Mind the Gap: New Zealand and Regional Institutions in Southeast Asia
This report by Dr David Capie looks at New Zealand's engagement with Southeast Asia regional institutions and how these relationships have developed over recent years.
Southeast Asia’s regional institutions are central to New Zealand’s engagement with the emerging East Asian region. In the past decade, New Zealand governments have recognised this and have made Southeast Asia a higher priority in the country’s foreign and economic policy.
But while New Zealand has been highly successful in managing its relations with the region, new energy and initiatives are essential to sustain past momentum. This report identifies some future challenges and opportunities for New Zealand, and suggests ways the country can show it is a committed and credible participant in regional affairs.
This paper is in four parts. The opening section provides some historical background on the evolution of regional institutions in Southeast Asia, explaining their origins, their purpose and how they work.1 The second part explains in broad terms why these groups are important, and how they contribute to New Zealand’s interests. Part three focuses in greater detail on the alphabet soup of institutions themselves: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional
Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), setting out New Zealand’s interests in and its engagement with each. The final section identifies some future challenges and opportunities, including some recommendations for a range of relevant New Zealand
actors to consider.
Mind the Gap New Zealand and Regional Institutions in Southeast Asia
pdf, 2.27 MB
