McCully pays tribute to Secretary Clinton

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has paid tribute to Hillary Clinton, who stepped down today as US Secretary of State.

Mr McCully described Secretary Clinton as “a great friend of New Zealand and a powerful advocate for the NZ/US relationship”.

“After 30 fairly ordinary years in the relationship following the differences over US ship visits, the relationship has become a fundamentally different and stronger one,” Mr McCully says.

“Secretary Clinton has, in her four years in office, overseen a period of significant transformation.”

Mr McCully also praised the role of US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Dr Kurt Campbell.

“Kurt Campbell has been the day-to-day manager of US relations with New Zealand and with our Pacific neighbours. He has brought huge energy and skill to this role, and has played an indispensable role in the many positive developments in the NZ/US relationship on Secretary Clinton’s watch.”

Mr McCully also congratulated John Kerry on being sworn in as the new Secretary of State.

“Secretary Kerry brings a wealth of experience to the role and has a strong appreciation for the Asia-Pacific region. I have no doubt we will work together to further strengthen NZ-US ties.”
ends

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Scoop Business: Bathurst Gets Nod For DoC Access To Denniston Mine

Conservation Minister Nick Smith has approved access over conservation estate land for Bathurst Resources to develop an open cast coal mine on the Denniston Plateau, above Westport, to the dismay of environmental opponents.

The timing for Smith’s move avoids Bathurst having to resubmit applications for access agreements under the revised Crown Minerals Act, which comes into force tomorrow and would have required public consultation.

The announcement lands in the middle of delicate negotiations between the company, environmental groups and other interested parties that could pave the way to a broader agreement on the Escarpment proposal, whose resource consents are still subject to court appeals. More>>