Labour has a proud tradition of independence, or non-alignment, in foreign affairs. Our greatest contribution to the international sphere has been led by great Labour Prime Ministers, including Peter Fraser (1940-1949), Norman Kirk (1972-1974), David Lange (1984-1989) and Helen Clark (1999-2008).
We have prided ourselves on making up our own minds about international priorities and on being responsible international citizens, playing our part as our size allows and projecting our peaceful, democratic, anti-corruption values into international relationships.
If you were only listening to the current National Party Foreign Affairs Minister (Murray McCully), you could be forgiven for thinking that foreign affairs was all about trade. He measures our success in the world by whether or not we have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), or about to embark on one, or should have one, with whatever country or region he was describing.
Labour’s view on foreign affairs is more expansive. To us, trade is certainly of critical importance, but so are peace, security, conflict resolution, disarmament, overseas development assistance, multilateralism, human rights, climate change, environmental protection and restoration, disaster relief, good governance, democratic representation, and most importantly, people to people exchanges and relationships.
Indo-Kiwi ties
Take our relationship with India, for example.
I am delighted that the current government is picking up the work laid down by the previous Labour government with respect to the pursuit of a FTA.
But our relationship is much more than that.
We have long shared in common with India, English language, love of cricket and profound respect for the work and achievements of Sir Edmund Hillary.
But back in the 1980s, Mr Lange knew that we had to develop a broader and deeper relationship and reinstated our High Commission in Delhi, which had been left to wither. It was his love for India, not his wish that we make lots of money out of Indian markets, which made him focus on our relationship in the way he did.
Educational exchanges, scholarships and opportunities for people-to-people engagement produced enduring relationships, which stand us in good stead even today. Ms Clark pushed the relationship further into the areas of creative industries, especially film, and IT.
Understanding other cultures, knowing how things work in other countries and establishing long-term relationships, which are both personal and structural are essential if we are to solve global problems.
Our relationship with India should certainly cover trade and should usefully include the wisdom and experience of Indian business people in New Zealand in the process. But it should also encompass security and defence cooperation, solutions to climate change problems, establishing and maintaining peace in the wider Asia-Pacific region, developing new technologies and moving towards a nuclear weapons free world.
Maryan Street is Member of Parliament on Labour’s List and the Party’s Foreign Affairs and Trade Spokesperson. The above article is exclusive to Indian Newslink © For details of the Party’s Foreign Affairs policy, visit
www.ownourfuture.co.nz/foreign-affairs.
