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		Wellington Declaration

With the November 2010 signing by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully of the Wellington Declaration, which affirms a new strategic partnership between the U.S. and New Zealand, the U.S.-New Zealand relationship has been restored to one that is once again largely defined by the many areas of bilateral cooperation between the two nations rather than past differences. Past differences over New Zealand's nuclear policy, which prevents nuclear armed or powered ships from entering New Zealand ports, had hindered the relationship despite deep common interests. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key noted at the signing of the Declaration that the relationship is "the best it's been for 25 years." MMP

New Zealand is a unicameral, mixed-member-proportional (MMP), parliamentary democracy. The center-right National Party led by Prime Minister John Key and the opposition center-left Labour Party led by Phil Goff are the two main political parties in New Zealand. New Zealand's Mixed Member Proportional system gives smaller parties a key role in forming coalition government. Prime Minister Key's performance in dealing with the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake will likely be a key issue in the election. New Zealand's principal exports are dairy products, meat, timber, fish, fruit, wool, and manufactured products. New Zealand views the TPP as a way to add momentum to trade liberalization among Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member countries. Defense Posture

Throughout its history New Zealand has been an active participant in support of its allies and has fought alongside the United Kingdom and the United States in most of their major conflicts. New Zealand sent combat troops in support of the U.S. in Vietnam and has a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamiyan Province Afghanistan. New Zealand also sent support troops to Iraq. The paper also observes that security structures in the Asia-Pacific will continue to evolve. It makes the observation on security relations with the United States that "our security also benefits from New Zealand being an engaged, active, and stalwart partner of the U.S." The White Paper supports a continuing U.S. security presence in the Asia-Pacific and notes the United States' role as a contributor to regional stability. In summary, the key areas of cooperation are as follows:
Security cooperation in Afghanistan Regional cooperation and security in the South Pacific Bilateral trade and investment ties Cooperation in multilateral strategic and economic architectures such as TPP Science, technology, and education including cooperation on climate change mitigation and adaptation Non-proliferation and the Nuclear Security Summit Other transnational challenges Antarctic cooperation Socio-cultural and academic exchanges Intelligence cooperation
Many of these areas of cooperation are discussed in detail in the joint Center for Strategic and International Studies and New Zealand Institute of International Affairs report Pacific P artners: The Future of U.S.- New Zealand Relations , which found a clear consensus in both the United States and New Zealand that now is the time to take the bilateral relationship to a higher level of engagement. New Zealand also plays a leading role in maintaining stability in the Southwest Pacific in places such as Timor-Leste, the Solomon Islands, and Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, which are discussed in greater detail below. It has also been reported that the intelligence-sharing relationship has fully resumed. President Obama invited Prime Minister John Key to attend the Nuclear Summit in April 2010 and stated that New Zealand had "well and truly earned a place at the table." Institutional Support

There are several organizations and groups that help promote bilateral ties between the United States and New Zealand including the United States-New Zealand Council in Washington, DC, and its counterpart, the New Zealand-United States Council in Wellington; the Friends of New Zealand Congressional Caucus and its New Zealand parliamentary counterpart; and the more recent Partnership Forum. New Zealand's Pacific identity as well as its historical relationship with the South Pacific leads it to play a constructive role in the region. The Solomon Islands

New Zealand has demonstrated its resolve to help maintain peace and stability in its region through participation in operations such as the Australia and New Zealand led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
New Zealand is increasingly viewed as a stalwart partner of the United States that welcomes U.S. presence in its region. New Zealand and the United States enjoy very close bilateral ties across the spectrum of relations between the two countries. These ties are based on shared cultural traditions and values as well as on common interests. New Zealand is a stable and active democracy with a focus on liberalizing trade in the Asia-Pacific region. New Zealand also has a history of fighting alongside the United States in most of its major conflicts including World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. New Zealand is a regular contributor to international peace and stability operations and has contributed troops to the struggle against militant Islamists in Afghanistan, where it has a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Bamiyan Province.
The bilateral relationship between the United States and New Zealand was strengthened significantly through the signing of the Wellington Declaration in November 2010. At that time, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key signaled that past differences over nuclear policy have been set aside as the two described the relationship as the strongest and most productive it has been in 25 years. In the mid-1980s New Zealand adopted a still-in-effect policy of not allowing nuclear armed or nuclear powered ships to visit New Zealand ports. In a mark of how the relationship has been changing in recent years, New Zealand's nuclear stance earned Prime Minister John Key an invitation to President Obama's nuclear summit in April 2010. The Congressional Friends of New Zealand Caucus and the ongoing Partnership Forum between the two countries, which includes Congressional participation, have played a key role in deepening relations between the two nations.
New Zealand favors an open and inclusive strategic and economic architecture in the Asia-Pacific region. New Zealand also continues to seek closer strategic and economic relations and continued U.S. engagement in the Asia Pacific through U.S. participation in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a Asia-Pacific regional free trade initiative, as well as through U.S. membership in the East Asia Summit (EAS). New Zealand is a member of both the TPP group and the EAS. New Zealand's main export products include dairy products, meat, and wood products.
New Zealand also plays an important role in promoting regional stability in the Southwest Pacific and in archipelagic Southeast Asia. New Zealand's commitment to such operations is demonstrated by its leading role in helping to resolve conflict on Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, and its participation in peace operations in East Timor, and through its contribution of troops to security operations related to the Regional Assistance Mission in the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). New Zealand has also contributed to peace operations in places such as Bosnia, Sierra Leone, and Kosovo outside its region.
The National and Labour Parties have traditionally been the leading political parties in New Zealand. Prime Minister John Key of the National Party has faced a daunting challenge of dealing with the aftermath of a February 22, 2011 earthquake that devastated Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city. Elections in New Zealand are to be held in November 2011. At that time, New Zealand voters will also be asked to vote on their preference for retaining the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system.