[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 57 (Tuesday, March 28, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H3809-H3810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN WELCOME OF THE PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND, THE HONORABLE JIM 
                                 BOLGER

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of my 
colleagues in the Congress to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to 
the Honorable Jim Bolger, the Prime Minister of New Zealand and members 
of his delegation. This is indeed an historic occasion, as it has been 
over a decade since New Zealand's Prime Minister has been invited to 
Washington to meet with our President. And I want to commend President 
Clinton, Secretary of State Warren Christopher, Secretary of Defense 
William Perry, and Assistant Secretary Winston Lord for bringing about 
this normalization of our relations with the leaders and good people of 
New Zealand. I also want to welcome our Nation's Ambassador to New 
Zealand, the Honorable Josiah Beeman, who is also in Washington.
  As some of our colleagues may know, in 1987, the United States 
Government restricted political, military, and security contacts with 
the nation of New Zealand in response to her adoption of antinuclear 
legislation that was perceived to be inconsistent with United States 
military interests in the South Pacific.
  Although I can understand why our defense ties and Anzus obligations 
to New Zealand were terminated, I have never supported an across-the-
board snubbing that our country forced New Zealand to endure for years. 
While we restricted high-level contacts with New Zealand, I find it 
ironic that our Government had no problem in meeting with leaders from 
totalitarian states and Communist regimes.
  New Zealand is a longstanding and respected democracy that shares our 
values, and has historically been a close friend of the United States 
for most of this century. The people of New Zealand and America are 
much alike and have much in common--including a shared language, a 
common heritage of multiculturalism, and a firm commitment to the 
principles of free market economies.
  Our two nations, as allies, have fought at each others' side against 
aggression in virtually every major conflict in recent times. From 
World War I and World War II, to the Korean, Vietnam, and the Persian 
Gulf wars, New Zealand has joined with America to combat those forces 
that have threatened democracy and undermined international security 
and peace.
  As a member of the U.N. Security Council, New Zealand has actively 
supported the United States in multilateral collective security 
efforts. This has included joint operations with America in U.N. 
peacekeeping missions to Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda, and Haiti, as well 
as contributions to U.N. peacekeeping efforts in Bosnia, Angola, and 
Mozambique.
  In the Asia-Pacific, both New Zealand and the United States support 
the Asean Regional Forum, which provides the best promise for engaging 
the major Pacific powers in a new multilateral security architecture 
for the region. In furtherance of nonproliferation controls, New 
Zealand early on supported United States negotiations resolving the 
North Korean nuclear crisis, and has strongly worked with the United 
States for indefinite extension of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
  Moreover, New Zealand has played an active and positive role in 
supporting United States efforts in international economic fora, such 
as the Uruguay round of GATT, APEC, the Pacific Economic Cooperation 
Council, and the Pacific Basin Economic Committee.
  Given the nature of this long and extraordinarily deep relationship 
between our democracies, I strongly applauded the Clinton 
administration's policy change last year to resume senior-level 
diplomatic contacts with New Zealand for discussion of political, 
strategic, and broad security matters. The removal of New Zealand's 
diplomatic handcuffs has been long overdue.
  Although several Members in both Houses of Congress lobbied the 
administration for years to lift the unfair restrictions, certainly 
Prime Minister Bolger deserves a good part of the credit. During the 
Seattle APEC summit, 
[[Page H3810]] his brief meeting with President Clinton resulted in a 
promise to review the relationship between our nations. No doubt their 
personal exchange expedited the review process, resulting in removal of 
constraints between our governments and resumption of high level 
dialog.
  The Honorable Jim Bolger has been Prime Minister of New Zealand since 
1990. Although the breakthrough in bilateral relations with the United 
States has been a significant accomplishment during his tenure, 
certainly Prime Minister Bolger must also be commended for the dramatic 
and dynamic revitalization of New Zealand's economy. Under Prime 
Minister Bolger's leadership, New Zealand has undergone comprehensive 
economic reforms, changing from one of the most insulated and 
restrictive economies in the OECD to one of the most open and 
competitive.
  Today, New Zealand stands as a model for the rest of the world as to 
the benefits of free market reforms. The country's annual GDP exceeds 6 
percent, inflation has been curbed at 2 percent, unemployment is 
rapidly declining along with foreign debt, while government budget 
surpluses are increasing.
  To accomplish this feat, New Zealand has undertaken several 
initiatives, such as liberalizing trade by slashing tariffs and 
removing imports quotas, encouraging financial liberalization by 
eliminating controls on prices, interest rates, and wages, while 
introducing a floating exchange rate, broadening the tax base, by 
implementing a value-added tax, while cutting corporate and personal 
tax rates, reducing government budgets by privatizing public 
enterprises and removing subsidies, and substantial deregulation across 
most sectors of the economy, with a monetary policy targeting price 
stability as the major objective.
  These free market reforms have culminated in the World 
Competitiveness Report in 1994 ranking New Zealand first for long-term 
competitiveness among the advanced economic nations of the OECD.
  Mr. Speaker, in recognition of this historic trip to Washington, it 
is my distinct privilege and pleasure to congratulate Prime Minister 
Bolger and the good people of New Zealand for their unwavering 
commitment to democracy and outstanding economic accomplishments of its 
government.
  On this great occasion, Mr. Speaker, I submit to my distinguished 
colleagues in this Chamber, to join me by welcoming Prime Minister 
Bolger and members of his delegation to our Nation's Capital. As my 
Polynesian cousins, the Maoris of New Zealand would say, ``Kia ora.''
  Tinei mauriora! Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. Te whare 
e tu nei, temarae e takoto nei, tena korua. Nga hau e wha, nga iwi e 
tau nei, tena koutou katoa. The breath of life! Greetings, greetings, 
greetings! To the House, to the land, greetings to you both. People of 
the four winds, people gathered here, greetings to all of you.


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