Mfat chief executive Brook Barrington says capitals are worrying about more important things than who attends national days. Photo / Supplied
Mfat chief executive Brook Barrington says capitals are worrying about more important things than who attends national days. Photo / Supplied
The Government has decided to stop sending ministers to embassies in Wellington to make speeches at embassies celebrating their national days.
It is going to send officials instead from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) who will give no substantial speech but will offer a toast to the head of state of the host country.
National MP Todd McClay, a former Trade Minister, says the decision will cause offence.
But Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the decision was made in order to avoid offence because ministers couldn't always get to them.
"The moment you can't do that, you start getting accused of favouritism."
The issue was raised with Mfat chief executive Brook Barrington today when he appeared at the foreign affairs select committee.
Mfat had advised the change because when it was often very difficult to get a minister to attend and "it was seen as a slight or an insult".
"We raised an expectation amongst the [diplomatic] corps that there would always be a minister present and when we could not get a minister, it was seen as a slight, as an insult.
He said a similar protocol operated in most other countries and embassies would still be able to invite individual ministers.
New Zealand also offered unusually good access to diplomats.
Former Trade Minister Todd McClay says embassies will be slighted by the decision to stop sending ministers to national days. Photo/ Ben Fraser
McClay said it was a big signal to countries that invested in the relationship with New Zealand by setting up an embassy that the new Government would change the way they treated them.
"There won't be a single capital around the world that has an embassy or high commission here that doesn't view this as a slight."
Barrington: "I disagree with that. Having served in the field I would expect that most capitals will pay this very little attention, if any. We are worrying about more important things than who attends national days."
New Zealand itself did not hold a national day in many places "because we think the utility of such events is rather limited".
Barrington also made what he admitted was a "shameless" bid for more funding for Mfat in the Budget, saying base funding had not been increased since 2008 "and it is starting to bite".
He wanted funding in order to fund greater heft in the middle and upper diplomatic levels.
He also said funding for the Overseas Development Assistance budget was at about 0.27 per cent of GNI for the coming year but the four-year outlook would reduce that to 0.21 per cent.
"It is below what a reputable country like New Zealand should be spending."
Foreign Minister Winston Peters says Mfat is starved of resources. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The internationally recognised target of developed countries is 0.7 per cent of gross national income – Britain is one of the few that has achieved it.
Barrington's bid looks as though it may pay off, however, given his minister's influence in having installed the Labour-led Government and that Peters shares his concern.
"It's a serious concern," Peters told reporters.
"This is a really bad look for this country. We are starved of resources, firepower, manpower, womanpower and if we want to get our training results up, the way we should have them, we are going to have to put far more investment into it and play our role properly."
