Anzus so irrelevant US envoy can't say it

US Ambassador Bill McCormick. Picture / Mark Mitchell

The Anzus Treaty has become so disused and irrelevant that the United States has apparently forgotten how to say it.

New United States Ambassador Bill McCormick described it four times at his first press conference in Wellington yesterday as the "Anzu" treaty - (pronouncing it "Anzoo").

But Mr McCormick has also begun his tenure by saying he was not expecting any change in New Zealand's anti-nuclear laws - which effectively ended the defence pact.

And he was at pains to say the United States was not trying to make New Zealand change its position.

"You have a brand new Government and the United States has a brand new ambassador and I hope that is good chemistry," he said in a press conference laced with one-liners.

Mr McCormick, 66, is new to diplomacy. His wife, Gail, lived in New Zealand as a young woman in 1974.

He owns a chain of 56 seafood restaurants that will turn over US$300 million ($436 million) in the next year. He is also a big donor and patron of the arts, with a special interest in opera.

But his tenure could be an eventful one.

The parting speech by his predecessor, Charles Swindells, revealed a serious frustration by the United States with its relationship with New Zealand suggesting it was starved of trust and needed a "comprehensive dialogue" to address it.

Prime Minister Helen Clark took issue with the extent of Mr Swindells' concerns at the relationship. But she said New Zealand would be willing to take part in such a dialogue so long as the United States was aware the nuclear ban would stay.

Mr McCormick stressed yesterday that the United States would not try to press for a change in policy.

"You are a sovereign nation. You have made the decision. It is carved into law for the last 20 years.

"I'm not here to change that."

He said the ball was now in New Zealand's court and he wanted to hear what New Zealand had to say - but he did not think any New Zealand leader would take on the issue.

"We want to hear what this new Government is talking about and frankly, from a political standpoint, I don't believe any leadership change in New Zealand Government is going to take this on as an issue."

That was clear from the past election cycle. "I didn't see really any politicians saying that 'when I'm elected this will go away'. There was some dialogue out there but it is New Zealand's issue and I'm not going to advocate this change."

Mr McCormick referred nostalgically to the military theatres that New Zealand shared with the United States in World War I and II.

"What's gone wrong since 1918, since 1945-46 that we can't develop a more congenial relationship because we are still friends."

Mr McCormick called Anzus/Anzu a "a relic of the Cold War".

He will get no disagreement from New Zealand on that score: Defence Minister Phil Goff was reported in yesterday's Press as also calling it irrelevant.

Mr McCormick this week met Helen Clark, Mr Goff and Foreign Minister Winston Peters.

He indicated he would like to expand the cultural relationship with New Zealand.

"Diplomacy started in China with a ping-pong 'mallet', and I really think we can bring additional art expressions to New Zealand and exchange some wonderful thoughts and creativity."