New Zealand's election to the United Nations Security Council is a ''stunning'' result and reflects our standing on the world stage, a Dunedin academic says.
Prof Robert Patman, of the University of Otago politics department, made the comments after New Zealand resoundingly won a seat on the council yesterday, winning 145 out of 193 votes in the first ballot in New York.
Getting the support of so many states in the first round was a ''stunning outcome'', especially considering New Zealand only had 53 embassies, he said.
The win showed New Zealand was thought of highly around the world.
''New Zealand is seen as a fair-minded country,'' he said.
It was also a credit to a long-term and bipartisan campaign.
