Diplomacy gets a huge boost
Updated
New Zealand is boosting the number of its overseas-based diplomats by 50-per cent, and doubling its expenditure on foreign affairs over the next five years.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says there will be a renewed focus on the Pacific, including a significant boost to the number of New Zealand diplomats posed to Pacific countries. At the same time, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been told its budget will be cut by 109 million dollars as part of a two per cent efficiency dividend ordered by the government. Winston Peters says the Pacific is an absolutely critical area for future Zealand diplomacy.
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker: Vice New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters
