Abstract:
I am currently an official in the Ministry of Economic Development. The case studies were drawn from actual negotiations I was involved in, in two cases as the lead New Zealand negotiator, and in the other in a joint lead role with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Access to all the official files associated with these negotiations were available to me, as was of course my personal experience and recollection.
I would like to express my appreciation to the Ministry for both supporting this research, and providing access to the official files. It reflects a desire for the Ministry to become a 'learning organisation' that is at the leading edge of policy in areas of importance to New Zealand's economic future. Regulatory co-operation is clearly one of these areas. However, the opinions expressed in this report are my own, and do not represent the views of the Ministry of Economic Development or the New Zealand Government.
Finally, I would like to thank my supervisor Dr Russell Solomon. Dr Solomon both put me on the right path in terms of the analytical framework, and provided essential guidance in the course of the research. I would also like to thank Associate Professor Roderic Alley, at the School of Political Science and International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington, for his support of the research.
