McCully Murray: Ministerial Statements — Fiji - New Zealand Relationship—Recent Developments 
McCully Murray: Ministerial Statements — Fiji - New Zealand Relationship—Recent Developments 
[Volume:660;Page:9087] 
Hon MURRAY McCULLY (Minister of Foreign Affairs) 
: 
 I wish to take a brief opportunity to update the House on recent developments in New Zealand’s relationship with Fiji. As has been reported by some media I took the opportunity of a transit through Fiji last Saturday to conduct further discussions with my Fijian counterpart Ratu Inoke Kubuabola. My meeting with Minister Kubuabola last Saturday followed ongoing email contact over many months a visit to Nadi by myself in early January and a trilateral meeting involving Minister Kubuabola Australian Minister Stephen Smith and myself in Canberra earlier this month. 
We have two objectives in carrying out this dialogue. Firstly we wish to start to restore the diplomatic capacity in our Suva mission that has been depleted by progressive disputes with Fiji’s administration. Since July 2007 we have lost three heads of mission and a trade commissioner who was the spouse of one of the heads of mission as well as losing the capacity to replace both the police and defence attachés as they departed. This has seriously threatened our capacity to deliver the range of services that we would expect to deliver from the mission including our capacity to conduct meaningful dialogue with the Fiji administration. It is fair to record also that recent expulsions have affected Fiji’s Wellington mission in a significant way and it has been similarly motivated to improve this position. Secondly it is our objective having improved our capacity to conduct a relationship to attempt to resolve some of the significant and strongly held differences that are held between us. That will not happen tomorrow but I do hope that it will happen over time. 
The first phase of these discussions is essentially bilateral in character. That is understood and accepted by our Australian friends who although they have lost one head of mission late last year have in every other respect a normal working mission in Suva with a staff complement in the mid-20s. If and when the dialogue touches on the restoration of high commissioners a three-way conversation will resume involving Australia. I have kept closely in touch with my Australian counterpart Stephen Smith whom I briefed most recently last night. When there are wider issues touching sanctions in the discussions there will naturally be a need for the Pacific Islands Forum and potentially the Commonwealth to engage. 
On Saturday I was able to confirm the appointment of first secretaries in our respective missions. Fiji’s first secretary has now taken up her appointment and our first secretary Phillip Taula will take up his position in Suva early in March. Fiji has sought to appoint an honorary consul in Auckland to which favourable consideration is being given. New Zealand has today put forward the name of a senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs official for the position of New Zealand trade commissioner in Suva. I have been assured that this proposal too will receive favourable consideration. 
I am aware that there has been some media speculation in Fiji that I might meet with interim Prime Minister Bainimarama when he is in Hong Kong next month. It is correct that at this stage our respective diaries place both Mr Bainimarama and myself in Hong Kong for 2 days in March and that in principle we have agreed to take the opportunity to have an informal meeting if this proves logistically possible. 
I reiterate today what I have stated on previous occasions: our engagement with the Fijian administration does not signal a change in policy nor a change to the sanctions regime. Our commitment to democracy the rule of law and human rights is undiminished. I hope that we will as a result of this dialogue be able to consider changes to the sanctions regime at some point in the future. That will require that we make progress on some of the important and difficult matters over which we currently disagree. 
There has been significant media interest in this matter here and in Fiji and some colourful reporting of it not all of it fully accurate. For that reason I wanted to brief the House today on these developments. I trust that members will welcome the fact that we are making progress in small steps but also appreciate that there will be significant challenges and no doubt the odd setback as we move forward. Thank you.