Prime Minister John Key says New Zealand will continue to have strong relationships with Britain and the European Union in the wake of the Brexit vote.
In a landmark referendum held on Thursday, Britain narrowly voted to leave the EU by 52% to 48.%, prompting David Cameron to announce he was stepping down as leader.
"This was always a decision for voters in the UK and we respect the decision they have made," Prime Minister John Key said through a spokesman tonight.
"We will continue to have a strong relationship with both the EU and the UK, and to further develop our ties with both. In this respect nothing has changed.
"The UK remains a member of the EU for the moment and it will take some time to work through the implications of their decision to leave.
"In terms of our existing trade arrangements, the immediate effects of the leave vote on New Zealand are likely to be limited and we expect that trade and other business activities will continue smoothly in the interim.
"We remain committed to the launch of formal negotiations on an EU FTA, and will be working with the UK as they go through the process of leaving the EU to put in place new trading arrangements."
Labour leader Andrew Little says the Government should move quickly to deal with Britain on issues such as free trade and immigration.
Mr Little said today that this would lead to a period of uncertainty, but all was not lost.
"For New Zealand it's about how quickly we can get talks under way for direct trade relations and no doubt other matters as well, including movement of people. That should be priority number one for the Government."
Mr Little said it was also important to ensure that free trade negotiations with the rest of the EU stayed on track.
New Zealand was on the verge of starting those negotiations and the referendum result means it will lose one of its most important supporters in Britain. The free trade talks will inevitably be delayed as Britain goes through the process of extricating itself - which is expected to take at least two years.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters - a Brexit supporter - believed New Zealand had nothing to fear from the result.
"I think the scaremongering will be exposed for what it is: pure scaremongering."
He said it meant the United Kingdom was now free to deal with New Zealand in areas such as trade and the result would strengthen the relationship immensely.
Mr Peters compared the British voters who voted to leave the EU as showing "the same character they showed when they confronted Hitler".
He said the victory for the Leave campaign in the referendum in Britain was a "massive wake-up call" for the British establishment and democracies everywhere.
"I joined the Leave campaign at the Leave campaign's request and I am delighted the British people exhibited the same character they showed when they confronted Hitler."
He said the Remain campaign had more money and the advantage of political incumbency, but British voters had stood up to it.
"The people who pay the taxes and face some of the greatest competition for jobs, working conditions and a decent economic and social future simply are not going to go on being ignored or treated as invisible."
Prime Minister John Key is yet to comment. In the lead-up to the referendum he said it was in New Zealand's interests for Britain to stay in the EU but New Zealand was not as exposed to upheaval in Europe because much of its trade was now in Asia.
Mr Little had also said he would have preferred Britain to stay in the EU, but it was a democratic decision which could not be ignored. He said there was an element of "anti-elite" thinking about it and voter rebellion at being told what to do.
"But I'd say it's more about a widespread concern about the fact that after so many years of being part of a free trade area that many people feel as if they're missing out. Whether it's an immigration thing or a share in economic growth thing generally I think the reality is a lot of people feel it's not working for them."
He said the result did not bode well for British PM David Cameron who had called the referendum and campaigned to remain with the EU.
"Obviously the majority of his fellow citizens didn't feel the same way so his leadership and authority is heavily undermined by the result."
Almost two thirds of New Zealand's trade was with the United Kingdom in the 1950s but that declined after Britain joined the EU in 1973. Since then, New Zealanders' rights to live and work in the United Kingdom have gradually eroded to compensate for increased migration from Europe.
- NZ Herald
