Post NZ-US Forum statements and media coverage is immediately below the pre forum backgrounders are at the bottom
NZ-US Partnership Forum Statements
- Prime Minister "Opening address at US-NZ Partnership Forum"
NZ-US Partnership Forum
- TVNZ interview with Stephen Jacobi ( Jacobi is executive director of the NZ US Council)
- Stephen Jacobi: Forum chance for real results from US partnership (NZ Herald )
The Power of Partnering: Global Challenges and the Role of the US-NZ Partnership
The United States New Zealand 2011 Partnership Forum is being held in Christchurch from 20-22 February at a venue yet to be disclosed.
The forum is the 'key activity' of the NZUS Council and it's US counterpart the USNZ Council. The theme of 2011 Forum is “The Power of Partnering: Global Challenges and the Role of the US-NZ Partnership”.
The Wellington Declaration and Trans Pacific Partnership
The "star spangled line-up" of 120 delegates and sponsors at this year’s event will be addressing the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreements (TPPA) and taking up Secretary of State Clinton’s challenge to “fill in the detail of what the Wellington Declaration might mean in practice”.
The event is co-chaired by Jim Bolger, Michael Cullen, U.S. former US Senator and Governor of Indiana Evan Bayh and former US Trade Representative Ambassador Susan Schwab.
Think Tanks
In addition to the TPPA and sessions on food safety and sustainability, climate change, regional economic growth, security cooperation, and cooperation between the two countries on Antarctica, the 2011 Forum will consider the outcome of research undertaken in the United States and New Zealand by the Washington think tank, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, in association with the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs.
Strictly non-partisan and non-governmental – yeah right!
Much is made of the strictly non-partisan and non-governmental nature of the Forums proceedings.
A questionable statement given that the US embassy cables released by Wikileaks reveals NZ officials advising the US Embassy that they “delayed a response” to a Cuban request to establish an embassy in New Zealand “until after the US-NZ Forum’.
The Sponsors
Fonterra Co-operative Group is the Forum’s platinum sponsor. Major New Zealand sponsors include the Canterbury Development Corporation, Westpac, Christchurch City Council and Telecom New Zealand along with Air New Zealand, Beef and Lamb New Zealand, Business NZ, Deloitte, Meat Industry Association, Medicines NZ, Tait Radio Communications and NZ Winegrowers.Checkout the USNZ Council and NZUS Council webpages
Major sponsors of the US delegation include Time Warner and Tread Corporation along with Cargill, Kraft Foods, Lockheed Martin, the US Chamber of Commerce, the Commonwealth Bank and Pernod Ricard.
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