The New Zealand Institute of International Affairs is under-resourced, yet on a shoestring budget does a pretty good job or arranging seminars and speakers throughout the year. But their programme and resources don't compare to what is available across the ditch. The Hive team are regular attendees at seminars and discussions arranged by think tanks in Australia. One of the best is the Lowy Institute in Sydney.
Michael Fullilove, the director of the Global Issues Program at the Lowy Institute, gave an interesting interview to the ABC on the changes he sees brewing in Australian foreign policy under the new Government. We have linked to the transcript. He sees the potential for "daring" change. I am not sure we use the term "daring" in quite the same way.
One topic not covered in this interview is the relationship with New Zealand. Much has been made of the Howard Government's positive attitude to the relationship. We would hope that Rudd would be just as positive if not more so. The Hive team were particularly worried about the apparent competition between Australia and New Zealand in the race for Free Trade Agreements. The Hive reminds both Governments that we are now essentially one economy. Lets not compete against each other in third markets. Lets work more closely together.
