Browsing Posts tagged Prime Minister John Key

I always wait until the last moment to complete my year-end lists because in this job the unexpected is to be expected. Who knows what the final days of a year will bring? As it’s now almost 11:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, though, I think it’s probably safe to close the books on 2012. So, back to the countdown …

5. Pacific Islands Forum

A clear choice for the Top Ten list again this year was the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), held on Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. Trumping our participation last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led the largest and highest-level U.S. delegation ever to attend the annual event in its 41-year history. For the second year in a row my Embassy hosted the delegation because the Cook Islands is within our area of accreditation.

Secretary Clinton receives a traditional warm welcome on arrival in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.

An enthusiastic welcome for Secretary Clinton on the tarmac in the Cooks.

With the Secretary and me were the Governor of American Samoa Togiola Tulafono, several of my fellow Ambassadors, U.S. Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Locklear, Coast Guard Commander Rear Admiral Charles Ray, and other senior officials from the White House, USAID, Peace Corps, Department of State, Department of the Interior, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and several other agencies.

The delegation came to work. As we did last year, my team and I scheduled our various principals for more than 120 separate meetings and public appearances with officials from other nations, NGOs, multilateral institutions, businesses, and citizens groups. It was a punishing but highly productive schedule for the 48 hours or so that most of our visitors were in town, as well as for the week that my team spending preparing for the deluge of arrivals.

Secretary Clinton and Delegates to the Pacific Islands Forum pose for a family photo at the Cook Islands National Auditorium, August 31, 2012. [State Department photo by Ola Thorsen/ Public Domain]

Secretary Clinton poses for a family photo with Forum leaders and Post-Forum Dialogue heads of delegation. She is flanked by Prime Ministers Key (left) and Puna (right) of New Zealand and the Cook Islands, respectively.

The Secretary had perhaps the busiest agenda, packed with individual and group discussions with Pacific heads of government and heads of state, remarks to the Post-Forum Dialogue plenary, a commemoration of America’s historic and ongoing peace and security partnerships in the Pacific, and other events focused on trade promotion, gender equality, and fisheries. And she found time to chat with Cook citizens on the street during a couple of walk-abouts between meetings, which set off an island-wide “Auntie Hillary” frenzy.

In all, over the course of the PIF, Secretary Clinton launched a large number of new initiatives of mutual benefit to the island nations and the United States on issues of regional security, sustainable development, marine protection, climate change, gender equality, education, and economic partnership. Oriented toward capacity building, people-to-people engagement, and entrepreneurial self-reliance, the initiatives provide a recipe for empowerment, not dependency. For a full list of the extensive business accomplished, see my September post about the PIF.

4. Auckland Consulate General Restructuring

As I’ve discussed before, we’ve been engaged in a good bit of internal restructuring at the Mission to bring our programs, staffing, resources, and methods into alignment with current, rather than legacy, circumstances and priorities. That’s all much more difficult than you might imagine, but it’s essential to becoming more effective at our work. Simply put, there wouldn’t be a credible Top Ten list without our restructuring activity. In 2011 we focused on retooling the Embassies in Wellington and Apia (which is why “Embassy Restructuring” was #4 of my 2011 Top Ten). In 2012 we focused intensely on the Consulate General in Auckland.

Click through for image source.

When I presented my credentials in December 2009, we had a full consular team but just one catch-all program staff position in Auckland despite that city representing more than a third of New Zealand’s population. (The population percentage increases even further if one includes the greater metro area, which I  define as the places within an easy day’s commute of the Auckland CBD.) Such a skeletal deployment makes very little sense and certainly impaired our effectiveness.

Over the past year we’ve corrected the problem by creating new portfolios and moving several existing American-officer and locally-engaged positions from Wellington to Auckland. In doing so we have rebalanced our program staff to achieve a roughly 50/50 split between our two facilities, and have created in Auckland fully functioning economic, political, public diplomacy, and public affairs teams. I am particularly excited about positions we’ve created in Auckland for university outreach, educational advising, and Pacific communities engagement. The changes are already producing results, and will pay dividends far into the future.

3. Secretary Leon Panetta’s Visit to New Zealand

We hosted our third visit of the year by a senior member of the Cabinet when Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta came to Auckland in September. The first American Secretary of Defense to visit New Zealand in more than 30 years, Secretary Panetta engaged in a busy two days of meetings, including with Prime Minister John Key, Minister of Defence Dr. Jonathan Coleman, and Leader of the Opposition David Shearer.

Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta being welcomed at Government House in Auckland.

The visit takes a place high on the 2012 Top Ten list because it was emblematic of the tangible revitalization of security relations between the two countries over the past two years.

In June, Secretary Panetta and Minister Coleman signed in DC the Washington Declaration, a short statement that expressed our joint commitment to expand defense cooperation and establish regular senior-level strategic security policy dialogues.

Earlier in the year New Zealand hosted both the first U.S.-N.Z. joint air exercises and the first U.S.-N.Z. joint army/marine exercises in more than a quarter century.

Also this year New Zealand was invited for the first time ever to send a ship to participate in the U.S.-sponsored RIMPAC, the world’s largest international maritime exercise.

Such engagement is of significant benefit to both our societies, as well as to our neighbors. In an unpredictable world, enhanced coordination and interoperability will allow us to respond together more quickly and effectively to natural disasters, humanitarian crises, and other exigencies here in the Pacific. Compelling evidence of what I mean was our joint U.S. Coast Guard / Royal New Zealand Air Force mission a year ago to provide emergency fresh water supplies to Tokelau, thus averting a crisis.

The steps taken this year were wise, long-overdue, and mutually beneficial. Considered together, the Washington Declaration and the Wellington Declaration provide a framework for engagement that both looks confidently forward and reaffirms the deep, vibrant partnership that our two countries have historically maintained.

2. Celebration of Samoa’s 50th Independence Day

On June 1, 2012, the nation formerly known as Western Samoa celebrated its 50th Independence Day. As you may recall from several of my posts that month, our Embassy Apia team put together an impressive schedule of substantive and ceremonial events to mark the august occasion and underscore the long, deep history of U.S.-Samoa friendship. In fact, the United States had the largest, most diverse, and most vibrant international presence at the independence celebrations.

I led an official Presidential Delegation appointed by the White House which included, among others, Admiral Cecil Haney (Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet), Congressional Delegate Eni Faleomavaega, and my colleague Ambassador Frankie Reed (our current American Ambassador to Suva, and former Chargé d’Affaires at Embassy Apia). We brought with us the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Chafee (with 350 sailors on board), the N.O.A.A. climate research vessel Ka’imimoana, and several Coast Guard and Navy aircraft for ceremonial fly-overs.

Marching in the Independence Day parade.

In the Independence Day parade in our cool new Samoan-style shirts.

Our U.S. Navy 7th Fleet Band paraded and played concerts on Upolu and Savaii. The acclaimed African American step group Step Afrika! performed at schools, in church halls, and on stage at the national variety show. The Navy musicians, steppers, Peace Corps volunteers, my Embassy colleagues, and I all marched together in the official procession on Independence Day. And we hosted several dinners and receptions at our new Chargé Residence, including for the Samoa Chamber of Commerce, the large number of fellow Americans from American Samoa who attended the festivities, and senior government officials.

In terms of substantive activity, we announced our plans to build a new district medical center near the airport. We awarded several economic development grants. And Prime Minister Tuilaepa and I signed a Shiprider Agreement which will allow the Government of Samoa to place Samoan law enforcement officers on American Coast Guard and Navy ships passing through Samoan waters. Those officers will be able to direct the interdiction, arrest, and fining of foreign vessels engaged in illegal commercial fishing, trafficking in persons, or trafficking in prohibited substances, all serious problems in parts of the Pacific.

Shiprider signing aboard the USS Chafee.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa and I sign the Shiprider Agreement on the USS Chafee (with the Ka’imimoana in the background at right). Illegal fishing vessels, beware.

One of the highlights of our program was a reception aboard the USS Chafee after we signed the Shiprider Agreement on the foredeck. The 7th Fleet Band entertained guests including the Prime Minister, Head of State, King of Tonga, Governor-General of New Zealand, Governor of American Samoa, Deputy Prime Minister, several Cabinet Ministers, senior officials from French Polynesia, and heads of NGOs active in Samoa.

Our commemoration of Samoa’s 50th year of independence was, in my view, the most impressive and successful effort in the history of Embassy Apia. My colleagues underscored meaningful historical linkages and ongoing collaborations, while taking significant steps to deepen and expand relations further. Our Apia team planned for many months and then, along with visiting support from Wellington and Auckland, worked 15-hour days for more than a week to implement the program. It was the kind of effort that puts a big smile on your face, and easily ranks as one of our top two Mission efforts of 2012.

1. Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of US-NZ Bilateral Relations
and the Arrival of American Forces during World War II

In a photo-finish with the Samoa 50th, the top slot on my 2012 list goes to the Mission’s extensive commemorations of two highly significant milestones in shared Kiwi/American history. In February we marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, and in June we marked the 70th anniversary of the arrival of American military forces in New Zealand at the request of Prime Minister Peter Fraser after the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific.

70th Anniversary Coins.70th Anniversary Coins.It’s difficult to talk briefly about the anniversaries because the program spanned virtually the entire year, starting with social media efforts in February and concluding with the Marine Ball in November. I’ve already written more than a dozen blog posts about various elements of the commemorations, so I won’t recount the details again here.

I’ll simply say that, inter alia, we produced stamps, minted coins (at left), sponsored a 1940s video contest for students, held a memorial concert at Old St. Pauls, took the U.S. Marine Forces Pacific Band on a 3-week concert tour of cities and towns that had hosted Americans during the war, and held large 1942-themed Independence Day receptions for almost 1,500 folks in Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch.

We talked live and online about the importance of shared history … Walter Nash’s arrival in DC to establish New Zealand’s first ever diplomatic mission abroad … the bedrock relationship formed when more than 150,000 American servicemen and women came to New Zealand during the war … and the shared service and sacrifice of our respective forebears during some of the darkest days of the prior century.

The Government of New Zealand held a wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial attended by the Prime Minister, Governor-General, Leader of the Opposition, Minister of Defence, and other dignitaries. There was a moving sunset retreat on the Parliament forecourt with the Prime Minister and Governor-General, followed by a Parliamentary reception. Commemorative statements were read in the House, and New Zealand Post issued a set of anniversary stamps. The Kapiti Council and Kapiti U.S. Marines Trust held a series of additional events.

There was great warmth in the celebration of our shared history, which is the rock-solid foundation on which the relationship between the two nations still stands, whatever the vagaries of the politics of the day. Seventy years on, Kiwis and Americans still stand shoulder to shoulder on the issues that matter the most in the world. We advocate together for universal human rights from a position of deeply held, shared civic values. We still serve and sacrifice together in peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts around the world.

And we work closely together on a wide variety of economic development, climate change, disaster response, gender equality, rule of law, political empowerment, and other projects. In a show-me-the-money era when values are often viewed as quaint inconveniences, it’s important to remind ourselves that first principles rather than pecuniary gain bind our relationship together.

The U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific Band.

The swing unit of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band performs in Wellington Town Hall under an image of 1942 forebears in Wellington’s Majestic Cabaret.

Of course, we don’t always agree on everything. But really, that’s to be expected. If we don’t occasionally squabble, then we aren’t being honest with each other. What matters is not the 5% or so of the time that we disagree, but the 95% of the time that our instincts, interests, and priorities naturally align. And what matters most of all is how we deal with disagreement when it occurs.

By those measures and all accounts, 2012 was a very good year.

*  *  *

That’s it for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief tour through the highlights of another gratifying year at American Missions New Zealand and Samoa. Our 2010 was an excellent year significantly surpassed by 2011, which in turn has been exceeded by 2012. I’m very much looking forward to the pleasures and challenges of maintaining that steep trajectory in 2013.

Next year brings another couple of special anniversaries. October 12, 2013 marks the 175th anniversary of American diplomatic presence in Aotearoa. On that date in 1838, U.S. Secretary of State John Forsyth commissioned John R. Clendon to be the first United States consul in the lands later to be called New Zealand.

In addition, August will mark the 70th anniversary of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s iconic island-hop trip through the South Pacific during the height of the war. From August 27 through September 2, 1943, Mrs. Roosevelt stopped in New Zealand to tour Red Cross facilities, visit marae, raise the profile of women’s contributions to the war effort, and engage with soldiers and civilians in Auckland, Rotorua, and Wellington.

Plans are afoot …

For now, though, Dr McWaine and I, and everyone else at American Missions New Zealand and Samoa, wish you and yours a very happy, healthy, and rewarding New Year … Kia hari te Tau HouIa manuia le Tausaga FouHau’oli Makahiki Hou.

As you know from my tweets and instagrams, I had the great pleasure of spending last week on Rarotonga in the Cook Islands for the annual Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). For me, the highlight of the trip came Thursday evening when Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna, his Cabinet, dozens of performers, Dr. McWaine, and I greeted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the airport. It is always an honor for an Embassy to welcome a Secretary of State, but we were particularly delighted to receive a second visit in less than two years.

Secretary Clinton receives a traditional warm welcome on arrival in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.

An enthusiastic welcome for Secretary Clinton on the tarmac in the Cooks.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is welcomed to Rarotonga, the Cook Islands, August 30, 2012. [State Department photo by Ola Thorsen/ Public Domain],

Being greeted with singing, dancing, vibrant colors, and great enthusiasm.

The Secretary and I weren’t the only Americans in town for the Forum. I welcomed the largest and highest-level U.S. delegation ever to attend the gathering in its 41-year history. I made the same statement at last year’s PIF in Auckland, but this year our presence was even more extensive. With the Secretary and me were the U.S. Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, Tuvalu, and the Pacific Islands Forum (Frankie Reed); U.S. Ambassador to Australia (Jeff Bleich); U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu (Teddy Taylor) …

continue reading…

One year ago today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Murray McCully signed the Wellington Declaration, a roadmap for deepening and expanding the bilateral relationship between the United States and New Zealand.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Prime Minister John Key, Foreign Minister McCully at the signing of the " Wellington Declaration" .

The Wellington Declaration is signed.

Despite extraneous challenges of various sorts, both governments have pushed forward on the resolutions contained in the Declaration. The past twelve months have been a busy and highly productive period in which the bilateral relationship has moved forward from strength to strength. In fact, in my view, relations are stronger, warmer, and closer than they have been at any time since World War II.

At its heart, the Wellington Declaration reaffirms the close ties between the two countries and establishes a framework for a new strategic partnership. That partnership is to have two fundamental elements … a new focus on practical cooperation in the Pacific region, and enhanced political and expert dialogue. The past year has been a success on both counts.

With respect to cooperation in the Pacific, there have been dozens of tangible, practical, and impactful steps forward. I don’t want to bury you with undue detail or do a clip-and-paste from my prior posts, so I’ll only mention a couple of highlights.

US Marines and local ni-Vanuatu children at a medical assistance project during Pacific Partnership 2011.

At a medical assistance project in Vanuatu during Pacific Partnership 2011.

Just last month the US Coast Guard and the New Zealand Defence Force pooled resources on extremely short notice and rushed much needed potable water to the atolls of Tokelau, averting a major crisis. Earlier in the year the HMNZS Canterbury joined the USS Cleveland for Pacific Partnership humanitarian projects in the islands, marking the two countries’ first joint naval operation in almost 30 years.

With respect to enhanced dialogue, there has been a blizzard of meetings, exchanges, and visits … not social calls but substantive interactions focused on regional and global issues, common challenges, problem-solving, and potential joint projects. The two highlights, of course, were Secretary Clinton’s visit to Wellington and Christchurch and Prime Minister Key’s visit to Washington.

Prime Minister John Key with President Obama.

Prime Minister Key with President Obama in the Oval Office.

The Prime Minister worked through the highest-level schedule one could have in Washington … including discussions with President Obama, Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Benjamin Bernanke, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen, and Senators John Kerry, Richard Lugar, and John McCain, among others.

To my knowledge, there has never been a higher-level working reception accorded a Kiwi official. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully and Defence Minister Dr Wayne Mapp also had busy working visits to Washington during the year, and other officials traveled to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Honolulu, and Pago Pago.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully with Secretary Clinton. Please click through for image source.

Minister McCully with Secretary Clinton in DC.

The traffic has not been one way.

In the year since Secretary Clinton touched down in Wellington, more than 1,100 American officials have come to New Zealand to meet with their counterparts. That is, by several orders of magnitude, the largest number of US Government officials ever to visit in a twelve-month period.

Included in the mix were two special delegations.

In February approximately 100 American government officials, Congressmen, business leaders, and students attended the fourth US-NZ Partnership Forum, in Christchurch. It would be difficult to overstate the strength of the special bonds forged among the American delegates and their Kiwi counterparts when the February 22nd earthquake struck the city during the meetings.

More recently, Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides led the largest and highest-ranking US delegation ever to attend the Pacific Island Forum. The august group included the Governor of American Samoa, Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell, and dozens of other officials from the Department of State, Department of Defense, White House, USAID, and other agencies. The American attendees divided into subject matter teams and moved through a packed schedule of more than 100 working meetings while in Auckland.

Deputy Secretary Nides and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully meet the press after a productive bilateral meeting.

Deputy Secretary Nides and Minister McCully meet the press after a productive bilateral meeting.

Such official engagement is very important, but the Wellington Declaration stakes out deeper and broader people-to-people ties as the heart of the reinvigorated partnership … just as people-to-people ties have always held the two societies firmly and warmly together despite occasional government-to-government disagreements. To ensure the most inclusive participation, the Declaration specifically calls for efforts to include women, youth, minorities, and future leaders in the process.

People-to-people activity over the past twelve months has been so extensive, diverse, and multifaceted that it is impossible to summarize succinctly. New projects were launched in matters of rugby, social media, art, music, entrepreneurship, faith communities, and indigenous peoples. Additional resources were devoted to existing youth, education, commercial, and cultural programs.

Among the highlights were … the visit of the Space Shuttle Discovery crew … harbor calls in Wellington and Auckland by the California Maritime Academy’s training ship Golden BearHawaii/Aotearoa rugby exchanges … more than a dozen concerts by the Marine Corps Pacific Forces Band … multiple visits by Special Representative to Muslim Communities Farah Pandith

Farah Pandith in Wellington.

Farah Pandith in Wellington.

large tailgate parties and pep rallies to celebrate the Rugby World Cup … a 3-day future leaders conference for American and Kiwi youth …visits of Hawaiian performers and chefs … reinvigorating the twelve-month student walk-about visa … engaging a full-time Education USA NZ advocate … a new Art in Embassies exhibition … the Solar DecathlonOutGames events … and much much more.

Yes, indeed, there’s a lot more to say. But it’s Friday afternoon. And I’m already late for the Embassy’s anniversary celebration downstairs in our cantina. So I’ll conclude with the Wellington Declaration’s brief, apt description of the bedrock on which the special relationship between Americans and Kiwis is built:

Being welcomed in Westpac Stadium.

Cross-cultural celebration of American Independence Day in Wellington.

“New Zealand and the United States are both Pacific nations. Our governments and peoples share a deep and abiding interest in maintaining peace, prosperity, and stability in the region, expanding the benefits of freer and more open trade, and promoting and protecting freedom, democracy, and human rights worldwide. We recall the long history of shared United States and New Zealand sacrifice in battle, and we honor those, past and present, who have borne that sacrifice.

“As we look to the challenges of the 21st century, our shared democratic values and common interests will continue to guide our collective efforts. … Our goal is a partnership for the 21st Century that is flexible, dynamic, and reflects our fundamental beliefs and aspirations.”

The past twelve months have demonstrated persuasively that we are well on our way to achieving that goal. Happy Anniversary, Wellington Declaration.

As you probably know from my tweets, I have just gotten back from Washington after Prime Minister John Key’s visit. I didn’t try to blog daily while there because I knew that the media here in New Zealand would already be filled with stories, commentary, and photos. I also knew from past experience just how busy time in DC can be, squeezing out any real chance to sit quietly at a computer to draft. Now that the dust has settled, though, a recap makes sense. So, here goes …

I arrived in Washington a couple days before the Prime Minister so that I could attend to final preparations and details. I also wanted a little time for internal consultations, i.e., making the rounds of the State Department and other agencies and departments in town to collect information, discuss issues relevant to my job, and trawl for resources that we need at the Embassy.  

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, speaks at breakfast at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Thursday, July 21, 2011 in Washington.(© AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Prime Minister Key at the US Chamber of Commerce. (© AP Photo)

The Prime Minister arrived late Wednesday night and proceeded directly to Blair House, across the street from the White House. As I discussed in my prior post, staying at Blair House is a special honor. Blair House is also a very comfortable and convenient base of operations. Given the intense heat and humidity in Washington that week, I know that the Prime Minister greatly appreciated being centrally located and having most of the Cabinet Secretaries and other interlocutors come to him for the scheduled meetings.

The first official event of the visit was a speech by the Prime Minister to the US Chamber of Commerce, at the Chamber’s large headquarters just around the corner from Blair House. I greeted the Kiwi press scrum as they hustled into the building a bit sweaty and frazzled just before the Prime Minister. The PM himself was relaxed, rested, and enthusiastic when I met him at the door of the Chamber as his motorcade arrived.

He circulated through the room of approximately 100 business leaders and then delivered remarks that included a report on Christchurch, the current state of the New Zealand economy, and his thoughts on the mutual benefits expected from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). After the speech he responded to questions from the audience and then adjourned to a separate room to take questions from the press, which by that time had cooled and dried off.

While the Prime Minister was engaged with the press, I walked back to Blair House. By that point the temperature was already approaching 100 degrees, but I didn’t want to wait for a lift in the motorcade in case there was any final prep work necessary in the meeting rooms. Also, I always like approaching the White House on foot through Lafayette Park … a thrill enhanced by seeing the New Zealand flag flying above Blair House across the street.

Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, left center, meets with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, right center, at Blair House in Washington,  Thursday,  July 21, 2011.  (© AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

With Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner at Blair House. (© AP Photo)

Blair House is a superbly run facility, and there was no last-minute prep work waiting. I passed through a security detail surprised to see me arriving on foot, and paused briefly on the front steps to remember police officer Leslie William Coffelt, a true hero who helped foil an attempt to assassinate President Harry Truman in 1950. Though mortally wounded by three close-range shots to the chest as the assassins began their assault on Blair House, Les Coffelt managed to stagger to his feet and shoot the lead assailant as he lunged up the steps, thus preventing him from reaching the President.

I was greeted on the steps by the House manager and had a quiet cup of tea in the Lincoln Room, sitting at the fireplace where President Lincoln himself often sat. The Prime Minister arrived about 15 minutes later, followed shortly by Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner and his senior team for 45 minutes or so of discussions. Following Secretary Geithner was Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and her senior team, including Assistant Secretary Mariko Silver, who was in Christchurch in February when the quake struck.

In both meetings the Prime Minister talked about Christchurch recovery issues, solicited the Secretaries’ views of various current events, discussed ongoing collaborations between the US and New Zealand, and probed re potential new joint projects. The meetings were warm and collegial, as one would expect among friends, rather than formal or stilted. After seeing Secretary Napolitano out, Prime Minister Key left Blair House for the drive down Pennsylvania Avenue to Capitol Hill.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, right, hosts an honor cordon to welcome John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, to the Pentagon Thursday, July 21, 2011 in Washington.(© AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Being greeted by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at the Pentagon. (© AP Photo)

The Prime Minister was greeted at the Capitol steps by Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar. They walked to the floor of the Senate where Senator Kerry introduced the PM as “a great friend of the United States,” noting that New Zealand is “in enormous partnership” with America, indeed ”one of the strongest and best partnerships with us on a global basis.” The Senate then suspended its deliberations on the debt ceiling and went into recess so that the Prime Minister could speak with several of the Senators, including Senator John McCain.

I did not accompany the Prime Minister to the Hill because of the Constitutional framework of separation of powers within our governance system. I reside within the Executive Branch of Government, and the Capitol is the seat of our Legislative Branch. The feedback that I got from my good friends at that end of Pennsylvania Avenue, however, was that the Prime Minister was received with extraordinary warmth, candor, and goodwill … that there were productive exchanges on substantive issues … and that he seemed to thoroughly enjoy his visit.

Thus, I was surprised by some of the media reports about the PM’s Hill visit being “derailed” because Senators Reid and McConnell were unable to meet privately with him. If being escorted into the Well of the Senate during critical deliberations, having the Senate cease urgent business in order to greet you, and having one-on-one conversations with former Presidential nominees and other leading Senators on the Floor add up to being “derailed,” then perhaps those reporting didn’t actually watch or understand what was occurring. Our Senate is a grand and historic institution, and it received the Prime Minister in a most special manner.

After the Senate visit, I rejoined the Prime Minister’s delegation at the Pentagon. I arrived early to spend time with several of my contacts discussing pending projects. I was particularly pleased to see Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joints of Staff, who is America’s highest-ranking military officer and the President’s principal military advisor. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and a full honor guard met the Prime Minister on the steps as his motorcade arrived, and we all adjourned to the Secretary’s private dining room for lunch.

Tomb pic

Approaching the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

Later in the afternoon we drove to Arlington Cemetery so that the Prime Minister could lay a wreath at our Tomb of the Unknowns. Over 2.5 square kilometers in size, Arlington contains more than 300,000 graves of those who have served our country in time of war … including two US Presidents, four Chief Justices of the Supreme Court, many dozens of other famous Americans, and 3,800 freed slaves … as well as several special monuments, including to those who perished in the Space Shuttle Columbia and Challenger disasters, the terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, the Iran hostage rescue mission, and the sinking of the USS Maine.

Whenever I visit Washington I make it a point to go to Arlington. I visit particular graves. I spend time at the Tomb of the Unknowns. And I climb the hill to Arlington House for its panoramic view of DC. Built by President George Washington’s adopted grandson, Arlington House was for more than two decades the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his family. Arlington is a moving, peaceful, yet complex place which offers meaningful insights into American history and character. It is also a working cemetery, with approximately 30 burials each day of the year.

Our motorcade’s route was lined with hundreds of servicemen and women in full dress uniform. A 19-cannon salute, military band, and large honor guarded greeted the Prime Minister at the Tomb. We walked up the steps lined with many dozens of additional servicemen. The two national anthems were played, the Prime Minister laid a wreath at the Tomb, and we toured the museum. The Prime Minister presented the museum with a book about Kiwi Victoria Cross recipients, and the curator placed the book directly into a display cabinet containing Victoria Crosses awarded to fallen servicemen interred at Arlington. It was an unexpected, moving moment underscoring shared values and sacrifice.

After Arlington, we returned to Blair House through the triple-digit heat and heavy humidity. There we met for about 50 minutes with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, followed by my Yale Law School classmate Gene Sperling, who is now Director of the National Economic Council and President Obama’s top economic advisor. I hadn’t seen Gene since 1984, and he gave me one of those exuberant Sperling bear hugs that I remembered from New Haven. The meetings were cordial and substantive, and centered around current events and questions posed by the Prime Minister.

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, left, meets with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, right, at Blair House in Washington, Thursday, July 21, 2011.  (© AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

With Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke at Blair House. (© AP Photo)

When the meeting with Director Sperling ended, I hitched a ride with Kiwi Ambassador Mike Moore up to the New Zealand Embassy for a black tie dinner in honor of American hedge fund manager and philanthropist Julian Robertson. I mingled with the assembled guests, chatted with Julian, introduced Dr McWaine to a few people, and had the great pleasure of meeting one of my predecessors, former Ambassador Charles Swindells. When the PM arrived he presided over the formal investiture of Julian as an honorary Knight Companion of the realm, and we settled down to a fine dinner.

The next day, Friday, started early with an hour at Blair House with my colleague Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns. Acting Secretary of State prior to Secretary Clinton’s confirmation by the Senate and now the second highest ranking official in the Department, Ambassador Burns was a superb interlocutor for the Prime Minister in Secretary Clinton’s absence (due to a previously scheduled Asia trip). The Deputy Secretary briefed the Prime Minister, and the two discussed a wide variety of global issues.

After the meeting with Ambassador Burns, I had the pleasure of greeting General Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Advisor to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. We chatted for a few minutes in the Lincoln Room and then walked down the hall for a rountable conversation with the Prime Minister and more than a dozen Washington think tank leaders. There was vigorous discussion of Afghanistan, trade, East Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific, and other topics, after which several of the think thank experts stayed for a Q&A with the visiting Kiwi media.

The PM, his entourage, and I then returned to the Lee Drawing Room to meet with Ambassador Ron Kirk, the United States Trade Representative, and his senior team. There was discussion about the TPP, the Doha Development Round, and other trade issues. As with the other bilateral meetings, the exchange was warm, collegial, and substantive, and the press scrum was invited in for a couple minutes to take photos of the proceedings.

President Barack Obama, right, with New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key, delivers a statement in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington following their meeting Friday, July 22, 2011.  (©AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

With President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. (©AP Photo)

I returned to the State Department briefly and then made my way to the White House. Rather than drive in, I walked through the 17th Street gates, past the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, and up to the door of the West Wing. I spent a half hour talking with friends who work in the building and then mustered with Deputy Secretary Burns, Director Sperling, and a couple White House staffers to brief the President in the Oval Office.

When Prime Minister Key arrived, he and and President greeted each other warmly, joked a bit about the weather, and settled into a warm conversation about the US-NZ bilateral relationship. The Prime Minister updated the President on the Christchurch recovery process, and the President thanked the Prime Minister for New Zealand’s highly productive engagement in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world. The two leaders ranged across a variety of other topics, and then the White House press corps and the visiting Kiwi media stampeded (literally, believe me) in for film, photos, and statements.

I was a bit surprised later to see Kiwi press reports saying that the meeting was rushed or “cut short.” I didn’t think to bring my stop watch, but it seemed to me that the conversation proceeded naturally, filled the allotted time, and indeed continued for awhile after the press scrum was escorted out of the Oval Office. Anyway, although minutes are certainly easier to analyze than progress or substance, the meeting seemed to me to meet expectations on all counts, particularly given what else was occurring in the world that Friday.

After the Prime Minister’s party departed, I spent a few more minutes with the President, who remarked how much he enjoyed the PM’s visit. As I left the Oval Office myself, I saw a rare copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Lincoln, and Norman Rockwell’s The Problem We All Live With, one of my favorite works of American art. I was also happy to see the Prime Minister’s gift to the President — a stunning raukawakawa pounamu (flower jade) wahaika (fish-mouth club) carved by Hokitika craftsman Aden Hoglund and presented by the Ngai Tahu.

President Barack Obama, right, and New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key, shake hands following their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington  Friday, July 22, 2011.  (©AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Shaking hands after making statements to the press. (©AP Photo)

I walked the few steps from the West Wing to the Eisenhower Building for follow-up meetings and then returned to the State Department for an informal celebration with my ANP (Australia, New Zealand, Pacific) Office colleagues. After that, I drove up to the official Residence of the New Zealand Ambassador for the Prime Minister’s final event in Washington, a small dinner with business folks and trade experts to discuss the TPP. It was a convivial evening with no surprises.

I stayed in Washington for one more day of Government consultations focused on youth outreach, sports diplomacy, educational exchanges, and renewable energy projects, which are among the parts of my portfolio that excite me the most. I enjoyed spending time with my friends at the Sports United office who helped arrange our recent Hawaiian rugby exchange program, and with my friend Andrew Cedar who is the Secretary’s senior advisor for youth programs. I concluded my formal schedule with a trip to Capitol Hill to brief the staff of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations re developments since I last visited, in January.

That evening I had the great pleasure of dining informally with my colleagues Bob, Chad, and Marie who were in Washington for training.  Bob is my outgoing Deputy Chief of Mission to whom I am deeply indebted for his guidance and distinguished service during my first 18 months as Ambassador. Marie is my new Deputy Chief of Mission for New Zealand, and Chad is my new Deputy Chief of Mission for Samoa. We had an enjoyable and productive evening, although it was a bit odd listening to Bob coach Marie and Chad on how to try to manage me.

I only spent one week in Washington this time, but crammed into that week was enough work for a month. I can confidently say that it was the most productive, successful, and enjoyable business trip that I’ve ever had. I’m happy, though, to be back in Wellington with a free Saturday tomorrow to recharge my batteries. Dr McWaine is on his annual camping trip in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains with his old high school mates, so I’ll have the run of the Residence.