Te Taumata wishes Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Nanaia Mahuta safe travels as she embarks on her first foreign trip since being appointed to the office a year ago.
Ms Mahuta’s seven-country tour will take her to Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, the UAE, Qatar, the US and Canada.
While Trade Minister Hon. Damien O’Connor made his first foreign trip five months ago, Ms Mahuta’s recent focus on major reforms in her other ministerial portfolio, Local Government, helps to explain her delay in travelling.
Ms Mahuta’s trip also comes off the back of the instrumental role both she and Mr O’Connor played in the successful negotiation of a Free Trade Agreement between Aotearoa and Britain.
Te Taumata acknowledges both ministers’ contributions to positioning Aotearoa – and specifically Māori – as a beneficial global partner and looks forward to hearing about how Ms Mahuta’s diplomatic trip fares.
Read more in this fantastic analysis piece by Geoffrey Miller.