Germany–New Zealand relations

Germany–New Zealand relations

Germany	New Zealand

The importance of the relations betweenGermanyandNew Zealandcenters on the history ofGerman migrationto New Zealand. Approximately 200,000 New Zealanders are of German descent, and many German tourists visit New Zealand each year.Both nations are members of theAustralia Group,Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmentand theUnited Nations.

History

The first German migrants to arrive to New Zealand took place circa 1842.Between 1843 and 1914 around 10,000 arrived, mainly from northern Germany.DuringWorld War I,New Zealand declared war on Germany in August 1914 followingGreat Britainsdeclaration of war.Soon after declaring war, New Zealand sent an expeditionary force andoccupied the German Samoan islands.New Zealand soldiers also fought against German troops at theWestern Front.Back in New Zealand, the government interned many Germans as enemy aliens onSomes IslandandMotuihe Island.

InWorld War II,New Zealand was one of the first countries to declare war on Germany, on 3 September 1939, the third day of the Germaninvasion of Poland.New Zealand soldiers (as part of theBritish Empire) fought against German forces during theBattle of Greece,Battle of Crete,Western Desert campaign,Tunisian campaignand theItalian campaign.The New ZealandMāori Battalionalso partook in the war following in the footsteps of theMāori Pioneer Battalionthat had served during the First World War.

In 1953West Germanyand New Zealand established diplomatic relations.After theGerman reunificationin 1990, New Zealand continued to maintain diplomatic relations with Germany. Since Germany and New Zealand established diplomatic relations, both countries have developed a partnership marked by close mutual trust. This partnership is based on shared interests and values and it has often made the two countries like-minded partners in international affairs, trade, research and cultural exchange. Both nations have cultivated good relations with numerous high-level visits such as German ChancellorAngela Merkel’s visit to New Zealand in 2014 and New Zealand's Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern's visit to Germany in April 2018.

High-level visits

High-level visits from Germany to New Zealand

• PresidentJohannes Rau(2001)
• ChancellorAngela Merkel(2014)
• PresidentFrank-Walter Steinmeier(2017)

High-level visits from New Zealand to Germany

• Prime MinisterHelen Clark(2005)
• Prime MinisterJohn Key(2015)
• Prime MinisterBill English(2017)
• Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern(2018)

Trade

In 2019, trade between Germany and New Zealand totaled US$4 billion.Germany's main exports to New Zealand include: motor vehicles; mechanical machinery and equipment; pharmaceutical products and electrical machinery. New Zealand's main exports to Germany include: meat; optical and medical equipment; fruit; casein; fish and wool.

Resident diplomatic missions

Embassy of Germany, Wellington

Embassy of Germany in Wellington

The German Embassy inWellington(German: Deutsche Botschaft Wellington) is Germany's diplomatic mission to New Zealand. It is located at 90–92 Hobson Street, Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand. The Germanambassadorto New Zealand has beenStefan Krawielickisince 2019.

Embassy of New Zealand, Berlin

The Embassy of New Zealand in Berlin is the diplomatic representation of New Zealand in the Federal Republic of Germany. The building in which the embassy is located on the fourth floor can be found at Friedrichstrasse 60 (the name of the building is "Atrium" ) on the corner of Leipziger Strasse.

The embassy offers consular services for New Zealanders in Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic and is also the contact point for citizens from these countries in embassy matters.

See also

• Foreign relations of Germany
• Foreign relations of New Zealand
• German New Zealanders
• Military history of New Zealand during World War I
• Military history of New Zealand during World War II