Advertisement
The World Affairs Forum, in association with the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, presents:Simon O’Connor MP, National Party Associate Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs
“The National Party Perspective on Foreign Affairs”.
Synopsis:
New Zealand has followed a generally bi-partisan foreign policy since the Kirk Administration of 1972-1974. Still, in the overlapping areas that comprise foreign policy (such as diplomacy, defence & veterans’ affairs, trade, and immigration), major differences of philosophy, or lesser ones of emphasis, may arise among the various Parties in Parliament.
The current world features geopolitical turmoil among the six or so major powers, deep economic and electoral clefts within nations, and world-wide travel disruption caused by the Covid pandemic. Political differences in foreign policy might assume greater prominence in the work of Parliament and the Executive.
Mr O’Connor will outline for his Party areas of importance in foreign policy in the present, and for a future National Administration.
The Speaker:
Raised in Whangarei, Simon O’Connor came to Auckland in 1994 to attend University. There he earned several degrees.
He spent several years on aid development projects in Fiji, and a year in the United States. Between 1995 and 2004, he trained to become a Catholic priest, but did not seek ordination. Thereafter, he worked in a broad range of commercial, public, and voluntary activities. In 2010 he completed a Masters of Political Studies, which he undertook while working full-time.
First elected in 2011, he is the Member of Parliament for Tamaki. In previous Parliaments, he has been the Chair of the Health Committee, and more recently the Chair of the Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Trade Committee. He currently serves as the National Party Spokesperson for Customs, Arts, Culture & Heritage, and Associate Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs.
He has also served as Chair of Monarchy New Zealand, a nationwide constitutional lobby group. He has been a frequent media commentator on constitutional and China-related matters.
Advertisement
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Old Government House, Auckland, New Zealand