Study Could Elevate US–New Zealand Relations

New Study Could Elevate US–New Zealand Relations

Center for Strategic & International Studies Announces Pacific Partners Study in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, 9 September 2010 – The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), Washington’s premier think tank on foreign policy and security studies, announced today it was undertaking a major review of the US-New Zealand bilateral relationship. The study will be making recommendations to elevate the relationship from its strong foundation.

The study is called Pacific Partners: the Future of US-New Zealand Relations and will be led by Ernest Bower, Senior Adviser & Director of Southeast Asian Studies at CSIS. It will partner with the prestigious New Zealand Institute of International Affairs in Wellington to complete the work. The study will look at five areas within the bilateral relationship: trade and investment; security cooperation; science, technology and education links; socio-cultural ties; and transnational issues (including climate change, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, nuclear non-proliferation, and global health). It will also examine the impact of regional architecture on these key areas.

The study is being funded by the US New Zealand Council in Washington, D.C. and the New Zealand US Council in Auckland. Its findings are due in early 2011 and will be used as the intellectual and research based foundation of the US NZ Partnership Forum, the premier bilateral event linking US and New Zealand leaders to set a vision for future cooperation between the two nations. The next US NZ Partnership Forum will be held in Christchurch, New Zealand from February 20-22, 2011.

The initiative was kicked off in Washington, D.C. today at an event at CSIS featuring US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Dr. Kurt Campbell and New Zealand’s new Ambassador to the United States, Mike Moore. Moore is a former Prime Minister of New Zealand and was also Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Assistant Secretary Campbell said, “It is the right time for this study. The US New Zealand relationship is important on many levels ranging from a common vision on the empowering impact of trade to the fundamental value of a safe and secure Asia – Pacific region. CSIS has a reputation for doing solid research and putting focused findings in the hands of policy makers. I am looking forward to these recommendations for taking a solid relationship to new levels.”

Ambassador Moore added, “This is an important study. It will be honest, robust and will underpin and identify those areas we need to focus on and build on. This can be a roadmap that makes a good relationship even better.”

The Pacific Partners study will be directed by a high level Board of Advisors comprised of leaders from both countries including former Prime Minister and Council Chairman Rt Hon James Bolger; former Foreign Minister and Commonwealth Secretary-General Rt Hon Don McKinnon; former Minister of Foreign Affairs and current NZIIA President Hon Russell Marshall; former Trade Minister Hon Jim Sutton; former Ambassador to the United States Dr John Wood; CSIS President John Hamre, US-NZ Council President John Mullen, Hon. Rick Larsen (D- Washington), and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. Other members are pending confirmation.

The study will be published in February 2011 in conjunction with the Partnership Forum.

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CSIS is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC. CSIS conducts research and analysis and develops policy initiatives that look into the future and anticipate change. It provides strategic insights and policy solutions to decision makers in government, international institutions, the private sector, and civil society.

NZIIA is an independent non-government organization which seeks to promote discussion and understanding of international issues that affect New Zealand. It is not a pressure group: it is a forum for discussion. It is committed to impartiality: it does not advocate specific policies. It does try to help New Zealanders understand the increasingly complex international scene, and its implications for New Zealand.

US NZ Council is an independent non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting a strong bilateral relationship between the United States and New Zealand. It is engaged in the expansion of trade, investment and commercial ties between the two countries and

NZ US Council is a non partisan organization, funded by business and the Government, and committed to fostering and developing a strong and mutually beneficial relationship between New Zealand and the United States. The Council’s supporters and sponsors include some of New Zealand's largest companies covering the primary, manufacturing, finance, travel, new technology and services sectors.

The US NZ Partnership Forum is a collaboration that brings together leaders from both governments and key stakeholders. Typically over 100 high-level delegates attend the meeting; the former USTR Ambassador Susan Schwab and former NZ Prime Minister and WTO Director Mike Moore have chaired past conferences. The Partnership Forum aims to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. It is hosted alternately between New Zealand and the United States.

ENDS

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