New Zealand’s foreign policy is oriented chiefly toward developed democratic nations and emerging Pacific economies. The country’s major political parties have generally agreed on the broad outlines of foreign policy, and the current coalition government has been active in multilateral fora on issues of recurring interest to New Zealand-trade liberalization, disarmament, and arms control. New Zealand values the United Nations and its participation in that organization.

It also participates in the World Trade Organization (WTO); World Bank; International Monetary Fund (IMF); Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); International Energy Agency; Asian Development Bank; South Pacific Forum; The Pacific Community; Colombo Plan; Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC); and the International Whaling Commission. New Zealand also is an active member of the Commonwealth. Despite the 1985 rupture in the ANZUS alliance, New Zealand has maintained good working relations with the United States and Australia on a broad array of international issues.

In the past, New Zealand’s geographic isolation and its agricultural economy’s general prosperity tended to minimize public interest in world affairs. However, growing global trade and other international economic events have made New Zealanders increasingly aware of their country’s dependence on stable overseas markets. New Zealand is a very strong advocate of free international trade especially in agricultural products. New Zealand is a member of the Cairns group of nations in the WTO.

New Zealand’s economic involvement with Asia has been increasingly important through expanding trade with the growing economies of Asia. New Zealand is a “dialogue partner” with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and an active participant in APEC.

As a charter member of the Colombo Plan, New Zealand has provided Asian countries with technical assistance and capital. It also contributes through the Asian Development Bank and through UN programs and is a member of the UN Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific.

New Zealand has focused its bilateral economic assistance resources on projects in the South Pacific island states, especially on Bougainville. The country’s long association with Samoa (formerly known as Western Samoa), reflected in a treaty of friendship signed in 1962, and its close association with Tonga have resulted in a flow of immigrants and visitors under work permit schemes from both countries. New Zealand administers Tokelau (formerly known as the Tokelau Islands) and provides foreign policy and economic support when requested for the freely associated self-governing states of the Cook Islands and Niue. Inhabitants of these areas hold New Zealand citizenship.

In 1947, New Zealand joined Australia, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States to form the South Pacific Commission, a regional body to promote the welfare of the Pacific region. New Zealand has been a leader in the organization. In 1971, New Zealand joined the other independent and self-governing states of the South Pacific to establish the South Pacific Forum (now known as the Pacific Islands Forum), which meets annually at the “heads of government” level.

During the war, New Zealand felt abandoned by many of its allies, in particular Canada. Its close ally Australia had come under heavy attack from the Japanese, and New Zealand felt it was next. However help came from the United States which sent an army of around 20 divisions. Close defence cooperation with the United States and Australia continued during World War II and led to the ANZUS defence pact between the three countries. However, concern about French nuclear testing in the pacific at Mururoa Atoll, and about the presence of nuclear warheads or reactors on U.S. ships visiting New Zealand, contributed to growing antinuclear sentiment in New Zealand. Under the Labour Party government of David Lange, this lead to the passage in New Zealand of antinuclear legislation, preventing visits by ships carrying nuclear weapons or powered by nuclear reactors. In theory, warships that did not fall into this category were not blocked. However the United States took the view that any subsequent visit by a warship to New Zealand could not be carried out without violating of the United States’ security policy of “neither confirming nor denying” nuclear capability on its ships.

After increasingly acrimonious debates, the United States formally suspended its ANZUS security obligations to New Zealand in August 1986. This suspension remains in effect today, although the U.S. no longer carries nuclear weapons aboard its surface naval vessels. In recent years, there has been some debate in New Zealand about removing the antinuclear legislation, with the ACT New Zealand party commenting in favour of doing so and the National Party considering a referendum on the issue. However, public opinion remains strongly in favour of the ban.

Despite the political contention over ANZUS, New Zealand forces have cooperated with U.S. forces subsequently in the 1991 Gulf War and in the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. New Zealand forces did not participate in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but a contingent of New Zealand army engineers assisted with reconstruction work in Iraq in the aftermath of the war, being based in Basra. New Zealand forces have also participated in peacekeeping efforts in the pacific region in East Timor and in the Solomon Islands.

On July 15, 2004, New Zealand imposed diplomatic sanctions against Israel and suspended high-level contacts between the two countries, after two of its citizens, Uriel Kelman and Eli Cara, were convicted of passport fraud. The New Zealand government stated that there was strong evidence that the two men were Mossad agents and this action was “not only utterly unacceptable but also a breach of New Zealand sovereignty and international law”. On 26 June 2005 the Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom sent a letter of apology to the New Zealand government. Diplomatic relations were fully re-established on 30 August 2005 when the Governor-General accepted the credentials of ambassador Naftali Tamir.

Relations with France
New Zealand has always had excellent relations with France, which recently thanked New Zealand for helping it during German occupations of World War I and II. The relations were strained for a short period in the late 20th Century, however over the French nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll and the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior.