Webb DuncanDr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour—Christchurch Central): Thank you Madam Chair. It's a pleasure to speak on this Estimates hearing. It's a little disappointing to hear Mr O'Connor talk about the position in respect of UN Resolution 2334 a resolution that was of course sponsored by the New Zealand Government whilst the National Government was in power. That resolution in fact was very clearly a resolution which pointed out the barriers to peace and it's one which the Minister at the hearing was very happy to defend because it's quite appropriate that New Zealand takes its place on the international stage in pointing out that settlements in the West Bank in the occupied territories in breach of international law are an obstacle to peace in that part of the world and an obstacle to the two-State solution which this Government supports.However turning to the wider question what was very clear in this hearing was that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade needs considerably more funds to rebuild the capacity so that New Zealand can take its place on the international stage. In fact one of the things that the Minister said—and it is in the Estimates book here at page 115—is that we've got a whole lot of work to do. In fact he said and he's quoted we've got to do a whole lot more than another hundred." There he's speaking to the 100 staff that we need to recruit to return our Foreign Service our diplomatic corps to the kind of status it needs to represent us internationally before it was gutted by the previous Government.When we look around ourselves on the international stage it's very clear that we must take our place in a world of great uncertainty. The National Party has continually taken pot-shots at this Government for putting money into foreign affairs and for opening new embassies but what has been shown in recent times is that the move to increase our presence in Europe is prescient.It is absolutely timely that we go to Stockholm we open an embassy there and we absolutely put our best foot forward in terms of trade because we've got to negotiate an agreement with the European Union and also in terms of ensuring that we have a rules-based framework for everything that goes on because at the moment we stand on the precipice of chaos in terms of international relations and New Zealand would be worse off for that. So it is absolutely right that we have funding here to recruit 50 new diplomats and over time we need many many more so that we can go out and make sure that when we are negotiating when we are taking our place in the world we do it under international law and not under the law of the jungle that some other nations perhaps would have us answer to.So in terms of this additional spending it's entirely appropriate. It is worth stating that we must turn our eyes north to what China is doing in the Pacific. We must recognise that the traditional places of power are shifting and we need to be aware of that. So we do need to absolutely have a strong presence in the Pacific and that is what we are going to do.Further in terms of our trade interests we've got to ensure that we have great negotiators out there senior negotiators—and there is a gap in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the moment there. So we need to recruit those and recruit them well because we need to negotiate those further trade deals. As we see with the United Kingdom as well we've got to engage with the United Kingdom. That's something we've got to do at the highest level something that is happening now and something that we are behind the eight ball on because of the weakening of our diplomats of our foreign corps of our diplomatic service.So what was good to hear was that the Minister is committed to strengthening the Foreign Service so that we can get out there and take our place in the world. Thank you Madam Chair."