1 Friends of New Zealand European Parliament January 2018 IN THIS ISSUE: New Zealand rocket launched into orbit PM Ardern expecting Agriculture Minister attends Green Week in Berlin NZ new Climate Change target DANZ delegation to visit NZ NZ Ministerial attendance in Davos Humanitarian assistance for Yemen and Syria New Zealand rocket launched into orbit The first rocket successfully launched from New Zealand is now tucked into orbit hundreds of kilometres above Earth. The unmanned Electron rocket, named 'Still Testing', took off from Māhia Peninsula at 2.45pm on 21 January. Launched by NZ Company Rocket Lab. 'Still Testing' carried three satellites into space from New Zealand. This was the second rocket to be launched by the New Zealand aerospace company, but the first to make it into orbit. This makes New Zealand the 11 th country to have orbit capability (and the first by the private sector). Economic development minister David Parker congratulated Rocket Lab on the successful launch, and said New Zealand was well positioned to support further development of the space industry. Parker visited Mission Control to watch the countdown, and pledged further support for the space industry. "Our natural advantage of clear skies and seas, and relatively low levels of air traffic make us an attractive location for space activity." Parker said. "The Government is particularly interested in advancing areas where New Zealand has existing strengths in space-based data applied to agritechnology, hazard management, oceanography and meteorology," he added. Capture from the video footage of the rocket launch
Rocket Lab plans to hold three test rocket launches before it operates commercially to carry satellites into orbit frequently, at a cost significantly lower than its competitors. 2 Rocket Lab also revealed that the rocket also carried an art sculpture called the Humanity Star. This faceted carbon fibre sphere was launched into orbit, where it is rapidly spinning; reflecting the sun s light so brightly that people on Earth will be able spot the orb with the naked eye. No matter where you are in the world, rich or in poverty, in conflict or at peace, everyone will be able to see the bright, blinking Humanity Star orbiting Earth in the night sky, company founder Peter Beck writes on the project s website. My hope is that everyone looking up at the Humanity Star will look past it to the expanse of the universe, feel a connection to our place in it and think a little differently about their lives, actions and what is important. Prime Minister Ardern expecting first child Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her partner, Clarke Gayford, announced earlier this month that they are expecting their first child in June. We re both really happy. We wanted a family but weren t sure it would happen for us, which has made this news unexpected but exciting, said Prime Minister Ardern. New Zealand s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, will take on the role of Acting Prime Minister for a period of 6 weeks after the baby is born. The Humanity Star Rocket Lab Mr Peters and I have a great relationship, and I know that together we ll make this period work. I will make arrangements for appropriate Ministers to act in my other portfolios over the six weeks I am away from Parliament. At the end of my leave I will resume all Prime Ministerial duties, noted the Prime Minister. Clarke and I are privileged to be in the position where Clarke can stay home to be our primary caregiver. Knowing that so many parents juggle the care of their new babies, we consider ourselves to be very lucky, added PM Ardern. PM Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford making the announcement to the media
Agriculture Minister attends Green Week in Berlin 3 Minister of Agriculture Damien O Connor attended the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, held during International Green Week in Berlin. The forum s theme was shaping the future of livestock sustainably, responsibly, efficiently. New Zealand s leading role in the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases was a large factor in the invitation to take part in the forum. The global challenge is to produce more food with less emissions intensity this requires research and innovation and is key to meeting the projected increase in worldwide food demand of 70 per cent by 2050, noted Minister O Connor. Minister O Connor also took this opportunity to engage with key European and New Zealand stakeholders with interests in the launch of EU-NZ free trade agreement negotiations. Rural communities across the world are often the life-blood of our societies and heritage. New Zealand is confident that an FTA between our country and the EU will provide opportunities for farmers in both Europe and New Zealand and facilitate greater agricultural cooperation, benefiting rural communities on both sides. As part of this oversees trip, Minister O Connor also travelled to Ireland, Denmark and Spain to meet his counterparts and discuss mutual issues affecting agricultural production and trade. New Zealand to be world leader on Climate Change The Government has announced a new ambitious climate change target for New Zealand of net zero emissions by 2050. In making the announcement Climate Change Minister James Shaw said today the Government is making the first important move to deliver on our commitments to be a world leader on climate change. Cabinet has agreed to introduce a Zero Carbon Bill to Parliament in October 2018 following public consultation. The legislation will see New Zealand put a bold new climate change target into law and establish an independent Climate Change Commission, said Mr. Shaw. The Bill will be a cornerstone of New Zealand s transition to a low-emissions, climate resilient future. Wind-powered energy in New Zealand
DANZ delegation to visit New Zealand 4 During the green week of 12-16 February, the Delegation for Relations with Australia and New Zealand will visit Wellington and Auckland, where they will have a series of meetings with NZ parliamentarians, government officials, academics and business leaders. During the visit, they will address themes such as EU-NZ trade, cooperation in multilateral fora, international security, agriculture, as well as diversity and integration. This follows an incoming visit by New Zealand MPs to the European Parliament in March last year. The last DANZ visit to New Zealand took place in March 2015. The delegation will be led by its new Chair, MEP Ulrike Müller (Germany, ALDE) who was designated to succeed Michael Theurer in December 2018. Minister for Trade and Economic Growth at the World Economic Forum in Davos Minister David Parker attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. Mr Parker took part in a session examining challenges facing global trade and investment. He said the New Zealand Government is concerned about inequality and is taking steps to address it. In the margins of the WEF, Minister Parker met with Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. He also had a discussion with counterparts on the implications for world trade of last month s WTO Ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires. Mr Parker regretted that it was not possible to reach an agreement last month to cap the subsidies major countries give their agriculture sectors, nor to implement rules to make the regulation of services more transparent, predictable and accessible. We need to keep working on those issues, said the Minister. However, he was encouraged by the progress made on two environmental issues - addressing the global harm being caused by fossil fuel subsidies and by fisheries subsidies. New Zealand and Finland cohosted an event to deliver a Ministerial statement to the WTO on Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform (FFSR). Endorsed by twelve other WTO Members, the statement confirms the benefits for development, trade and the environment of fossil fuel subsidy reform. It includes a commitment by New Zealand and its supporters to bring the issue into the WTO. I want to work with other WTO members to ensure that we can conclude negotiations to prohibit harmful fisheries subsidies before 2020, Mr Parker noted. In Buenos Aires, Minister Parker also had a short pull-aside with Commissioner Malmström to discuss, among other things, the EU-NZ FTA. Family photo in Davos
Increased humanitarian aid for Yemen and Syria 5 New Zealand announced an additional contribution of $3.5 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross for crucial humanitarian assistance in Yemen and Syria. The announcement was made by Foreign Minister Affairs Winston Peters in late 2017. Mr Peter stressed that In Yemen, two and a half years of civil war, a stalled peace process, and severe economic decline has resulted in large-scale displacement of the population and near-collapse of essential basic services such as water, sanitation and healthcare. About three-quarters of the population need humanitarian assistance, including 11.3 million who are in acute need, said Mr Peters. To make matters worse the country is in the grip of a cholera epidemic which has infected over 900,000 people and caused the death of more than 2,200 people, he added. In Syria, almost seven years of armed conflict has resulted in the single largest displacement crisis in the world. About 13 million people in Syria require humanitarian assistance and protection, including nearly three million people trapped in UN-declared besieged and hard-to-reach areas across conflict lines. An estimated 6.1 million people are internally displaced while another 5.4 million Syrians are registered as refugees in neighbouring countries. Of New Zealand s total contribution, $2m will be provided to the ICRC for Yemen to assist with protection, food and livelihood support, water and sanitation and health care, while $1.5m will go to the ICRC for Syria to provide food, hygiene kits, water and sanitation facilities and essential healthcare. This takes New Zealand s overall assistance to Yemen to $4.5m in 2017 and to Syria to over $24m since 2011. International Committee of the Red Cross