The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) is the Government's lead adviser and negotiator on foreign and trade policy, and diplomatic and consular issues. Through the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID), it is also the principal adviser on development assistance issues. The Ministry also provides legal advice on international issues. Under international practice, it is the formal channel for the Government's communications to and from other countries and international organisations.
The Ministry, through its diplomatic and consular service, is charged by Government to ensure that New Zealand's voice is heard abroad, that our security and economic interests are advanced and protected, that we contribute to global poverty elimination, and that the rights and safety of New Zealanders abroad are protected.
The Ministry's primary role is to recognise and understand international trends, opportunities and risks that affect New Zealand, and offer the Government advice on how best to protect and advance New Zealand's interests and well-being. In this way it contributes to the Government's overall objective of transforming New Zealand into a dynamic, knowledge-based economy and society, underpinned by the values of fairness, opportunity and security for all.
In its annual Statement of Intent the Ministry reviews the international setting in which New Zealand pursues its external policies. We look for current trends and key drivers for change, seeking to identify opportunities and risks that may impact on our foreign and trade policy objectives. The Statement then sets out the broad initiatives which the Ministry plans to pursue over the medium term to achieve its objectives.
Contemporary challenges are increasingly trans-boundary in nature, be they the economic demands of globalisation; ideologically driven terrorism; the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; pressures on global natural and energy resources; human rights abuses; extremes of poverty; or regional threats posed by failed or failing states.
These trends are placing considerable pressure on all countries, including New Zealand, to be more globally active and equipped for this rapidly changing and less predictable world
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has released its 2009-12 Statement of Intent, which outlines its priorities for advancing and protecting New Zealand's interests over the period 2009-2012.
New Zealand ’s key relationships are with Australia, the United States of America, the Pacific Island countries, Japan, China and the European Union. Our membership of the United Nations and its family of international agencies is another important vehicle for making our voice heard.
Protecting and advancing our interests requires us to develop and sustain relationships with those foreign governments and organisations, so that New Zealand can build and exert influence on them to accommodate our interests in the decisions they take. We do this through presence, persuasion and negotiation. Our resources include a global network of some 50 overseas posts with formal accreditations to 120 countries and many international organisations. 730 New Zealanders and more than 350 overseas employees work for the Ministry in Wellington or abroad, with policy, administrative and specialist skills directed towards developing and delivering specific initiatives and interventions to advance New Zealand’s interests.
Complementing those efforts, the Ministry works alongside other New Zealand government agencies with external interests to develop a framework for promoting greater coordination and collaboration by “NZ Inc” onshore and offshore, since this is one way we can multiply the reach and impact of our external engagements.
Other domestic stakeholders include business organisations and the private sector, academia and the media, non-government organisations (NGOs), Maori and interest groups. Our engagement with this wider community helps us promote New Zealand’s identity in the world as people who support and defend freedom and fairness and who value our diverse cultural heritage. Our perspectives as a principled and inclusive nation provide us with additional capacity to engage in international debates, including on trade, terrorism, disarmament, human rights, sustainable development and the environment. The private sector has a key role also in our work to negotiate Closer Economic Partnerships/Free Trade Agreements with other countries.
The Ministry provides a range of services for our stakeholders who include business organisations and the private sector, academia and the media, non-government organisations (NGOs), Maori and interest groups and the travelling New Zealand public. Read about our services in more detail
