New Zealand and the First Year of British Membership in the European Community, 1973

Abstract

This chapter looks at 1973, the moment of British accession, and asks if it comprised a ‘brutal snap’ in relations with New Zealand. It shows that British ambitions for the first year of entry, including reform of the CAP, were never likely to succeed, although there was optimism to the contrary. It also shows that Britain and New Zealand shared objectives to a significant extent, and in some ways, bilateral trade was encouraged. The chapter suggests that New Zealand’s relationship with Britain as it entered the European Community was affected by a range of external factors, including the end of the postwar economic boom, chronic inflation, the oil price shock and the World Food Crisis. Anglo-New Zealand relations were strained in 1973, particularly on the issues of currency valuations and French nuclear testing; however, the same can be said of Britain’s relations with other Western states. At the end of 1973, New Zealand was accorded a major financial win by the British Government recognising its claim for compensation for currency devaluation. This demonstrates that New Zealand still held political potency in Britain after the point of British entry.