“Gisborne is really lovely. As I flew in from Auckland I could see absolutely stunning beaches and (it had) a really nice feel to it. We went out (she came with her husband) for dinner at a local restaurant, just to get a feel for the town, which is very friendly and welcoming.
“It’s really important to get out and about around New Zealand, meet people and learn about the issues they are facing on the ground. And it’s really important to come to Gisborne, both to see what’s happened recently in terms of cyclone damage, but also to deepen some really important relationships we have with local iwi Rongowhakaata and Ngāti Oneone.
“My predecessor Laura Clarke did some important work around Tuia 250 and really started those relationships and I’m here to carry that on and spend time with them and make sure we are taking that forward.”
The official expression of regret for the treatment of Māori at the time of the arrival of Cook, was signed in October 2019.
“That was very much a starting point for the relationship. It wasn’t an end and since that there have been some visits from the iwi to the UK to look at some taonga and some cultural institutions,” Ms Thomas said.
Those trips had been affected by the arrival of Covid-19 but the High Commission had hosted iwi in Wellington to talk about what they wanted to do to take the relationship forward.
“My meeting with Rongowhakaata (on Tuesday) and Ngati Oneone (on Wednesday) being hosted on their marae is really a chance to look at that more deeply and ask, ‘What do we want our next steps to be?’”
Ms Thomas said there were also broader relationships between the UK and Māori through the UK-NZ Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect earlier this year.
“That FTA has an entire chapter on Māori trade and economic cooperation and that will help Māori across the country to access opportunities in the UK.
“We had a delegation from Waikato in June, go over to look at opportunities for offshore wind. So, that’s the sort of thing that’s made much more possible by the FTA and the Māori trade and economic chapter.”
The UK was also “very proud” that the FTA was the first to also recognise the important role of the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand’s history and pointed to that unique relationship between the UK and Māori as well as the UK and New Zealand.
“The removal of all tariffs in the FTA will be particularly important for products that are important to the Māori economy, like kaimoana, mānuka honey and other products. We are really keen to work with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise to help them find opportunities for Māori to take advantage of that reduction in tariffs.”
Another important part of the FTA was agreement around legal services and faster customs clearances.
“I have had a couple of conversations with international firms here who found it easier to bring talent from the UK to New Zealand since the FTA came into force. So, under the FTA it’s much easier to bring employees over, and bring their families.”
Other benefits of the UK NZ relationship could be seen through changes to the Youth Mobility Scheme, which made it easier for people up to the age of 35 to move between and work in each country for up to three years.
Ms Thomas said she had three priorities to focus on during her term.
“The great thing about the UK - New Zealand relationship is that it’s very deep and one of partnership where we share a lot of values and that means we can work together on tackling important and big challenges.
“The first priority is on trade, which is about increasing the mutual prosperity of our countries through the FTA but also through the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) (a free trade agreement involving 11 economies in the Pacific region). We acceded to that in July and then it needs to be ratified. That’s been a big focus this year on both the FTA and CPTPP and taking that forward.”
Another principal focus for her was shared security.
“We see a volatile time in the world at the moment, so we are really committed to sharing lessons with New Zealand on domestic security issues so we can share our experience on that as well as working together on some of the bigger global challenges.”
The third area would be a focus on the Pacific.
“We want to work with New Zealand on one of the most important issues, which is climate change and is affecting the Pacific Islands, as well as helping to build the resilience of the Pacific islands.”
Ms Thomas said she had been invited to return to Gisborne by Mayor Stoltz and Rongowhakaata and she fully intended to return on a regular basis.
