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NEW ZEALAND'S REPRESENTATION OVERSEAS New Zealand has neither the resources nor the personnel to establish overseas representation on the same scale as that of the other members of the British Commonwealth, nor indeed is New Zealand's economy considered to be of the type which requires such a widespread network of representatives. The policy of the Government has therefore been to keep New Zealand's overseas representation to the minimum required for the effective protection of its economic and security interests, and it has ■consequently been necessary to decline the proposals of several non-Pacific countries who wished, by exchanging diplomatic representatives and thus establishing direct relations, to recognize New Zealand's contribution to the war effort of the United Nations, her independent status in world affairs, and her importance in certain fields of the international economy. Up to the present New Zealand posts have been established only in British ■Commonwealth countries and in countries which are situated in, or have important territories in, the Pacific area —the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Australia, and Canada. Agreement in principle was given to the exchange of diplomatic representatives with three other Pacific Powers —France, the Netherlands, and China. It was necessary, however, to inform these three Governments that, while the New Zealand Government would welcome their representatives in this country, certain material circumstances, including the need to assemble and train properly qualified staff, would prevent New Zealand from following the normal practice of making the exchange immediately reciprocal. In pursuance of this understanding France completed her part of the exchange by establishing a Legation at Wellington, and the Netherlands will shortly do the same. There will then be four •diplomatic missions in New Zealand —the Legations of France, the Netherlands, the U.S.S.R., and the United States of America. New Zealand has two overseas diplomatic missions—the New Zealand Legations in the U.S.S.R. and the United States of America. To deal with detailed matters in the trade and tourist field New Zealand maintains a Consulate-General at New York; trade offices at London, Sydney, Melbourne, Montreal, and Bombay; and tourist offices at London, Sydney, and Melbourne. The more active interest of certain foreign Governments in developing trade with New Zealand is shown by the steady replacement of honorary Consuls by Consuls who are permanent career officers. At the beginning of the year four countries —Belgium, China, Switzerland, and the United States—had career Consular representatives in New Zealand ; to their number have now been added a Consul-General of Denmark and a Consul of Sweden. For a short time Brazil was represented at Wellington by a ■career Consul, but he has since left for Australia, and from there represents his Government in trade matters in both Australia and New Zealand. A separate publication of the Department of External Affairs gives a full list of both career and honorary representatives of New Zealand overseas and of overseas representatives in New Zealand. While the following reports on New Zealand's missions overseas cover only the activities of the past year they make clear the general nature of the duties of such missions, which are established primarily to further New Zealand's security and economic interests, and to interpret the policy and actions of the New Zealand Government to the Government to which they are accredited and to keep the New Zealand Government fully informed of the policy and actions of the other Government and the reasons which motivated them. A supplementary duty is to interpret the way of life and the outlook of the New Zealand people to the people among whom they are stationed. The emphasis naturally varies from mission to mission according to the nature of New Zealand's interest in the particular country. The size and nature of the staff likewise vary —-at 31st March, 1947, the total personnel of all kinds at the London post was 164, at Washington 22, at Ottawa 10, at Moscow 9, at Canberra 7, and at New York 4. This is an increase of 2 since 31st March, 1946 ; a decrease of 1 at Moscow and an increase of 3 at New York. The great majority of the staff, especially at London, are locally recruited.

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