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Although we have tried to use plain English content on the site, you may come across specialist terms and acronyms. Find out what they mean in our glossary of terms.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) is the Government’s principal adviser and negotiator on foreign and trade policy issues. Through its diplomatic and consular service, it is charged by Government to ensure that New Zealand’s voice is heard abroad, that our security and economic interests are advanced, and that the rights and safety of New Zealanders abroad are protected.
The Ministry’s primary role is to recognise and understand international trends, opportunities and risks that affect New Zealand, and offer the Government advice on how best to protect and advance New Zealand’s well-being. In this way it contributes to the Government’s overall objective of transforming New Zealand into a dynamic, knowledge-based economy and society, underpinned by the values of fairness, opportunity and security for all.
In its annual Statement of Intent the Ministry reviews the international setting in which New Zealand pursues its external policies. We look for current trends and key drivers for change, seeking to identify opportunities and risks that may impact on our foreign and trade policy objectives. The Statement then sets out the broad initiatives which the Ministry plans to pursue over the subsequent twelve months, as well as outlining longer term policy objectives.
Contemporary challenges are increasingly trans-boundary in nature, be they the economic demands of globalisation; ideologically driven terrorism; the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; pressures on global natural and energy resources; human rights abuses; extremes of poverty; or regional threats posed by failed or failing states.
These trends are placing considerable pressure on all countries, including New Zealand, to be more globally active and equipped for this rapidly changing and less predictable world.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has released its 2008-11 Statement of Intent, which outlines plans for a progressive upgrading of its capability to advance and protect New Zealand's interests in an ever more crowded, complex and competitive globalised world.
New Zealand ’s key relationships are with
Australia, the United States of America, the Pacific
Island countries, Japan, China and the European
Union. Our membership of the United Nations and
its family of international agencies is another
important vehicle for making our voice heard.
Protecting and advancing our interests requires us
to develop and sustain relationships with those foreign
governments and organisations, so that New Zealand
can build and exert influence on them to accommodate
our interests in the decisions they take. We do this
through presence, persuasion and negotiation. Our
resources include a global network of some 50 overseas
posts with formal accreditations to 120 countries
and many international organisations. 730 New Zealanders
and more than 350 overseas employees work for the
Ministry in Wellington or abroad, with policy, administrative
and specialist skills directed towards developing
and delivering specific initiatives and interventions
to advance New Zealand’s interests.
Complementing those efforts, the Ministry works alongside other New Zealand government agencies with external interests to develop a framework for promoting greater coordination and collaboration by “NZ Inc” onshore and offshore, since this is one way we can multiply the reach and impact of our external engagements.
Other domestic stakeholders include business organisations and the private sector, academia and the media, non-government organisations (NGOs), Maori and interest groups. Our engagement with this wider community helps us promote New Zealand’s identity in the world as people who support and defend freedom and fairness and who value our diverse cultural heritage. Our perspectives as a principled and inclusive nation provide us with additional capacity to engage in international debates, including on trade, terrorism, disarmament, human rights, sustainable development and the environment. The private sector has a key role also in our work to negotiate Closer Economic Partnerships/Free Trade Agreements with other countries.
The Ministry provides a range of services for our stakeholders who include business organisations and the private sector, academia and the media, non-government organisations (NGOs), Maori and interest groups and the travelling New Zealand public. Read about our services in more detail
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is offering a limited number of grants for historical research. Grants will be up to a maximum of $5,000 and are intended to assist with the direct costs of research in the subject area ‘New Zealand’s Place in the World’. Preference will be given to research on the development of New Zealand’s foreign relations in the period from World War Two onwards, and to work which draws on the Ministry’s archival records.
While the Ministry does not attempt to define too rigidly what is meant by “historical” research, it draws a distinction between work on topics of historical interest and engagement on topics that may be of current operational or policy interest.
Applicants should apply in writing, giving an outline of the research to which the grant would contribute, a statement of the importance of the research and an indication of the intended end product. Names and contact details of at least two academic referees should be provided, as well as a detailed budget.
Grants are made to researchers on a personal basis. They are intended to provide direct support with costs incurred directly by the researcher. Salary costs, whether for the researcher or for staff such as research assistants, will not normally be met, and only in exceptional circumstances will assistance be provided for foreign travel.
Historical research grant applications closing date: to be confirmed.
Applications should be directed to:
Chair of the Historical Research Advisory Group
c/o Director, Information and Public Affairs Division
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Private Bag 18 901
WELLINGTON
