New Zealand and Britain’s Failed Accession Attempts, 1960–1969

Abstract

This chapter places the UK, New Zealand and European Community political relationship in a historical context, showing how enduring colonial legacies were influential in the political debate about British membership in the 1960s. It outlines the political reaction to British consideration of European Community accession 1960–1963 and how this behaviour was largely replicated for subsequent British applications for Community membership and beyond. It also demonstrates the importance of political personalities in the negotiations. It shows how New Zealand trade issues emerged as a political ‘test’ of British entry and that support for New Zealand’s case came from both the left and right of British politics, and from those for and against entry into the Common Market, which augmented New Zealand’s influence. The chapter also looks at a broader context, including the evolution of protectionism in world agricultural markets in the 1960s, particularly trade in dairy products, showing how this entrenched position ahead of the enlargement negotiations of the early 1970s. The chapter concludes that the early 1960s established a historical institutional template for British advocacy on behalf of New Zealand in the European Community, which remained in place until the 1980s and after.