Institute notes: the National Office and branch activities.

• Position: Speech from Foreign Minister of Chile, Dr Ignacio Walker

On 20 December 2005 the Foreign Minister of Chile, Dr Ignacio Walker, spoke in Wellington to an NZIIA audience of 70 people on 'Chile-New Zealand Relations'.

The National Office organised a seminar on 'Major Foreign Policy Issues Over the Next Five Years' at Victoria University of Wellington on 21 and 22 February 2006. Rt Hon Winston Peters, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, opened proceedings on the first day. He was followed by a series of speakers on various aspects of New Zealand's international relations: Colin James ('New Zealand and Australia'), John Austin ('New Zealand and Asia'), and Professor Robert Patman ('New Zealand and the United States'). Contributions by Heather Riddell, Martyn Dunne, Mary Anne Thompson and Murray Sherwin on 'Protecting the Border' brought the first day's proceedings to a close. On the 22nd, after an opening address by Minister of Trade and Defence Hon Phil Goff, Associate Professor John Henderson spoke on 'New Zealand and the Pacific', while Bill Mansfield, Ken Piddington, Peter Cozens and Morgan Williams addressed the question of 'Resource Diplomacy'. Professor Les Holborow provided a summation and overview to bring proceedings to a close.

We were saddened to learn of the death of former NZIIA Director Bryce Harland in early February. An obituary...