National Office and branch activities.

• Position: INSTITUTE NOTES - New Zealand Institute of International Affairs

On 28 November a buffet lunch and discussion was held with Deborah Bronnert CMG, director-general of economic and global affairs in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on 'Global Britain in a Post-Brexit World'.

On 11 December, in association with United Nations Association of New Zealand, the NZIIA celebrated the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with a one-day symposium, '70 Years of Universal Human Rights: Past, Present and Future'. The speakers were Dr Malcolm McKinnon, Dr Karanina Sumeo, Ann-Marie Brook, Dr Mere Skerret and Dr Negar Partow.

On 29 January Prof Richard G. Whitman, professor of politics and international relations in the University of Kent's School of Politics and International Relations and a visiting fellow at Chatham House, addressed a meeting on 'Brexit: Where Next for the United Kingdom, What Next for New Zealand'. He gave the same presentation in Auckland two days later.

Auckland

The following meetings were held:

24 Oct Georgina Roberts (director for Pacific Connections, MFAT Auckland), 'Pacific Reset: He aha ai?--A Refreshed Strategic Approach to New Zealand's Engagement in the Pacific, What Does This Mean in Practice?'

8 Nov Hon Daniel B. Maffei (former US Democratic Party congressman), 'American Politics on the Front Line and a First Take on the Mid-term Results'. 26 Nov HE Peter Ryan (Ireland's ambassador in New Zealand), 'A View of the World from Dublin'.

Christchurch

The following meetings were held:

11 Dec Zia Mian (a physicist and co-director of Princeton University's Program on Science and Global Security, part of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs), 'The Crisis of Nuclear Arms Control and Non-proliferation: Nuclear Weapons and the 21st Century'.

1 Feb Richard G. Whitman, 'Brexit: Where Next for the United Kingdom?'

Hawke's Bay

The following meetings were held:

6 Nov Prof Robert Ayson (Victoria University of Wellington), 'Caught Between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping: Foreign Policy Challenges for Jacinda Ardern. 19 Feb Stephen...