{"id":31520,"date":"2014-11-14T16:48:44","date_gmt":"2014-11-14T08:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=31520"},"modified":"2025-03-10T17:50:45","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T21:50:45","slug":"harper-to-meet-with-new-zealand-counterpart-first-official-visit-in-19-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2014\/11\/14\/harper-to-meet-with-new-zealand-counterpart-first-official-visit-in-19-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Harper to meet with New Zealand counterpart; first official visit in 19 years"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Facebook Page of PM Stephen Harper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

AUCKLAND, New Zealand\u2014Stephen Harper rubbed noses with Maori ceremonial warriors today in advance of a meeting with his New Zealand counterpart in the first official visit by a Canadian prime minister in 19 years.<\/p>\n

Harper and his wife, Laureen, were greeted by New Zealand Gov.<\/p>\n

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Gen. Jerry Mateparae on the lush grounds of his residence in suburban Auckland after the Maori performed a traditional challenge\u2014called the wero or taki\u2014used to determine whether a visitor comes in peace or hostility.<\/p>\n

The prime minister rubbed noses with both a male and female elder in the traditional Maori greeting after taking in the boisterous ceremony.<\/p>\n

He then travelled to the Auckland war memorial to lay a wreath.<\/p>\n

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Harper and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key have a warm relationship, meeting on the sidelines of various global events over the years, including in March in the Netherlands at the Nuclear Security Summit. Key also visited Canada four years ago.<\/p>\n

The two men are both fiscal conservatives leading Commonwealth countries, and the nations share similar colonial and military histories.<\/p>\n

Kiwi and Canuck soldiers fought together in conflicts that include both World Wars, the Korean War, the Gulf War and the war in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Harper\u2019s talks with Key are expected to focus on an array of topics that include trade, regional security, crises in Iraq, Syria and Ukraine and New Zealand\u2019s deepening economic ties to China.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will discuss a range of international issues of mutual interest such as New Zealand\u2019s recent appointment to the United Nations Security Council,\u201d Key said in announcing Harper\u2019s visit just over a week ago.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a coveted spot Canada failed to secure in 2010. Canada backed New Zealand\u2019s bid for a temporary seat on the powerful council.<\/p>\n

Earlier Thursday, which is Friday in New Zealand, Key said he was keen to discuss domestic and international security with Harper following the recent slayings of Canadian soldiers by men who expressed jihadist sympathies.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

He said Canada is in a \u201cslightly more forward-leaning position\u201d than New Zealand because it is taking part in international efforts to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Key added he wanted to hear exactly what Canada is doing and how things are progressing.<\/p>\n

New Zealand has sent a handful of military personnel to Iraq to assess how best to help in the fight, but has ruled out any combat role.<\/p>\n

Key also said he hopes to discuss the TransPacific Partnership, the proposed Asia-Pacific free-trade deal.<\/p>\n

New Zealand is the world\u2019s biggest dairy exporter and is pressuring Canada to slash exorbitant tariffs on foreign dairy products. The tiny nation of four million even objected to Canada\u2019s inclusion in TPP discussions three years ago because of the Canadian supply management system.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the only sore spot in the Canada-New Zealand relationship.<\/p>\n

Harper\u2019s trip to New Zealand is his first in any capacity, but his wife, Laureen, has a Kiwi connection.<\/p>\n

Her first husband was New Zealander Neil Fenton, a tech company founder. Their marriage ended in 1988, five years before she married Harper.<\/p>\n

Some New Zealanders have apparently not forgotten Laureen Harper, who\u2019s accompanying her husband on his visit.<\/p>\n

A customs official at the Auckland airport told a Canadian reporter entering the country that he once knew the 52-year-old Laureen Harper, describing her as \u201ca lovely person\u201d and asking how she was doing. He couldn\u2019t be identified because of his work as a customs service agent.<\/p>\n

The Canadian flag is also something of a celebrity in New Zealand these days.<\/p>\n

Key wants to change the New Zealand flag to one that is more recognizably Kiwi, and has pointed to Canada\u2019s switch to its famous Maple Leaf flag in 1965 as evidence that it won\u2019t dishonour New Zealand\u2019s war dead by having a new ensign.<\/p>\n

The country\u2019s citizens will vote on whether they want a new flag in a referendum next year. Key has suggested a silver fern\u2014an iconic image in New Zealand, on par with Canada\u2019s Maple Leaf\u2014for a new emblem.<\/p>\n

After Harper\u2019s day in Auckland, he will then head to Brisbane, Australia, to attend the G20 leaders\u2019 summit.<\/p>\n

German chancellor Angela Merkel, another world leader who enjoys a close relationship with Harper, also visits New Zealand today on her way to Brisbane.<\/p>\n

Harper arrived in Auckland following a gruelling 24-hour trek that involved two stops to refuel. It was the second trans-Pacific journey he\u2019d made in three days after he returned to Ottawa from Beijing to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AUCKLAND, New Zealand\u2014Stephen Harper rubbed noses with Maori ceremonial warriors today in advance of a meeting with his New Zealand …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":5282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1482,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-breaking","category-news-ca","mauthors-lee-anne-goodman","mauthors-the-canadian-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31520"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":288036,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31520\/revisions\/288036"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}