Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (Australia)'s new Director, Sabina Woelkner, has just completed her inaugural visit to New Zealand.
In Wellington, Mrs Woelkner had the opportunity to meet the German Ambassador, HE Nicole Menzenbach, and the EU Ambassador, HE Lawrence Meredith, with whom she discussed inter alia New Zealand's current challenges (including supply chain issues, rising living costs, and a lack of affordable housing), the EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement and the 1st EU-NZ Business Summit held in Auckland earlier this month as well as the success story of Horizon Europe in Aotearoa. She was also warmly welcomed by representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), who emphasized the importance of New Zealand's relations with Germany and the European Union in uncertain times, and noted the benefits that could arise from the proposed closer cooperation between the EU on the one hand and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and possibly the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the other.
In her meetings with Oliver Hartwich from The New Zealand Initiative, David Capie from the Centre of Strategic Studies (CSS) and Hamish McDougall from the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs (NZIIA), the discussion evolved around New Zealand's support of Ukraine (eg by way of training Ukrainian soldiers), the country's possible accession to Pillar 2 of AUKUS, New Zealand's 2025 Defence Capability Plan (including increased defence spending) and possible cooperation between our respective organisations next year. Tim van de Molen, the Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee and Co-Chairperson of the New Zealand-Europe Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Parliament of New Zealand, outlined the National Party's priorities and expressed an interest in visiting Berlin and Brussels in the near future.
In Auckland, Mrs Woelkner had the opportunity to meet the National Party's President, Sylvia Wood, and the Chairperson of the Legal Affairs Committee, Peter Kiely, to discuss the Party's 90th Anniversary in 2026, and related matters. The CEO of the German-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (GNZCC), Monique Surges, provided her take of the NZ-Germany/EU trade relations, noting the opportunities for German companies in regards to renewable energy and the building and construction sector. Sione Tekiteki, a former senior policy adviser of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) turned Senior Lecturer of Law at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), shared valuable insights into the Pacific Region's current challenges (including geopolitical tensions, access to climate financing, and lack of digital technologies to foster development). Finally, she discussed with the German Honorary Consul, Erich Bachmann, New Zealand's budgetary situation, the proposed introduction of a capital gains tax, and ongoing free trade negotiations with India.
