  St Andrews Trust for the Study of Religion and Society and Public Good Friday, 1 August 2014 at 6:30 PM - Saturday, 2 August 2014 at 4:30 PM (NZST)
  Do we have the democracy we need? How can we ensure integrity, honesty and transparency in our democratic arrangements? The conference will begin on Friday evening through to Saturday at 4.30pmand will allow us to explore what is good and bad about our democracy and what needs to change. We will investigate whether we new new language to think about a democracy that can help solve future problems. There will be some great speakers and panels but topic workshops and your ideas will be what makes this conference fly.
• NZ 'naive' in China relationship
  10:36 PM Thursday Jul 3, 2014 One of the United States' most eminent China watchers and authors says New Zealand has a short-sighted, naïve, and one-dimensional relationship with China and it should be more vocal about repression there. "My observation is that New Zealand has a myopic single-issue view of China - trade, trade and more trade," Professor David Shambaugh told the Herald this week. He said China was in the midst of the most severe crackdown in 25 years. "What is the New Zealand Government saying about it?" He described New Zealand as being ''a little bit naïve" in its relationship with China but did not want to elaborate. Professor Shambaugh has lived in or visited China every year for the past 35 years and was there last week before visiting Wellington as guest speaker at a conference "China at the Crossroads" organised by the NZ Contemporary China Research Centre based at Victoria University. [Allegiance] [China confrontation]
• Is NZ violating the SIS Act over US drone strikes?
  Tuesday, 15 July 2014, 5:36 pm
  by Bob Rigg
  July 15, 2014 After decades of lively public debate, New Zealand abolished the death penalty for murder in 1961. It is not widely known that the death penalty for treason remained on the statute books until it was also abolished in 1989. From then on no one could be legally sentenced to death or executed in accordance with New Zealand law, for any reason. Until the death penalty was abolished, all persons charged with capital offences were entitled to defend themselves through legal process.
• interview with Bryan Crump on Radio national on visit to DPRK
  
• What implications for New Zealand, candidate for UN security council?
  The rising tensions in Iraq will be one of the key challenges ahead of New Zealand, if elected to the UN Security Council, later this year. In a panel discussion, the newly Wellington-based think tank, Diplosphere will examine the implications of the unfolding crisis in Iraq to the region, to the international community and for New Zealand. Date: Tuesday, 29 July 2014 Time: 6:00 -7:15pm Venue: Parliament Buildings (Beehive), Theatrette, Wellington
• Abe visit test of New Zealand government's Asia policy: academic
  English.news.cn 2014-07-04 15:10:01 WELLINGTON, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit here next week will be a test of the New Zealand government's independent foreign policy and its ability to help contain tensions between Japan and China in the East China Sea, a leading New Zealand expert on international affairs said Friday. "This is the first visit here by a Japanese leader for a dozen years. And it is bound to be a major test for New Zealand's diplomatic balancing act in Asia given Japan's huge tensions with China, our leading trading partner," said Robert Ayson, professor of strategic studies at Wellington's Victoria University. [Japanese remilitarisation] [Japan NZ] [China confrontation]

• New Zealand Plans to Grow Combat Capabilities by 2020
  A new government document describes New Zealand’s short and longer term defense ambitions. By Ankit Panda June 20, 2014 On Tuesday, New Zealand released its new Defense Capability Plan (DCP). The document outlines the country’s broad strategic priorities on defense matters. New Zealand Defense Minister Jonathan Coleman notes that the 2014 DCP reflects well on the New Zealand Defense Force’s (NZDF) capabilities. The 2014 DCP is a follow up to the 2011 document. “The 2014 Defence Capability Plan describes the new equipment and assets that the NZDF will purchase over the next decade. It resets capability and investment priorities, and focuses on the NZDF’s ability to deliver joint operations, and grow combat and support capabilities,” noted Coleman.
• We introduce Professor Ang who will explore the key questions for New Zealand as China enters the world stage and our sphere
  By Siah Hwee Ang* In 2013, New Zealand joined the large group of countries that has China as their largest trading partner.
  This year, the New Zealand dollar has become only the sixth currency to be able to directly trade with the renminbi or yuan and only the fourth currency to be granted ‘market maker’ status which allows trade on China’s forex system. This currency deal allows the direct convertibility between the New Zealand dollar and renminbi, which cuts out the requirement and additional cost of converting via the US dollar for exporters and importers. [Reserve]

• NZ official blasts Korean workplace gender gap
  By Ko Dong-hwan Patti O'Neil A New Zealand equality expert has slammed Korea's work culture for preventing women from advancing. "Koreans work too late and drink too much. It's definitely disadvantageous for working women with families," Patti O'Neil told a forum at Jeju Island on Tuesday. O'Neil is coordinator of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Network on Gender Equality under the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). "Many countries point this out as the reason Korea is still noted for a high rate of gender inequality,'' she told the 2014 Business and Professional Women (BPW) International Congress. She said it was critical for Korean companies to reduce after-hour works and dinner meetings and create a better environment for young women and working mothers. About 800 female leaders from 50 countries attended the forum. [Gender]
• New Zealand shrinks away from legal high limelight
  E. Rice 27 May 2014 Manufacturers aim to reap maximum profit in the minimal time before it is banned, so poorly developed NPS are thrown on the market in vast quantities with little regard to their effects. Meanwhile, prohibition simply forces a black market. New Zealand announced at the beginning of May that they were removing all legal highs from the shelves within the next couple of weeks. [Drugs]
• Governor-General of New Zealand Hopes for Boosting Relations with DPRK
  Pyongyang, May 8 (KCNA) -- Ri Jong Ryul, DPRK ambassador to New Zealand, presented his credentials to the governor-general of the country on May 1. The governor-general said: I wish the Korean people greater success in the work for the prosperity of the country. I am pleased that the DPRK is achieving successes in various fields by directing primary efforts to the economic development. I hope the relations between the two countries would grow stronger.

• NZ warned as US and China raise stakes
  TONY WALL Last updated 05:00 27/04/2014 WARNING: Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser is calling for a new debate about Australian-American military ties. A former Australian prime minister has warned Australia risks being pulled into a war with China because it has surrendered its strategic independence to Washington, but a security expert says New Zealand's position is even more precarious. In what is being labelled the most serious questioning of Australia's foreign policy by a former prime minister since World War II, former Liberal leader Malcolm Fraser said he had become "very uneasy" at the level of Australia's compliance with US strategic interests. "Our armed forces are so closely intertwined with theirs and we really have lost the capacity to make our own strategic decisions," Fraser said yesterday. With US President Barack Obama confirming the US would back Japan in any conflict over disputed islands in the East China Sea, Fraser called for a more basic interpretation of the Anzus treaty, restricting its scope to consultation initially - rather than the assumption of automatic military involvement. Fraser has also called for a new debate about Australian-American military ties, warning that the secretive Pine Gap facility would become a target as it would likely be pivotal to the US capability to identify and neutralise Chinese nuclear weapons sites. [China confrontation] [Allegiance]
• The next Canada? Rich mainland Chinese push New Zealand migration to 11-year high
  China is top immigration source for southern nation, with half of all newcomers using investor scheme, some paying up to HK$53m PUBLISHED : Thursday, 24 April, 2014, 12:51pm UPDATED : Friday, 25 April, 2014, 3:26am Adrian Wan adrian.wan@scmp.com Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. Mainland investors made up about half of all Chinese gaining residency last year. Photo: SCMP An influx of deep-pocketed mainland Chinese has helped New Zealand reach its highest intake of immigrants in more than 10 years, official data shows. New Zealand's net migration surged to an 11-year high of 31,900 in the year to March, as 98,000 immigrants arrived and 66,100 left the country. It was the second-highest net gain yet. China was the nation's biggest source of long-term arrivals at 6,200, followed by 6,100 from India and 5,800 from Britain over the same period. [Migration]
• Catch of the day
  Hamish McNicol Last updated 05:00 26/04/2014 Thursday, April 24 Hours after leaving shore a small fishing boat off New Zealand's East Coast has just pulled in its first fishing pot for the day. Nothing. In the second, a few sea snails, or "seascargot", but not what the fishermen are here for. Some nervous looks, though coupled with eyes of anticipation, which suggests the pots were definitely baited, leaving an early question unasked. A few pots later the first king crab finally surfaces, its pincers gnashing with enough ferocity to crush your finger. Relief as the gloves go on. But with only a handful of crabs to show for hours into the day's fishing, it is proving slow going. After 20 hours, however, having hauled in about 25 kilometres of fishing line, the three men aboard the Marco Polo will return with more than 200 king crabs. This, they hope, will one day be one of the country's newest fishing stocks. [Fishery]
• Widening pay gap 'can be fixed'
  By Steve Hart 4:15 AM Saturday Apr 12, 2014 NZ's highest-paid 10 per cent earn 32 times more than poorest 10 per cent.
  The pay gap between the highest and lowest earners is getting wider. It's a trend that, says one researcher, can be traced back to the 1980s. The OECD report, Society at a Glance 2014, says the highest-paid 10 per cent of workers in New Zealand earn 32 times more than the poorest 10 per cent - a 32-to-one pay ratio. The ratio in Australia is 33-to-one, and in Switzerland it is 30-to-one. In January, the Swiss got to vote on a proposal to enforce a ratio of 12-to-one - the proposal was defeated. Had it been made law, the highest-paid member of staff of a company in Switzerland would not have been able to earn any more than 12 times the salary of its lowest-paid employee. Paul Barber, policy adviser at the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services, says that based on his research, low and middle incomes have barely risen [above inflation] during the past 30 years. "But the top end incomes have more than doubled over the same period," he says. [Inequality]