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New Zealand getting too close to NATO

By Keith Locke The following article was published on Newsroom on 23 June 2022 Keith Locke explains why the Prime Minister’s decision to attend the Nato Leaders meeting might make David Lange turn in his grave The invitation for Prime Minister...

NZ shouldn’t Big Brother the Solomons over relations with China

This article was published in the Daily Blog on 1 April 2022 Every now and again there’s a scare story about China trying to establish a military base in the South Pacific.In 2018 it was Vanuatu’s turn. Australia’s Fairfax...

Many anti-nuclear reasons to oppose AUKUS

The following article was first published in the Daily Blog on 20 September 2021 There are multiple reasons for nuclear-free New Zealanders to be upset about Australia’s plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.Much of the commentary has focused on the exclusion...

The urgent need for New Zealand aid to Afghanistan

By Keith Locke The following article was published in the Daily Blog on 4 September 2021 Our government has understandably been preoccupied with helping refugees leave Afghanistan. But now the focus should shift to emergency aid for Afghanistan itself.UN Secretary-General...

NZ Should Not Buy into Trump’s tech war with China

The article below appeared on the Daily Blog on 2 September 2020 Most New Zealanders don’t trust Donald Trump. By and large they oppose his “America First” stance, which is making effective cooperation between nations very difficult.Why then are...

Covid 19 coronavirus response a chance to reshape our foreign policy

The Covid-19 crisis is shaking up our thinking in a number of areas, not least on foreign policy.In the 1980s we were excluded from the Anzus alliance for daring to declare New Zealand nuclear-free. Since then we have supposedly...

NZ shouldn’t be caught up in the US game over Huawei

By Keith Locke Why are we still looking to America first when it comes to our decisions on which countries to engage with, asks former MP Keith Locke. Britain’s decision to resist American pressure and let Huawei into its 5G network...

New Zealand’s response to the Soleimani assassination is shamefully timid

How can New Zealand claim to have an independent foreign policy when it won’t even criticise America’s assassination of Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian leader? The furthest foreign minister Winston Peters went was to express “strong concern” at the “heightening...

Trump’s assault on Huawei dangerous for New Zealand

This piece was originally published on The Daily Blog. Donald Trump came to power to “Make America Great Again” by asserting US economic and technological dominance over all other countries, particularly the rising economic power, China. This desire to remain top...