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Although we have tried to use plain English content on the site, you may come across specialist terms and acronyms. Find out what they mean in our glossary of terms.
If you come across a term that isn't included in the Glossary please send us an email.
The Ministry's seven geographical divisions manage New Zealand's overall bilateral relations with the countries or groupings of countries within their regions of responsibility. They monitor political, economic, trade, defence and security developments in those countries. Information provided by New Zealand's diplomatic outposts to the appropriate regional division in Wellington provides the basis for informed and accurate policy advice to the Government on bilateral relations with those countries.
Managing our relationship with the only remaining superpower, the United States of America, and our long-standing friend Canada. Exploring the exciting potential and new opportunities in Latin America.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8516 Email: amer@mft.govt.nz
Managing New Zealand's most important bilateral relationship. Australia is our largest trading partner, a key defence ally and our principal source of tourists - over one million people cross the Tasman each year.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8521 Email: aus@mft.govt.nz
Managing New Zealand's key economic relationship with the European Union, the world's most wealthy regional grouping, and the economic and political relationships with the individual states of Europe. Representing New Zealand's interests in Russia, a major power with increasing interests in the Asia-Pacific region, in other states of the former Soviet Union, and in the countries of central and eastern Europe.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8522 Email: eur@mft.govt.nz
Managing New Zealand's relations with a region spanning the Middle East - the supplier of more than half of our energy needs and a vital market for our sheepmeat and dairy products - and the whole of Africa - a focus of a revitalised Commonwealth, including the new South Africa which promises to be an important international partner.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8516 Email: mea@mft.govt.nz
Promoting New Zealand's economic interests with the key economies of North Asia, which include five of our top ten markets (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong SAR). Analysing and presenting New Zealand's views on the rich web of issues which could impact on bilateral relationships and, more broadly, regional peace and security.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8519 Email: nad@mft.govt.nz
Managing New Zealand's economic, political and security linkages with the countries of ASEAN which, beyond Australia and the South Pacific, are our nearest neighbours and important trade and investment partners. Promoting New Zealand's economic interests with India, the second most populous country in the world, and with the other countries of South Asia.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8519 Email: sea@mft.govt.nz
The South Pacific Division manages New Zealand's bilateral and multilateral relationships in the South Pacific region. The Division is involved in a wide range of issues including political and economic relations, trade relations, defence and regional security, environment and fisheries management, and disaster relief assistance.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8856 Email: pac@mft.govt.nz
The Special Relations Unit (SRU) manages the special
bilateral relationship between New Zealand and
Niue. It also manages the unique relationship between
New Zealand and one of the smallest and most vulnerable
of our Pacific friends and neighbours, Tokelau.
The Special Relations Unit incorporates the Office
of the Administrator of Tokelau. The Unit also
manages New Zealand's Overseas Development Assistance
to both Niue and Tokelau.
Facsimilie: +64 4 439 8814 Email: sru@mft.govt.nz
Eleven divisions of the Ministry have specific functional responsibilities which cut across regional regions, and manage our participation in major regional and multilateral organisations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Auckland Office aims to improve the Ministry’s connection with a broad range of Auckland constituencies. The establishment of the office in early 2005 recognised the weight of Auckland in the New Zealand economy and the need to strengthen the Ministry’s connection with business and other constituencies in Auckland.
The MFAT Auckland office organises outreach links with and specialist briefings for the business community on international trade and foreign affairs issues including progress on free trade negotiations. It helps connect Wellington divisions and individual Ministry staff with their specialist constituents in Auckland. The Auckland office also works with Auckland’s several cities, with media representatives looking to build coverage international affairs and is developing links with Auckland’s various ethnic and migrant communities. Links are also being developed with civil society and with “track two” organisations interested in encouraging an understanding and the development of New Zealand’s foreign policy. It also supports a wide range of foreign and trade policy related visits to Auckland, including international visitors, helping with the development of specialist programmes.
Phone +64 9 303 5443 Email akl@mft.govt.nz PO Box 8680 Symonds Street, Auckland.
Consular Division provides advice on the protection
of the interests and welfare of New Zealand citizens
abroad. It gives guidance and direction to overseas
posts and Honorary Consuls in the provision of
assistance to New Zealand citizens in difficulties
in foreign countries, the delivery of notarial
and other legal services, voting arrangements for
elections and referenda and services on behalf
of other government agencies. The division is also
responsible for the authentication of documents
for use overseas.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8532 Email: cons@mft.govt.nz
The Environment Division was set up to coordinate, in particular, New Zealand's input and response to the global rise of environmental concerns which resulted in and stemmed from the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, and Agenda 21, the United Nations programme of action on the environment and sustainable development.
The work of the division concentrates on the major international institutions, conventions and programmes arising from Rio, covering climate change, biodiversity, the control of hazardous chemicals and other substances, sustainable forest management and sustainable development. The division also looks after a range of other subjects, including whales, ozone depletion and non-nuclear hazardous wastes.
The division includes the Antarctic Policy Unit, responsible for formulating policies in support of New Zealand's objectives in Antarctica. These include maintaining a presence in the Ross Dependency, providing support for and participating in the Antarctic Treaty system, scientific research, and protection of the Antarctic environment and conservation of its marine resources.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8517 Email: env@mft.govt.nz
The key function of this division is to ensure that the Ministry's stakeholders, including its own divisions and overseas posts, are furnished with sufficient information and publicity resources to achieve their objectives in the fields of foreign affairs and trade.
This is achieved by maintaining the Ministry's websites, producing publications which meet statutory, general and specialised information needs, maintaining a comprehensive Information Service which gives staff access to a wide range of other published and electronic foreign affairs and trade related resources, overseeing the Ministry's relationship with the media and providing support for Ministry involvement in a variety of other public outreach activities.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8511 Email: ipd@mft.govt.nz or enquiries@mft.govt.nz
The International Security and Disarmament Division is broadly structured into three sections: counter-terrorism; peace support; and disarmament and non-proliferation. ISED develops and implements New Zealand’s policy on counter-terrorism, with a particular focus on countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism in the Asia-Pacific. We coordinate whole-of-government approaches to peace-support deployments, provide foreign policy advice on defence policy and support other divisions on international security policy issues. The Division leads policy development on arms control and disarmament issues, including participating in international negotiations. The Export Controls Team in the Division assesses and processes applications for the export of strategic goods and the import and export of scheduled chemicals.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8519 E-mail: ised@mft.govt.nz
For export control enquiries Facsimile: +64 4 439 8519 E-mail: exportcontrols@mfat.govt.nz Tel: +64 4 439 8227
The Ministry's Legal Division is responsible for advising the Government on New Zealand's international obligations, including international treaties and matters of customary international law. This advice covers all legal aspects of the conduct of foreign policy. It includes responsibility for the Acts and the statutory regulations that the Ministry administers, and for advice on international legal issues that arise in connection with the legislation and other work of other departments. The Division also advises on litigation and arbitration in international courts and tribunals relating to the settlement of disputes between states, such as the cases before the International Court of Justice in 1995 and 1996 concerning French nuclear testing in the South Pacific and the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons, and on other international disputes settlement, such as provided for in the WTO, and complaints procedures at international law such as cases brought by individuals under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. As well, the Division advises on new developments in international law such as the Law of the Sea and fisheries and the establishment of the proposed international criminal court.
The Legal Division advises on the negotiation, conclusion, application, implementation and interpretation of international treaties. It ensures that the Government is informed and approvals properly sought in respect of all proposed New Zealand treaty actions. It maintains a register of bilateral treaties to which New Zealand is party and of multilateral treaties relevant to New Zealand, and registers New Zealand treaties with the United Nations as required under the United Nations Charter.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8103 Email: lgl@mft.govt.nz
Protocol Division has two principal areas of responsibility. Under the Vienna Conventions, the division is responsible for administration of privileges and immunities, and assistance and guidance to more than 300 diplomatic and consular staff and 450 dependants residing in New Zealand. The division is also responsible for arranging the attendance of the diplomatic and consular corps at ceremonial and state occasions and managing the formal accreditation procedures for the appointment of Ambassadors and High Commissioners to, and from, New Zealand.
It also supervises the planning and coordination with other agencies of programmes for Guest of Government visitors to New Zealand as well as preparing itineraries for other official visitors coming to New Zealand under the Ministry's Overseas Visitors Programme.
Protocol Division publishes annually the Diplomatic and Consular List of overseas representatives accredited to NZ. The Order of Precedence among Heads of Diplomatic Missions and a Listing of National Days of other countries are also issued by the Division.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8532 Email: prd@mft.govt.nz
Undertakes statistical and strategic trade and economic analysis to support the Ministry's key policy objectives. The Division is also the liaison in policy coordination points within the Ministry for certain cross-cutting issues. It manages the negotiation of selected trade agreements, such as the Hong Kong CEP and covers other areas including NZ Trade Statistics, biotechnology, immigration (including working holiday schemes), international science, education, tourism and generic promotion of foreign direct investment. It manages the trade access support programme (TASP).
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8545 Email: eco@mft.govt.nz
The focus of this division's work is the World Trade Organization (WTO), which provides a framework of rules within which world trade is conducted. The work of the division involves advising the Government on multilateral trade policy issues, servicing New Zealand's participation in WTO and OECD committees and working groups (in close consultation with New Zealand's permanent mission to the WTO in Geneva and OECD in Paris) and negotiating under WTO auspices with other countries.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8522 Email: tnd@mft.govt.nz
The role of TPLU is to both communicate current developments in trade policy through a range of publications, newsletters and the New Zealand Business section of the MFAT website; and assist effective consultation with stakeholders to improve the understanding and outcomes of trade policy.
Facsimile: +64 4 439 8522 Email: tplu@mfat.govt.nz
As a small country, New Zealand values the opportunity to work with other nations in multilateral organisations where our voice can be heard on matters of international concern. Collectively we are able to achieve outcomes that would be unattainable on our own. The United Nations and Commonwealth Division is responsible for coordinating New Zealand's position in the main forums of the United Nations and the Commonwealth. The division provides policy advice to Ministers and instructs New Zealand delegations, particularly on international security, peacekeeping, economic and social issues, good governance and human rights issues.
Fascimile: +64 4 439 8517
Seven support divisions provide essential administrative services to Ministry staff in Wellington and at overseas posts. They are:
Audit Review Division fax: +64 4 439 8505
Finance Division fax: +64 4 439 8505
Human Resources Division fax: +64 4 439 8508 Email hrs@mfat.govt.nz
Information and Communications Technology Division fax: +64 4 439 8527 Email ict@mft.govt.nz
Management Services Division fax: +64 4 439 8505
Organisational Planning and Performance Unit fax + 64 4 439 8523 Email oppu@mft.govt.nz
Property and Capital Management Division fax: +64 4 439 8504 Email pcm@mft.govt.nz
Security and Communications Division fax: +64 4 439 8532
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