The major economic and foreign policy issues facing New Zealand

Hon Murray McCully

New Zealand’s foreign minister Murray McCully has emphasised the importance of New Zealand’s relationship with ASEAN during an address on the major economic and foreign policy issues facing New Zealand over the next five years.

At a 20 October New Zealand Institute of International Affairs forum in Wellington, Mr McCully made remarks on the very broad range of issues that will face New Zealand in that period, and made special mention of the importance of New Zealand’s relationship with ASEAN.

“Through the suite of annual ASEAN-led meetings, ASEAN has become a key regional broker on matters of security, diplomacy and trade, emphasised by the recent decisions of the United States and Russia to join the East Asia Summit.  It has been for this reason that I have given the highest priority to re-energising the ASEAN relationship over the past three years,” Mr McCully said.

He also noted that “intensive work over the past few years has seen us achieve 'strategic partner' status and hold the first ever ASEAN-New Zealand Summit between ASEAN leaders and Prime Minister John Key last year.”

Mr McCully’s full remarks are available here