Winston Peters, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, has announced that the country would seek to strengthen engagement with the United States on strategic and security challenges while also looking to unlock potential in their economic relationship.
Addressing the United States Business Summit in Auckland, Peters emphasized the crucial role that New Zealand, as a small democracy with deep regional relationships, can play in promoting shared values and economic opportunities.
The speech marked Peters’ first as foreign minister under the recently elected centre-right government in New Zealand. New Zealand’s new prime minister, Christopher Luxon, has described the country’s foreign policy as bipartisan. No significant policy shift is expected under the new government.
“We know moving with the speed and intensity required to meet current challenges is going to require all of us to step up. New Zealand stands ready to play its part,” Peters declared. He said this could be done by being deliberate and attentive to New Zealand’s contribution to international and regional security challenges.
Peters said he would like to see the two countries working together to maximize the value and not just volume of their bilateral trade, fostering business-to-business connections and working to strengthen supply chains.
Prime Minister Luxon, who also spoke at the event, expressed his desire for New Zealand to be more externally oriented. “I don’t think we’ve been engaging out there in the world in the way that we should and that we can and that we have maybe in our past,” Luxon stated, emphasizing the need for increased global engagement.
