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Report
(Please click here for the PDF file of this report.)The United States-New
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We
are both “western nations” on the |
Summary
Rt. Hon. Jim Bolger
Hon. Clayton Yeutter
Distinguished
delegations from
In
addition to the Co-Chairs for New Zealand, both former Prime Ministers, the NZ
delegation included two Cabinet Ministers, three opposition MPs, including the
Leader of the Opposition, heads of government departments and agencies, and
many CEOs, Presidents, Chairs, and Board Members of NZ companies, trade
associations, and other entities. Led
by former Agriculture Secretary and US Trade Representative Clayton Yeutter
and former Senator George Mitchell, a bipartisan group of US participants
included two Under Secretaries, present and former Assistant Secretaries of
State for Asia and the Pacific, former members of Congress and US Ambassadors,
high level corporate executives, senior partners from law firms, heads of
trade associations and think tanks, and academics with high-level government
experience. Each country’s
ambassador to the other participated throughout.
Full lists of the
Discussion,
not speeches, was the essence of the Forum, which was conducted under the
Chatham House Rule, and therefore essentially off the record.
The purpose of the Forum was to engage
Without
exception, the participants considered the Forum a great success.
Evaluations
from participants, sponsors, and both governments have been highly favorable.
Press in
Venues, Agenda, Format and Speakers
A
reception sponsored by Van Scoyoc Associates at their offices at
Mike Moore makes a point at reception.
Delegates enjoy a drink and a view of the Capitol.
Discussion
sessions were held all day on Friday April 21 and on Saturday morning April
22. The venue for the sessions was
the historic Cosmos Club on
Session at Cosmos Club
Session at Cosmos Club
Michael
Jordan, CEO of EDS
Ross Wilson, David Skilling, Martyn Dunne, Nick Main, Stephen Jacobi,
John Ascroft
Assistant
Secretary of State for
Asst. Secretary Chris Hill addresses Friday luncheon.
Jack
Valenti, whose ties to
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Jack Valenti at National
Women’s Museum mentioned
above and Co-Chairs Clayton Yeutter, Jim Bolger, and Mike Moore who made
regular thoughtful interventions and led the discussions, these included
the following: ·
John Mullen, President, US-NZ Council ·
Mike Green, Senior Advisor & Japan Chair at CSIS, Associate Professor of International
Relations at |
In
addition to introductory remarks at each of the sessions, longer
presentations were made by Under Secretary of Commerce Frank Lavin, NZ
Minister of Trade and Minister of Defense Phil Goff, Under Secretary of
State Paula Dobriansky, and NZ Opposition Leader Don Brash.
While all participants were “equals” throughout
the Forum, a number were called upon during the sessions to make
introductory remarks as chairs or session leaders, or to introduce or
thank speakers. In addition
to the speakers
John Mullen, Mike Green, Frank Lavin, Paula
Dobriansky |
· David Skilling, Chief Executive, New Zealand Institute
·
Michael Jordan, Chairman of the
Board and CEO of EDS
·
John Palmer, Chairman, Air
·
Paul Cleveland, Chairman of the
US-NZ Council, former U.S. Ambassador to
·
David Cunliffe, NZ Minister of Immigration, Minister of Communications
and Information Technology
·
Graeme Harrison, Chairman, Anzco Foods
·
Martyn Dunne, NZ Comptroller of Customs
·
Keith Thomson, Assistant
Commissioner, Office of International Affairs,
·
Cal Dooley, President and CEO of the Food Products Association, former
member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-CA)
·
John Allen, Chief Executive, NZ Post
·
Jennifer Dunn, Senior Advisor, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, former
member of the U.S. House of Representatives (R-WA)
·
Michael Barnett, Chief Executive,
·
Fred Bergsten, Director of the
Institute for International Economics
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US Chamber President
& CEO at Saturday breakfast.
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·
Gary Hawke, Professor, ·
Don Elder, Chief Executive, Solid Energy ·
Mike Eckhart, President of
the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) ·
Stephen Jacobi, Executive Director, NZ ·
Roy Ferguson, NZ Ambassador to the ·
Bill |
The Forum agenda can be found in Annex C.
Arrangements for the special events such as the
reception, dinner and luncheons, for transportation, registration, printing,
signage, catering and other administration were by INTELLevents of McLean,
Virginia and coordinated by Council Director of Operations Jeremy Quinn.
Letters and emails received by the Council from participants commenting on
both the substance and conduct of the Forum used congratulatory words such as
“terrific event”; “outstanding”; “excellent . . . thought provoking,
excellent platform on which to build.”; “a clear success”; and
“brilliant manner” in which the event came off.
Minister David Cunliffe, John Mullen, Sen. George Mitchell, Rt. Hon. Jim
Bolger,
at closing luncheon at NZ Embassy
Outcomes, Evaluations,
Commentary
There was a strong consensus among
Participants that the Forum was valuable to the relationship, exceeded
expectations, and should be repeated. Planning
already has been initiated for the second Forum, in
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Excepts from AMCHAM ( “Forum
Co-Chair and NZ US Council Chairman Jim Bolger said the “President
of the US-NZ Council John Mullen emphasized the scope and richness of
the frank exchanges at the Forum. . . .
‘This Forum was a unique opportunity to understand and learn
from one another and the distinguished participants achieved that
superbly.’ “NZ
US Council Executive Director Stephen Jacobi said the discussion had
been robust and positive. ‘The most pleasing outcome is the commitment
to meet in “TLN
Chair Philip Lewin reports ‘While there is no sudden breakthrough to
report on the commercial front, I and my New Zealand colleagues came
away with a real sense that our longstanding quest for a free trade
agreement with the United States had been given renewed vitality as a
result of this meeting’. |
Amb. Anne Martindell welcomes delegations at
reception.
View from roof at |
By Fran O’Sullivan
“The new Partnership Forum will over time help to overcome differences in the way of a deal with the US. I can’t say anything about the detailed discussions at the partnership forum I attended as a founding director of the NZ US Council. The forum was held under the Chatham House rule.
“But my take is that it was an overwhelming positive and can only
help to create renewed understanding which will ultimately benefit
“Participant
John Palmer, the chairman of Air
Statement
by Co-Chair Clayton Yeutter:
"The Forum was a superb
public/private sector bilateral event - the best I've seen in years. It
was marked by lots of candor, which in itself is healthy, and loads of genuine
respect on both sides. It was almost like a 'family council,' in a
family where siblings occasionally scrap with each other, but with palpable
underlying affection.
"Accolades are particularly due
the
"The Forum by no means
guarantees that there will be a U.S.-New Zealand FTA negotiation anytime soon.
But the case for an FTA could not have been made any more persuasively than
was done by the N.Z. participants. Not only did
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Dom
Post Op Ed April 2006 (excerpt) The
Charles
Finny, CEO,
“As a participant in the Forum, and long term champion of the
relationship, I have come away with the firm view that our second most
important relationship (after that with |
George
Hickton, Michael Barnett, Charles Finny, Murray McCully, and Simon
Leeming (back) |
“While it
is not possible to describe what actually happened during the forum (because
of the Chatham House rule) I did have the opportunity to stay in
“How did
this Forum achieve this positive outcome?
By allowing a free and frank airing of views, and by forcing a room
full of influential Americans to do nothing else than think about the
relationship with
“For the
“The Forum in
Weekly Report from
“Last
week’s two-day US/New Zealand Business Forum in
“On the US side, the presence of senior business and political
figures made it clear that New Zealand is not without friends in that part of
the world. . . .
“The investment of effort in last week’s forum was well worthwhile.
The environment for progress was improved.”
Air NZ Chairman John Palmer
introduces session.
Opposition
Leader Don Brash addresses Forum.
“When
I was a young man,
Hon. Don Brash “NZ, the
Related
Commentary on US-NZ Relationship
Neither negotiation on a US-NZ free trade agreement
nor military cooperation/NZ’s nuclear policy was specifically on the Forum
agenda. However, the Forum came on the heels of two significant letters that
dealt with these themes, one from Senators John McCain and John Sununu to the
President, another from the Co-Chairs of the Friends of New Zealand
Congressional Caucus in the House, Jim Kolbe and Ellen Tauscher letter to US
Trade Representative Rob Portman. Then,
on the Monday following the Forum, an Op Ed article by former Deputy Secretary
of State Richard Armitage and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for
Asia and the Pacific Randy Shriver appeared in the Asia edition of the Wall
Street Journal touching on both subjects at length.
Nick
At the Forum itself, NZ Trade and Defense Minister
Phil Goff also touched on both subjects in a speech he released to the press
following the day of its delivery (which was consistent with Forum rules).
Coupled with frank exchanges during the Forum between senior US and NZ
officials, positive recent remarks of Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill
at the Friday lunch and elsewhere, such as to NZ TVOne during the Forum,
comments on meetings between Minister Goff and US cabinet-level officials, and
bipartisan calls on both sides at and since the Forum to renew and broaden the
relationship, give new momentum to private and public sector discussion on
these important topics.
Excerpts from McCain/Sununu letter to President Bush
of March 6, 2006
“We are writing to encourage you to launch free trade negotiations
with
“After our recent visit to
“Free trade with
“But the reasons to move forward with an FTA go beyond the economic
benefits.
“It is no secret that the
Excerpts
from Kolbe/Tauscher letter to Rob
Portman of March 22, 2006
“As co-chairs of the Friends
of New Zealand Congressional Caucus, we are writing to express our continued
interest in deepening
“Today, the
“We understand that one of
the principal issues holding up free trade negotiations is
“It is important to also note
that
“Now that the Australia FTA
has successfully been implemented, we believe that we are overdue in launching
negotiations with
Gail
McCormick, Paul & Joan Cleveland, Amb. Bill
Excerpts from Armitage/Schriver Op Ed in the April
24, 2006
“Fighting for freedom and promoting free trade is no
small task, but
“
“At the moment, military relations between the two
countries are lagging as a result of this quarter century-old dispute. Due to
“We feel this no longer best serves American interests.
The
“The problem is not just security, however. Bilateral
trade also remains constrained by the 1986 decision.
“This is another example of wasted potential. We
participated in a partnership forum between business, government and academic
leaders from the two countries in
“A properly structured FTA would benefit both economies.
Excerpts
from Minister Phil Goff’s speech
to open the Forum in the Session on “Different Paths to Common Values”
“At
the most fundamental level, we both have an overriding commitment to
democracy, the rule of law, human rights and freedoms. We are both old
democracies, and members of a relatively small group of countries that over
the last century have been consistent in the advocacy and practice of these
principles.
“Drawing
on pioneering origins, we value pragmatism, common sense and getting things
done. Our populations are diverse, dynamic and relatively youthful, fuelled by
rapid inward migration. We believe in equal opportunity and advancement
according to merit, fostered by market-friendly, open, transparent and
well-governed economies.
“We also
share a strong commitment to building and maintaining global peace and
prosperity. Our work together in pursuit of these common goals is not new.
“In the international security arena,
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"One
of the realities of the 21st Century is the threat posed to all states
by terrorism. Since September 2001,
“Our two countries share objectives in promoting international
prosperity as well as security.
We work very closely together in a multitude of regional
and international fora including the WTO and APEC, promoting trade and
economic liberalisation and enhancement of the multilateral trading
system. |
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“
“
“Rather we should look at how we can add new value to our
relationship in a way that meets both of our needs in the post 9/11 world. . .
.
“Since
9/11 our cooperation across a range of security policy, non-proliferation,
customs, police and intelligence sharing areas has increased. These are not
areas we often talk about publicly for obvious reasons, but they are very
important. They are areas where
“
“Turning
to our own trade and economic relationship, the
“The arguments for an FTA are strong. A bilateral FTA would be in the
economic interests of both of us and would be relatively straightforward to
negotiate. It makes sense for two countries which work together so closely for
international trade liberalisation to remove the barriers to trade between
each other. The negotiation of a high quality, comprehensive FTA could have a
positive effect with other trading partners. . . .
“. . .
this opening session poses the theme of different paths to common values.
Different histories, location, size and experience clearly produce different
outlooks and create different responsibilities. But a shared western heritage
. . . has also produced a like-mindedness that draws our countries together.
“We also have a common interest in a world that is stable,
secure, peaceful and prosperous. It makes sense for us to work together in
pursuit of these objectives, but that does not require the suppression of
differences of viewpoints on specific issues. We are, after all, both
countries committed to pluralism.
“I welcome the opportunity for dialogue this Forum provides . . .
.”
Under
Secretary of Commerce Frank Lavin also spoke, as Phil Goff’s counterpart at
the opening Forum session entitled “Different Paths to Common Values:
Western Nations, Pacific Rim, 21st Century.” Secretary Lavin discussed commonalities but did not address policy
disagreements. Rather he discussed
the nature of a “relationship” between two nations, one that goes beyond
common values, histories, and friendship. Mr. Lavin also released his remarks, excerpts of which follow:
Under
Secretary Frank Lavin’s speech in Session on “Different Paths to Common
Values”
“In
the first instance, anyone who examines U.S.-New Zealand prospects ought to
take a very positive view. Our countries are remarkably close friends for
being so far apart in distance. We both share a similar “can do” spirit of
optimism and endless possibility that stems from our pioneer roots. . . .
“The
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Frank Lavin addresses opening session of the Forum |
“On trade issues, we are
grateful for |
“These
figures are consistent with a shifting pattern in
“It
strikes me that there are two fundamental errors that nations need to avoid in
good relationships, two ends of the spectrum. The first error is one of “automaticity”.
This involves a set of across-the-board, automatic obligations which one
nation expects of the other. The error in this is that it carries more of a
sense of ownership than a true, mutually beneficial relationship that would
leave scope for independent decision making.
“The
other fundamental error is the opposite of automaticity; it is open
architecture. It views all interactions between countries as a la carte. This
open architecture allows each country to undertake interactions purely at its
pleasure, with no sense of obligation to the other party. In other words,
interactions are simply an aggregate of one-off decisions. It is a happy
coincidence when we cooperate but no inference should be drawn from it. . . .
“Somewhere
between the two extremes lies a healthy relationship where there is a good
degree of mutuality, predictability and integration. There is an understanding
of costs and benefits of this relationship and each country understands that
every single interaction does not have to redound to its immediate benefit as
long as the relationship in general is beneficial.
“Finally,
there should be architecture or mechanisms that formalize all of this. We were
there once before. We need to find a new equilibrium point on that spectrum.
We’re here today because we are hopeful that a relationship between the
Amb. Roy Ferguson, R. Hon Jim Bolger
Participants listen to welcomes at reception.
Next
Steps
Jim
Bolger welcomed Forum participants with a quote from the first President Bush,
who said he saw history “as a book with many pages – and each day we fill
a page with acts of hopefulness and meaning.” Mr. Bolger continued, “I believe that our meeting today takes place
with a sense of history in the making. We
have come together to write another page in the history of the relationship
between our two countries. I have
no doubt that we can do so with ‘hopefulness and meaning’ if we really put
our minds to it.” Clearly both
delegations left believing they had.
The
two councils already have begun discussing plans for the 2007 Partnership
Forum. The second Forum will be in
John Mullen, Ed Farrell, Stu van Scoyoc.
Mike Moore, Gwen Mullen, Gary Hawke
It is anticipated that many in the visiting American
delegation will want to combine their trip to New Zealand with a tour of the
country and planning will include providing options in that regard. Planners also will look at other gatherings in the region in the target
timeframe both to avoid conflict and to see if combining meetings will
facilitate public and private sector participation at the Forum.
Fred
Benson makes a point at lunch.
John Mullen, Gail McCormick, Linda Dooley, Cal Dooley
The
two councils are deeply grateful to the distinguished Co-Chairs Bolger,
Mitchell, Moore, and Yeutter, to council members who contributed to building
the delegations and preparing the events, and to the 13 corporate sponsors,
without whom the Forum would not have taken place.
Annex A
Partnership Forum Sponsors
Platinum
Gold
Silver
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Annex
B
United States–New
US Attendee List
1.
Hon. Clayton
Yeutter, Senior Advisor Hogan & Hartson, former Secretary of Agriculture and
U.S. Trade Representative
2.
Hon. George Mitchell, Partner DLA
Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, Board Chairman, Walt Disney Company, Board of
Directors, Staples, Inc., Chancellor, The Queen’s
