Cousins, Not Big Brother

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Deputy Secretary Alan Williams says New Zealand's policies towards the Pacific region are underpinned by the fact that "New Zealand is itself a Pacific Island country and at the broadest level we are the southernmost point of the Polynesian migration trail."

One in 16 New Zealanders are of Pacific Islands origin and Auckland has the largest number of Polynesian peoples of any city in the world, a community that Williams says, "gives New Zealand a much greater depth and vibrancy." It reverberates in the islands themselves.

During this year's Tongan civil service strike, much of the loudest and most radical support came from New Zealand Tongans. At that time, New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff told the community, "What New Zealand can do is be a good friend, neighbor and member of the Pacific community, and work alongside you to assist and facilitate the parties, and providing a solution where that is asked for and welcomed by both sides."

More than $100 million of the $245 million budget of the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID) is dedicated to assistance within the Pacific. However, a New Zealand organization, the Center for International Development says the country can do better. Executive Director Rae Julian says in the most recent budget, the government announced it would spend 0.27 percent of the national income on overseas development aid in 2005-06, rising to 0.8 percent in 2008.

"This is a long way short of the 0.7 percent target that developed countries, including New Zealand, will need to contribute by 2015 in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals."

There are 15 New Zealand government agencies working in the Pacific- in the areas of diplomacy, aid, fisheries management, customs cooperation, police, aviation safety and maritime security, and the law and judiciary among others.

Williams says the warm trans-Tasman relationship of Australia and New Zealand means there is "very close policy consultation across a whole range of international issues at all levels," but that similarly, "barely a week would go by when members of the Pacific Islands Forum don't meet. It's almost like trying to describe the frequency of traffic on a very busy highway."

"In straight economic terms, the Pacific Islands region matters to New Zealand," says Williams. New Zealand's merchandise trade for the year ending June 2005 was worth NZ$1,019 million (US$759 million) in exports to Pacific Islands countries, and just NZ$82.19 million (US$57.16 million) in imports from those same nations.

A train trip between Auckland city's Britomart transport hub and Manukau city, Auckland's Polynesian heart, takes you past a waterfront warehouse displaying the legend "Sending NZ exports to the world." That's just half of a possible slogan for the New Zealand Pacific Business Council, the other half being "sending Pacific Island exports to New Zealand."

The council is only a few months old, and was established says business analyst Mike Flanagan, because "we saw a place for an organization that is evenhanded in this (promoting trade between NZ and the Pacific).

"We tend to say our preference is for trade rather than aid, and that islands move towards being self sufficient."

"New Zealand has the ability to see Pacific and European ways and attitudes, amalgamating friendliness with a business sense," says Flanagan.

Council Executive Officer Richard Maugueret adds, "We're a bit like a helicopter, trying to identify where the risks and opportunities are, and trying to get a positive solution on board."

Among the opportunities for expansion in trade is agriculture, fisheries and tourism.

"We used to see a lot of Pacific Island agricultural produce on New Zealand shelves," says Flanagan, "but now large multinationals are importing from elsewhere. It would be nice if we could get papayas, mangoes and bananas from the South Pacific (again)."

He thinks it is worth exploring the concept of regional agricultural associations, such as in the case of noni, so that if there is a problem (such as cyclones), supply can be pooled and drawn from elsewhere in the region.