Australia and New Zealand from a Distance

Abstract

It is a great honour for me to be here today to participate in this important Twenty-fifth Otago Foreign Policy School. The conference in my view is taking place at a time when the global order is changing rapidly in ways that will no doubt bring about transformation in international politics during this decade. Like the developments in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union the Asian-Pacific region is also undergoing changes. Because of the interdependent nature of the global system these changes I believe will in one way or another have far-reaching implications for the island countries of the South Pacific.