MEDIA RELEASE
12 June 2008

NZ US Council mourns the passing of Ambassador Anne Clark Martindell

The NZ US Council expresses its deepest sympathy to the family of Anne C Martindell, former US Ambassador to New Zealand (1979-1981) and founder of the US NZ Council who died in Princeton, New Jersey, yesterday.

NZ US Council Executive Director Stephen Jacobi said Ambassador Martindell had a great love for New Zealand which was demonstrated by her initiative to found the Washington-based Council in 1986.

“Ambassador Martindell was a distinguished American politician and diplomat who made an extraordinary contribution to the relationship between the two countries. During the time she spent in Wellington as Ambassador and subsequently in her role as founding President of the US NZ Council she was determined to see the relationship between old friends and allies taken to new levels. Her foresight in bringing together an American constituency for New Zealand in Washington DC at a time of great strain has played a key role in taking the relationship to where it is today. We New Zealanders owe her a great debt of gratitude for her wisdom, leadership and inspiration”.

Mr Jacobi said that as a sign of her continuing commitment to US NZ relations Ambassador Martindell travelled to Auckland in September 2007 at age 92 to attend the second US NZ Partnership Forum.

ENDS

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