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Clock counting down to APEC conference, but who will NZ send?
Many of the world’s top leaders will be at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next week in San Francisco, including US President Joe Biden and China’s leader Xi Jinping. But will New Zealand show up – and if so, who?
APEC is being hosted in San Francisco from 11 to 17 November this year and its 21 member nations are expected to send representatives.
The regional economic forum was established in 1989 and is regularly attended by prime ministers and presidents.
Executive Director of the New Zealand Business Forum and APEC Business Advisory Council, Stephen Jacobi, told Checkpoint it was critical that New Zealand have a seat at the table despite the ongoing election uncertainty.
“APEC is incredibly important for New Zealand,” he said.
“This is a region that takes over 70 percent of our exports and it is an opportunity for our prime minister to engage with the leaders of those economies.
“It would be great if we could have Christopher Luxon there, it is an opportunity for him to make early contact with President Biden, President Xi Jinping, also the prime ministers and presidents of Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, you name it.”
Jacobi acknowledged that “our constitution arrangements are important too and I guess a judgement will have to be made by those that are directly concerned with that”.
However, New Zealand definitely should not beg off APEC due to the coalition negotiations, he said.
“If no one went from New Zealand that would be terrible. Not to appear at an APEC for a country like New Zealand that’s dependent on trade with that region and the relations that we could build up would be incredibly negative.”
Christopher Luxon is likely to not yet be prime minister when APEC begins this weekend. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Jacobi said New Zealand could be represented by the caretaker government, or by a combination with support from incoming government as is currently happening at the Pacific Islands Forum.
“Not to attend would be extremely negative and I don’t think is being really contemplated.”
Caretaker Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and trade minister Damien O’Connor could attend, he said, while ministers in waiting from the incoming government could attend in an observer fashion.
“They won’t be able to participate in the actual APEC meeting but they could participate in the various bilateral meetings that take place all around APEC.”
Jacobi said many important meetings on trade agreements and other deals will be going on around the forum.
“It’s not just one meeting, it’s a whole series of meetings.”
“It’s very important that our seat is not left vacant.”
It likely would not be the first time a country has just had an election and had to attend a forum like APEC, he said.
“I think that without a doubt the best option is for the incoming government to be there. The second option is for them to be represented in some way, the third option is for the caretaker government to do the mahi.”
RNZ
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
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