In Pursuit of Regionalism: New Zealand's Foreign Policy under Mr Kirk

Abstract

As a small, developed but geographically isolated state, New Zealand's foreign policy options are necessarily limited. For many years New Zealand has followed the broad policies of Britain and the United States. In the recent past, the former Eurocentricity of its foreign policy has been replaced by a self-conscious, moral appraisal of New Zealand's foreign policy options given its geopolitical position and policies consequent upon this. The late Prime Minister, Mr Kirk, emphasized the regional orientation and aspirations of New Zealand's foreign policies in the South Pacific community. A clearly independent foreign policy is seen as a necessary condition of regional, functional co operation and the emergence of regional solidarity in the South Pacific. New Zealand's reliance on external trade, its own economic weakness, and its dependence on a US military guarantee affect its capacity to become the region's primus inter pares.