Prime Minister John Key's Antarctic adventure has had a false
start after awful weather forced the cancellation of his
flight.
Heavy fog at the Scott Base landing strip in the Ross
Dependency meant his departure for the four-day excursion was
put off until tomorrow.
Antarctic officials had already been forced to change planes
to a C-130 Hercules with fixed skis for the flight after a
dust storm damaged the runway, making it impossible to land
with wheels.
Mr Key planned to investigate New Zealand's scientific
activities on the continent, recognise US-New Zealand
collaborations on the ice, and travel to the South Pole with
his wife Bronagh.
He admitted this afternoon that the trip to the pole on a US
Air Force helicopter was partly a sightseeing tour, but he
said he was also interested in the way New Zealand and US
scientists were working together in the region.
Mr Key light-heartedly defended his entourage of two
Diplomatic Protection Service members at the most isolated
place on the planet.
"You never know where there's a trained assassin, I suppose,
do you?"
The visit comes soon after failed talks to establish the
largest marine reserve in the Ross Sea, during which New
Zealand initially rejected a comprehensive protection plan
drafted by the United States.
The US did not want fishing in the Ross Sea, but later agreed
to a new joint proposal with New Zealand which permitted some
fishing.
Mr Key said there was no bad blood between New Zealand and
the Americans.
He noted that the US had no fishing interests in the Ross
Sea, while New Zealand's fishing in the region produced a $20
million catch each summer.
"But New Zealand has always had a very strong history of
undertaking fisheries on a very sustainable basis. That is
something we are very acutely aware of in Antarctica.
"If New Zealand wasn't there, it would leave a vacuum that
others would actually fill and fill on a less sustainable and
sensible way."
Next week, Mr Key planned to gift three bottles of Ernest
Shackleton's whiskey to the Antarctic Heritage Trust.
The century-old bottles, which were found under the
floorboards in Shackleton's Antarctic hut, were being
returned after being sent to Scotland for analysis.
- Isaac Davison of the New Zealand Herald
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