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Foreign Minister Winston Peters
OPINION: Foreign policy is a real strength of Winston Peter and this is recognised by Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) officials who, so the story goes, wanted him in his present role because of his experience in that field.
At a time of unprecedented geopolitical upheaval and uncertainty, wise and politically savvy heads are needed, and NZ should be grateful they have the NZ First leader at the helm, supported by a team of talented MFAT staff.
His words that "we live in a time where tip-toe diplomacy, super awareness, sensitivity and people having the ability to hold their counsel" are on the money.
His call to stay calm and not indulge in quickfire tit-for-tat spats is correct.
Peters has been in politics for eons and knows that at some point the dust will settle and real negotiations will take place in a calm and measured way. And as he says, who knows, in the end we may be better off than we are now.
This doesn't mean to say that he is pandering to anyone and in fact he continues to tell anyone he meets that NZ is absolutely committed to the orderly system of rules-based trade.
He is right to message that while we may be a small country just north of the penguins, our voice and its sensible arguments should be listened to by the major powers and should not be dismissed because of our limited military capability.
Peters points out that most nations are small, hence his slogan "small states matter".
The other valid point Peters makes is the need for NZ politicians to head overseas regularly for NZ politicians relationships and trust with nations we want to align ourselves with.
This flurry of international travel by our politicians is a must in the present environment. As the marketing saying goes, 'you can't make a sale until you have a relationship'.
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