Trade and diplomatic relations ‘in jeopardy’ from Government plans
Labour’s Foreign Affairs Minister Russell Marshall says the Government’s ‘draconian proposals’ for the Foreign Affairs Ministry could jeopardise our highly regarded and successful trade and diplomatic relations.
In his latest column, Mr Marshall says in the past New Zealand could be accused of extravagance in its conduct of diplomacy, but not now.
When I first visited London four decades ago the then 10-year old, 16-storey, New Zealand House in Haymarket was full of New Zealander agencies, some of them very small, and the Foreign Affairs staff numbers at the High Commission were high.
NZ House unsustainable in the 1970’s
Such a large investment of people and finance in a country so far away was unsustainable and moves were being made to reduce the size of that investment. Britain was joining the European Economic Community and we were beginning to have our trade and political priorities determined by geography rather than by history.
A decade and a half later, I was Foreign Minister when Treasury took its eye off the ball in its budget calculations.
In an urgently called evening Cabinet meeting, it was decided that all government ministries and departments would have their budgets cut by 2%. I knew that there was little fat in the MFAT system.
Over the next decade or so, there was no increase in our budget so that funding kept declining in real terms.
By the time I became High Commissioner to the UK in 2002 human and financial resources were at an all time low after the decade and half of attrition.
Overseas posts built up again
A subsequent capability review of MFAT funding went some way to bring capacity both in overseas posts and in Wellington back to a more reasonable level.
After a more comprehensive review in 2008 Winston Peters as Foreign Minister was able to announce the first large increase in funding for diplomacy in over a quarter century. It was a valued and valuable boost while it lasted.\
As with most other government agencies, MFAT is now facing substantial reduction in funding and personnel.
In my experience and from my observations New Zealand diplomats over the years have consistently done New Zealand proud and served their country’s interests well.
NZ plays major role internationally
In recent times, New Zealand has played leading roles in international trade and climate change negotiations, and our occasional membership of the United Nations Security Council has always been very well regarded.
The draconian proposals under current discussion for the future of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs put our highly regarded and hitherto largely successful trade and diplomatic relations in jeopardy.
Sometimes seen as ‘punching above our weight’, we now run the risk of punching below it. I hope that Prime Minister Key’s reservations this week are the beginning of some serious reconsideration.
(Russell Marshall was president of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs 2007-2011)
Alas Russell it seems you haven’t managed to watch the DVDs or read the 2 books I lent you, could I have them back please as I have others interested in the facts
If you had bothered watching the DVDs or read the books, you would understand that investing money in any system dependent on oil is an utter waste of time, and is only damming future generations to short bloody lives.
You have to understand the world hit peak oil in 2005-6 and as of about now we are heading down the energy cliff at such a speed that all bets are off as far as anything more than rowing distance away from our island is concerned.
Maintaining a High Commission anywhere is a thing of the pasted.
I know I am wasting my time, as you and 99% of the pig ignorant public just do not want to know, and I know that for most politicians or x ones it is way easier to keep telling lies than face the facts of life.
I just want to stay on record as being one of the only people awake on this god forsaken rock that actually understands the lie.
You can not have infinite growth in a closed environment, and if you step back and look that is exactly what planet earth is. It took millions of years to create our topsoil ….. we are about halfway through that at the moment, it took millions of years to ‘create’ the oil we use, we are over halfway through the recoverable oil now.
From now on we face having less of everything, except misery, and bullshit, your column proves the latter.
In one of your columns you mentioned how you wished the community would get involved in informed debate about the issues we face, it is such an utter shame you can’t bring the seriousness of these issues up for debate, instead of just rabbiting on about trivia.
You must of had a backbone before you became a politician? Do they not grow back once you retire?
Please watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOMWzjrRiBg&list=FLKNxQ6yt_kubd59Yxm55zJw&feature=plcp&context=C4a3d91dFDvjVQa1PpcFNinfiA8tGCUy-maYgKCVlQZV6mfnQXOZM= it is only 34 minutes long, I hope to read some intelligent thoughts from you in your next column.
At least for your grandchildren sake become informed.