VZCZCXRO3009
RR RUEHNZ
DE RUEHWL #0055/01 0520104
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 210104Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5076
INFO RUEHNZ/AMCONSUL AUCKLAND 1625
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 5107
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 0644
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 WELLINGTON 000055 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR STATE FOR EAP/ANP 
PACOM FOR J01E/J2/J233/J5/SJFHQ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM SOCI NZ
SUBJECT: CODEL FALEOMAVAEGA STRESSES USG SUPPORT FOR PACIFIC; STRONG 
BILATERAL TIES WITH NEW ZEALAND 
 
¶1. (U)  Summary.  Codel Faleomavaega visited New Zealand from 
January 31 to February 7.  In Auckland, the Codel met with ConGen 
staff to discuss consular issues and traveled to Whangarei for the 
Waitangi Day celebrations on February 5-6.  On February 4, the Codel 
held meetings in Wellington with Minister for Pacific Island Affairs 
Winnie Laban and Minister for Climate Change David Parker, and paid 
a courtesy call on the Ambassador.  The Ambassador welcomed the 
Codel's visit and Congressman Faleomavaega's longstanding interest 
in Pacific affairs; he urged the Congressman to promote renewed 
Congressional engagement through the Asia Pacific Parliamentary 
Forum (APPF).  The Codel also visited the Maori Language Commission 
and heard of the Commission's ongoing efforts to increase Maori 
fluency among Maori peoples as well as more broadly within New 
Zealand society.  In all of his meetings, the Codel underscored the 
warm US-NZ bilateral relationship and USG interest in East Asia, 
particularly in the Pacific Islands.  End Summary. 
 
Remote Visa Processing for Samoan Applicants 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U)  On February 1, Congressman Faleomavaega met with Consul 
General John Desrocher and Consular Chief Nick Greanias in ConGen 
Auckland offices.  The principal subject of discussion was the 
Remote NIV Adjudication Program in Independent Samoa, wherein a 
conoff from Auckland visits Apia every quarter for one week for the 
sole purpose of doing NIV interviews.  Congressman Faleomavaega, who 
had pushed hard for the institution of the program in late 2006, 
said he wanted to make sure the program was running well and 
requested a progress report.  In a wide-ranging discussion, all 
participants agreed that it was functioning as intended, saving 125 
Samoan residents every three months the expense and trouble of a 
trip to Auckland or elsewhere for an NIV interview.  Everyone also 
agreed on the need to seek out any technical improvements that 
speeded up the interviews on Apia.  For example, if local systems 
capacity increased to enable a conoff to conduct an interview in six 
minutes - still a very long time by consular standards - from the 
current 12 minutes, the capacity each week in Apia would at least 
double, thereby matching present need.  Desrocher and Greanias 
promised to keep Faleomavaega posted on any developments in this 
area.  The Congressman noted that he was getting numerous inquiries 
from constituents asking if their Tongan spouses could take 
advantage of the program.  Greanias confirmed that there is nothing 
barring Tongans in Samoa from seeking visas in Apia, but that few 
have taken advantage of remote processing so far. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  On February 7, Codel Faleomavaega met with GNZ Minister 
for Pacific Island Affairs Winnie Laban.  Congressman Faleomavaega 
noted that, in his capacity as Chairman of Asia and Pacific 
Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he is 
interested in pursuing stronger USG engagement in the region and 
greater Washington focus on the Pacific Island nations.  The 
Congressman thanked New Zealand for its cooperation with the US, 
noting that remittances and trade from New Zealand to the Pacific 
has contributed to stability.  He added that despite the modest 
population of the island countries, the region supplies over half of 
the world's tuna and seabed mineral mining may be economically 
viable in the future.  East Asia is the U.S.' largest trading 
partner and the USG military plays a key role in regional stability 
and security. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Minister Laban responded that she remains optimistic 
about the Pacific region's future and commended the positive US-NZ 
bilateral relationship.  New Zealand is a small country, but wants 
to support sustainable development among the island nations.  She 
added that the NZ Business Council will host a business exposition 
in Auckland from March 5-6 to promote the private sector of the 
Pacific Islands.  Laban pointed to two-way trade as a hallmark of 
New Zealand's approach to helping the islands strengthen their 
economies.  One-way trade will only foster continued aid dependency, 
she said.  Congressman Faleomavaega stressed the need for better 
education and improved management of fisheries; he commented that 
the leasing arrangements of some islands are not equitable.  The 
Congressman discussed prospects for aquaculture development using 
Israeli research models. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  In his meeting with Minister for Climate Change David 
Parker, Congressman Faleomavaega applauded the Clark government's 
proposed climate change policy.  Minister Parker said that the GNZ 
supported the USG position that developing countries need to 
contribute; equivalent effort is a sound principle.  He argued that 
developed countries need to discuss capital flows to the developing 
world and how best to promote clean development.  There are policies 
and cheap fixes that might be achieved through legislation and 
regulatory framework - developed countries should not have to 
 
WELLINGTON 00000055  002 OF 003 
 
 
finance everything.  Parker deplored the attitude of some attendees 
at Bali that the developed world should foot the bill for climate 
change.  For New Zealand, the country can do well on the energy 
front as New Zealand is blessed with renewable energy resources, 
continued Parker. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Congressman Faleomavaega outlined his role on the global 
environment within the House of Representatives, and informed Parker 
that he would hold hearings on vulnerable islands in the next month. 
 Tuvalu is one example of a low-lying country that could be in a 
dangerous situation as the ocean rises, and the Congressman promised 
to stay in touch with the GNZ on these issues.  Parker responded 
that such countries must pursue adaptation, look to new technologies 
such as solar energy, and rethink subsidies that damage their energy 
policies.  US companies are starting to do more with innovative 
technologies, and Parker cited one US venture capitalist fund 
financing solar technology research with mirrors vice photovoltaic 
cells.  Parker summed up by saying that the world is not short of 
energy, but people are focused on using the wrong technologies. 
Protection of natural resources, e.g., fisheries, is often sidelined 
due to corruption, the Minister added. 
 
Ambassador, Codel Discuss US-NZ Bilateral Relations 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  During a February 4 courtesy call, the Ambassador 
welcomed Faleomavaega's visit, outlined the positive areas of 
bilateral engagement with New Zealand (e.g., Afghanistan, science 
and technology, Antarctica) and briefed the Congressman on USTR's 
recent P-4 announcement.  He welcomed his interest in Maori language 
preservation in New Zealand, describing it as the "gold standard." 
Congressman Faleomavaega agreed that the nuclear issue should no 
longer detract from strengthening bilateral ties, and mentioned 
prospects for a fiber optic broadband line in Samoa.  He and the 
Ambassador discussed the need for greater fisheries protection in 
the southern Pacific, aquaculture development and issues surrounding 
canneries in the Pacific islands.  The Ambassador urged that 
Congress re-engage with the region through the Asia Pacific 
Parliamentary Forum (APPF). 
 
Maori Language: Model for Indigenous Language Promotion 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶8.  (U)  At the Maori Language Commission, Faleomavaega met with 
Huhana Rokx, Chief Executive of the Commission, who was accompanied 
by a number of staff members.  Congressman Faleomavaega explained 
his interest in developing stronger ties with the Commission due to 
identifying best practices that might be useful for Samoan language 
preservation.  The Congressman noted the growing lack of Samoan 
language knowledge among Samoan youth; there may be applications for 
Native American languages as well.  Language is the umbilical cord 
that ties people to their culture, noted the Congressman, who added 
that the Hawaiian language is making a resurgence. 
 
¶9.  (U) CEO Rokx briefed the Congressman on the Commission's 
progress in launching the publication of a Maori dictionary as the 
first step towards a more thorough research of the origins of the 
Maori language and its relationship to other Polynesian languages. 
The CEO underscored the close working relationship that the 
Commission has with the education sector, which has been key to 
language revitalization efforts.  The Commission is also stressing 
intergenerational use of language within the home, increased adult 
education, and the use of radio and television to increase home 
exposure to the Maori language.  Rokx said the Commission, 
established in 1987, remains focused on increasing Maori language 
literacy.  When 80 percent of the Maori population is involved in 
achieving some level of fluency, then the Commission's work will be 
well on its way, she noted.  One of the limiting factors at present 
is the lack of skilled Maori language instructors. 
 
Waitangi Day 
------------ 
 
¶10. (SBU)  On February 5 and 6, Codel Faleomavaega and conoff 
traveled to Waitangi, northern New Zealand, to participate in events 
surrounding Waitangi Day, New Zealand's de facto national day.  The 
Codel attended the Governor-General's receptions in Waitangi on 
February 5 and had a private dinner that night with Foreign Minister 
Winston Peters.  During the reception, Faleomavaega had pull-aside 
meetings with Prime Minister Helen Clark, opposition leader John 
Key, and Minister of (among other portfolios) Youth Namia Mahuta. 
All these meetings kept in the general spirit of emphasizing ways 
for the relationship between New Zealand and the United States to 
grow in understanding and mutual benefit.  The dinner with Peters, 
 
WELLINGTON 00000055  003 OF 003 
 
 
an old friend of the Congressman, was highly convivial.  The single 
policy message between the two principals was the shared concern 
that the United States should be better represented in Pacific 
matters; in the resulting vacuum, China and Taiwan have played a 
stronger role. 
 
¶11.  (SBU)  Codel Faleomavaega did not have the opportunity to clear 
this message. 
 
KEEGAN