Speeches and Articles
Chairman’s report to the 2008 AGM
13 November 2008
I am pleased to report this report on the Council’s activities for the 2007-08 year. This is my fifth report as Chairman of the Council.
In Memoriam
Council members were deeply saddened at the passing of our colleague and friend, Philip Lewin, in August. Phil had served on our Board for many years and had made a strong contribution to the success of the Council. Our deepest sympathy is extended to Carolyn and their children.The Council also mourned the passing in June of Ambassador Anne Clark Martindell, former US Ambassador to New Zealand, and the founder of the US NZ Council. At age 92 Ambassador Martindell participated in the US NZ Partnership Forum in Auckland last September. The Executive Director represented the Council at a memorial service in Princeton.
Trans Pac launched
In September US Trade Representative Susan Schwab announced that the US would negotiate with New Zealand, Singapore, Chile and Brunei to join the Trans Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (Trans Pac) This announcement followed the Administration’s decision in February to join Trans Pac’s negotiations on financial services and investment. This singular achievement is a vindication of the work of the Council since its inception in 2001 and the culmination of an extensive effort over the last three years in particular to re-build the relationship with the United States and to prepare the ground for the commencement of negotiations. I thank all those partners of the Council who have continued to place their trust in us and to support our activities both financially and personally. I extend the Council’s congratulations to the Government and to the Opposition who have worked together in bipartisan fashion to realise this important objective for our economy. I am also grateful to those friends and supporters in the US including members of the Friends of New Zealand Congressional Caucus, the US NZ Council, the US Chamber, the National Association of Manufacturers and others who have come out in support of Trans Pac.
As our Executive Director said in a recent opinion piece, the commencement of negotiations with the United States marks not the beginning of the end but the end of the beginning. We have more work to do to promote and support the negotiations both in the United States and here in New Zealand and to continue to develop the broader relationship. Earlier this year the Board adopted a strategy to assist us to move towards the early commencement of negotiations and their timely conclusion. We entitled the strategy “The Time is Now” and have circulated a strategy document to all partners. A copy is also posted on our website. Implementation of this strategy will be a major focus for the Council over the next two years. A Co-ordinating Group comprising key officials and Council partners has been established to overview this effort. Two briefings for Council partners have already been held for Council partners with MFAT’s Chief Negotiator David Walker who is to be replaced by Mark Sinclair.
Third Partnership Forum planned
The highly successful second US NZ Partnership Forum, held in Auckland 9, 10 and 11 September, at the Hilton hotel, was undoubtedly the highlight in 2007. The Forum concluded that security issues should figure more prominently in the next event – this alone shows the distance we have come with the US since the first Forum in 2006. There is also a desire to involve a younger generation of participants. With our counterpart organization the US NZ Council we will be working to reflect these elements, as well as the progress being made on the trade front, in the third Partnership Forum which will be held in Washington DC 6-8 October 2009. I am delighted that the Council’s President John Mullen will once again be with us at this year’s AGM to tell us about the initial planning. We owe John an enormous debt of gratitude for his leadership of the US NZ Council and for the effort he and his members will be making to welcome us to Washington.
The 2009 Partnership Forum takes on special significance in that it will be our first opportunity, as NZ Inc, to engage with the new political establishment in Washington. We will need to assemble the strongest possible team to travel to the States and to paint a compelling picture of how the relationship contributes to American values and interests. We congratulate President-elect Barack Obama on his historic election and look forward to engaging with members of his Administration as well as with the newly elected Congress.
Secretary of State visits
In July the Council was honoured to host a reception on the occasion of the visit to New Zealand of the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. This was the only public event attended by the Secretary and that the Council should have been invited by the Government to host in this way indicates the extent to which we have become the lead organization for developing the US NZ relationship. The event held at Auckland Museum was attended by around 200 business leaders, other friends and supporters of the Council and press. Secretary Rice was generous in her remarks about the relationship and the importance attached to it by the Administration. Her reference earlier in the day to New Zealand as “a friend and ally” also underlined that the relationship has entered into a new phase.
Engagement deepened
Visits to the US by Council office-holders help us to engage with key allies in the American business community and support the activities of the US NZ Council and the New Zealand Embassy. The Council’s Associate Director visited Washington in May to attend the US NZ Council’s AGM. The Executive Director visited Washington in September to attend the dinner honouring Ambassador Chris Hill who received a Torchbearer Award. These visits were made possible by the support of Air New Zealand and United Airlines whom we thank for their continuing generous assistance. I myself was in Washington in June to attend the celebrations of Fulbright NZ’s 60th anniversary.
Council operations enhanced
Earlier this year the Board adopted a new strategic plan to guide the Council’s affairs over the next three years. The Board continued to meet four times a year and I am grateful to my colleagues for their support. During the year we farewelled Simon Tucker and welcomed back Phil Turner as Fonterra’s representative. Long-time member Mark Jeffries moved on from Meat & Wool New Zealand and was replaced by Scott Champion. This coming year will see further changes: Jonathan Kings replaces Peter Lennox at NZTE and David Taylor replaces Carl Worker as MFAT’s representative. We extend our warm congratulations to Carl on his appointment as New Zealand Ambassador to China. We continue to value the involvement of all members of our Advisory Board. We thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for its continuing funding and the NZ Embassy in Washington for its valuable assistance.
This year the Board agreed to increase the level of partnership fees. It has been pleasing that this has not deterred the large majority of partners renewing their association with us. The Council continues to operate as a virtual organization with minimal infrastructure and overheads. Our executive, Stephen Jacobi and Gabrielle Rush, are retained on a consultancy basis and we are fortunate to able to benefit from their expert advice and guidance. A high level of public advocacy of the relationship has been maintained through regular press articles and speeches and through our informative website (http://www.nzuscouncil.com//
Thanks to Ambassador McCormick
Our good friend Ambassador Bill McCormick leaves Wellington at the end of the year at the conclusion of his posting. We will have the opportunity together with Am Cham to farewell the Ambassador at a dinner later this month. He leaves with our grateful thanks for all he has achieved during his time here. We appreciate also the close co-operation we have received from both the US Embassy and US Consulate-General in Auckland this past year.
I believe that as we move forward the Council enjoys significant credibility on account of our past achievements, our strong communications platform, our wide support in the business community and the close relationships with officials and allies in both countries as well as the deliberate and professional way we implement our strategy. This will serve us well as we engage with new political leadership in both countries and work towards bringing the Trans Pac negotiation to a successful conclusion.
