Patman drives debate on NZ's future

University of Otago Foreign Policy School co-director Prof Robert Patman says New Zealand must be...
University of Otago Foreign Policy School co-director Prof Robert Patman says New Zealand must be ''diplomatically nimble'', in balancing East and West. Photo by Gregor Richardson.

Otago is a province with a rich history of achieving firsts. We have led the way in many fields and that tradition continues. Researchers at the University of Otago are attracting international attention and some have been granted millions of dollars for cutting-edge projects. What are they up to? Reporter John Gibb does his own research on the researchers.

Prof Robert Patman's strong interest in international politics began as a small child, with regular passionate discussions around the family dinner table.

Born in England, Prof Patman is a specialist in international relations at the University of Otago.

That family dinner table back in the 1960s was in Benfleet, a town about 50km east of London.

Key figures in the interesting but harmonious household were his mother Tina, of Irish Catholic background, and his father, Ken, a Protestant untroubled by any suggestion of religious differences.

Ken was a bricklayer, as was Prof Patman's grandfather, Bill, who was also deeply involved in the trade union movement.

Prof Patman became the first member of his family to study at university.

As a youngster, Prof Patman's early dream was to become a professional football player.

But it was ultimately those many lively dinner table discussions that helped fire a strong interest in international politics which led to a career in that field, and the writing of several books, including Strategic Shortfall: The Somali Syndrome and the March to 9/11.

In the '60s, the Patman family was keen on watching the TV news and reading newspapers, and Prof Patman was always encouraged to have his say.

''The TV set would be switched off and Dad would ask us what we thought of the news.''

One of Prof Patman's first memories as a child was the Cuban Missile Crisis on 1962, when the world stood on the brink of nuclear holocaust in a stand-off over the presence of nuclear missiles in Cuba.

''One of the first things I can remember - I was a child of about 2 or 3 - the Cuban Missile Crisis - that was the first time I saw my parents frightened. This was one of the world's most serious crises.''

Academic life remains busy for Prof Patman, who is at present writing three books.

He enjoys family life with his wife and three children, and walks or jogs to take a break from research and teaching.

As well as being a professor in the Otago politics department, Prof Patman has seven times been a director or co-director of the university's annual Foreign Policy School.

This weekend international politics is firmly back on the agenda, with the school celebrating its 50th anniversary, by focusing on New Zealand's place in the world and the theme ''New Zealand and the World: Past, Present and Future''.

The school has built an international reputation for studying New Zealand's place in a rapidly changing world.

Prof Patman pays tribute to the vision and drive of Arnold Entwisle, a lecturer in what then was the Department of University Extension, in helping set up the school 50 years ago, and running it for its first 10 years.

Mr Entwisle realised a more independent New Zealand would need a dedicated forum where academics, policy-makers and the general public could share ideas involving this country's foreign policy.

By focusing on immediate challenges and future trends, the school had helped spread the thinking and debate about foreign affairs beyond academics and foreign affairs practitioners and to raise awareness among the public, he said.

Initially, only about 30 attended the school.

Half a century on, more than 130 people will attend this year's three-day school, ending tomorrow.

Regarded as the leading event of its kind in the country, the school is opened each year with an address by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

A series of books resulting from talks given by the various speakers has been published by some of the world's leading academic publishers, in another sign of the school's rising fortunes.

Among a high-powered line-up of national and international speakers at the latest school, at St Margaret's College, are security analyst Dr Paul Buchanan, and former senior New Zealand diplomats Colin Keating and Terence O'Brien.

One of the most important foreign policy challenges New Zealand faces, Prof Patman says, is reconciling and balancing its ''growing involvement in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region with traditional links to the English-speaking world.

He points out that New Zealand is in a somewhat unusual position, because of its particularly close ties with both China and the US.

New Zealand was the first Western developed country to sign a free-trade agreement with China, which has become New Zealand's top export market.

''Wellington will have to navigate carefully between the superpowers and avoid actions that seem to suggest that it is siding with one against the other. We'll need to make sure that we're diplomatically nimble.''

Having such close ties to two powerful nations was a ''nice problem to have'' but keeping the delicate East-West balance was ''very demanding''.

Prof Patman is optimistic that New Zealand can meet this challenge, but warns against complacency.

Asked about the situation in 2013 when New Zealand found millions of dollars worth of meat exports sitting on Chinese wharves because of an apparent mix-up over export documentation, Mr Patman said this highlighted the need for deeper understanding of key countries, such as China.

If New Zealand thought it could simply rely on China for its economic prosperity, and on the United States for security, without staying alert, ''we're in for a big surprise'', he warns.

New Zealand could eventually give under pressure from Asian nations to rethink its involvement in the ''Five Eyes'' intelligence-gathering network.

Given the growing challenges and complexities, New Zealand needed more rather than fewer diplomats and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade staff, despite some earlier budget cuts at Mfat, he said.

New Zealand showed its independence this year resisting US pressure and becoming the first Western developed country to join China's Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Continuing hard work was needed for this country to use the new international possibilities for its advantage, he said.

 


Snapshot

Name and age: Prof Robert Patman, in his 50s.

Occupation: Professor in University of Otago politics department.

Qualifications: Include PhD, University of Southampton 1987.

Short work history: Lecturer, University of Surrey; Otago University staff since 1991.

Proudest achievement: Establishing the popular Otago master of international relations degree, about 300 students having since graduated.

 


THE RESEARCH CHALLENGE

Studying New Zealand's place in the world: balancing our growing role in the Asia-Pacific, and close economic ties with China, with ties with traditional English-speaking nations, and close security links with the United States.

Why is it important?

New Zealand enjoys close trade and security links with, respectively, China and the United States. We need to keep a ''delicate balance'' between those two countries and ''make it work for New Zealand''.

Most interesting aspect of your research?

Trying to discuss such key international relations challenges clearly and to ''demystify'' complex points that are hard to understand.

In what way is it unique?

New Zealand has a distinctive role internationally, both as the first Western developed country to sign a free trade agreement with China, and also having close security links with the US.


 

 

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