VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWL #0626/01 2251916
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 131916Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3138
INFO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA IMMEDIATE 4507

UNCLAS WELLINGTON 000626 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/FO, EAP/ANP, EAP/RSP, AND EAP/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV OTRA NZ
SUBJECT: MESSAGE FOR EAP DAS DAVIES FROM AMBASSADOR 
MCCORMICK: YOUR AUGUST 17-19 VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Kia ora!  New Zealand officials are very 
enthusiastic about your upcoming visit, which they see as the 
latest sign of our improving bilateral communication and 
cooperation.  The officials plan to update you on New 
Zealand's activities in the Pacific and beyond.  They also 
wish to continue the dialogue begun by US and NZ officials 
during last month's informal talks in Brussels on ways to 
pursue greater bilateral cooperation in security, law 
enforcement, and other areas of mutual interest.  A copy of 
your draft schedule has been provided via e-mail.  The 
following is a thumbnail sketch of what to expect: 
 
-------------------------------- 
SCHEDULED MEETINGS IN WELLINGTON 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) All your meetings with GNZ officials will take 
place on August 18.  Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
(MFAT) officials have scheduled two roundtables.  The first, 
which will be chaired by Deputy Secretary (U/S equivalent) 
Alan Williams, will cover Pacific Issues.  It will include 
presentations by MFAT staff. Representatives from the 
Ministry of Defence (MoD) may also participate, although MFAT 
plans the focus to be on NZ's diplomatic -- rather than 
military -- activities in the region.  (FYI: Ten of New 
Zealand's 48 diplomatic missions are in Polynesia and 
Melanesia: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Niue, 
Papua New Guinea, Solomons, Tonga, and Vanuatu.)  MFAT would 
like the discussions to cover regional topics, including the 
Post Forum Dialogue and governance and development problems. 
They also hope to exchange views on strategic issues, such as 
the influence of third countries on the region.  Finally, 
MFAT would like to review the state of play in individual 
countries, notably the Solomons, Timor, Tonga, and Fiji.  New 
Zealand continues its peacekeeping role in the Solomons and 
Timor, although the emphasis in both is shifting from 
military to law enforcement operations. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) You will next have a meeting with Simon Murdoch, 
who as CEO of MFAT is the Ministry's senior ranking career 
official.  Murdoch, a former High Commissioner to Australia 
who has also served as Political Counselor in Washington, has 
long favored a closer GNZ-USG working relationship.  Murdoch 
would like to discuss with you overall US/NZ relations and 
exchange ideas on how to move things forward. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Murdoch will also host a working lunch for you 
intended to further the Bangkok meeting agenda.  It will 
include representatives from MFAT, NZ Agency for Development 
(NZAID), MoD, NZ Defence Force, and others.  GNZ would like 
to explore possible concrete areas for cooperation as 
suggested by the draft Aide Memoire produced out of the 
Bangkok meeting. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The second MFAT roundtable will end your day of 
meetings.  It will be chaired by acting MFAT Deputy Secretary 
Dell Higgie, who is also New Zealand's Ambassador for 
Counter-terrorism.  It will include staff from MFAT, MoD, and 
possibly NZ Police and Maritime NZ.  MFAT plans for the 
discussion to focus on bilateral and multilateral issues of 
US/NZ mutual interest, such as PSI,  CT/global security, 
regional security issues, and events surrounding the 
International Polar Year and 50th Anniversary of US and New 
Zealand Antarctic cooperation not covered at the lunch. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Foreign Minister Winston Peters has said he would 
also like to meet with you during your visit.  As of August 
11, it remains uncertain whether his schedule will permit 
this.  Peters remains very keen on strengthening bilateral 
ties, and was very satisfied with his recent meetings in 
Washington. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) We have also scheduled two media events during your 
visit. The first will be an informal dinner with NZ 
journalists from print and electronic media, which will take 
place on the evening of August 17 after your meetings with 
Embassy staff.  The dinner is strictly on background, and 
journalists have been told that you are as interested in 
hearing about their perspectives on the US-NZ relationship as 
you are in discussing USG views and policies.  On the morning 
of August 19 you are to appear via live feed on Agenda TV, an 
Auckland program favored by Wellington policy wonks that is 
somewhat similar to our "Meet the Press."  We have said you 
will focus on regional issues, but expect that up to half the 
questions you get will be about the bilateral relationship. 
(NB: A meeting with Minister Peters might also include a 
media component.) 
 
-------- 
AUCKLAND 
 
-------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) You are slated to have lunch in Auckland with 
representatives from business and academia with an interest 
in the bilateral relationship.  To date, participants include 
Stephen Jacobi, a former NZ diplomat who is a member of the 
US-NZ Council Board and key driver of the US-NZ Partnership 
Forum; Mike Hearn, AmCham President (and a Kiwi); and 
Auckland University Professor Steve Hoadley. 
 
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CONCLUSION 
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¶9.  (U) We warmly welcome your visit!  Please let us know if 
there is anything else we can do for you before you arrive or 
changes you would like made to your schedule. 
McCormick