Engaging with the world: Terence O'Brien discusses angles and aspects of New Zealand's approach to external relations.

• Author: O'Brien, Terence
• Position: Report

Physical geography, resource endowments, interests and values--all play a part in determining how New Zealand engages with world. It is no longer shielded by the 'tyranny of distance', for global challenges now impact upon it in real time as a result of the communications revolution. Nor is its economy narrowly focused on one particular part of the globe any longer. Changing economic realities have presented opportunities nearer home. To promote its interests New Zealand relies first and foremost upon fostering relationships or partnerships with like-minded countries in order to promote or protect national interests. It has a contribution to make in advancing values based on multiculturalism.

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The way in which a country engages in external relations with the rest of the world is shaped by its physical geography, by its resource endowments, by its interests and by its values. In this article I will look at New Zealand's engagement under those headings. What now follows involves a quick skate over thin ice and includes broad, even rash, generalisations.

Geographical remoteness conditions New Zealand's international mentality. But our situation has been progressively transformed by the revolution in communications technology that dazzled the 20th century, and is accelerating as we move into the new century. In the past New Zealanders cursed the so-called 'tyranny of distance', which was reckoned to impede New Zealand progress. We were so far away from cultural roots of an important part of our population, from the centre of ideas and investment, from new thinking and from markets for our goods. That 'down under' mindset has been reshaped progressively and conclusively by the communications revolution. Opportunities as well as crises from all corners of the globe now impact this country in real time. Awareness and understanding of rapid and extensive change internationally is indispensable to our success as a country, and for the conduct of our external relations.

Remoteness does mean that New Zealand retains a low sense of actual military threat to its own physical existence, in a world that is, nonetheless, beset with conflicts in many areas. Remoteness inside our maritime environment provides a large protective moat, too, against risks from a globalised world where borders now count for less and transnational crime, drugs, arms, communicable disease, terrorists and other afflictions like pollution and climate change can spread rapidly and dangerously. Such protection supplied by geography does not, however, amount to immunity. I will come back below to the specific issue of New Zealand defence policy, but here it is sufficient to note that remoteness must reinforce New Zealand concern to preserve those vital material connections to the rest of the world --connections by air, by sea, through cyber-space, by undersea cable and the like. And for that New Zealand needs to work internationally with other countries to ensure those interests.

Geographical endowments

New Zealand's temperate climate is a product of its geography. Together with acquired expertise in soil sciences and animal husbandry, it explains our pre-eminence in the business of transforming grass into protein. Our maritime geography explains the burgeoning New Zealand fishing industry interests, and our terrain accounts for the New Zealand forestry economy and supplies the potential for alternative energy technologies. Such endowments bestowed by geography must not obviously be endangered by heedless pursuit of ever-greater production volumes whose effect may threaten the reputation, carefully cultivated by successive New Zealand governments, for 'clean green' behaviour and output. Present targets for doubling the value of annual New Zealand farm exports from $32 billion to $64 billion and lifting trade performance to 40 per cent of New Zealand's GDP (it is currently around 27 per cent) are truly immense.

In spite of geography it now seems a paradox that New Zealand's safety and well-being over the first two-thirds of the 20th century depended on the markets of, and on protection by, distant Atlantic states. That was a legacy of the colonial foundation period of New Zealand's modern existence reinforced by our experience of two savage world wars caused by miscalculations and ineptitude on the part of those Atlantic states. New Zealand was swept up into distant global conflicts that had direct influence upon this country's sense of 20th century identity. Over the final third of the 20th century, however, as Europe sought greater political and economic integration and, alongside North America, embraced economic policies of pernicious agricultural protectionism, New Zealand trade dependency was rudely and rapidly splintered. Over a comparatively brief period of time and with strenuous effort by both entrepreneurs and government negotiators, New Zealand transformed predominant reliance upon a handful of distant markets around the Atlantic into a genuine global...