The History of New Zealand’s Approach to International Law

Abstract

As a relatively young country, New Zealand has not had a great deal of time to make its mark on the development of international law. It has become a cliché that New Zealand ‘punches above its weight’ in international affairs, and this is a sentiment that many New Zealanders are proud of. Perhaps it is the feeling of being so geographically isolated that perpetuates a need to have a stake in world affairs. New Zealand also often prides itself on being a ‘good international citizen’, in the sense that it fulfills its international obligations and does not seek its own interests to the great detriment of others’. It is not clear however what these sentiments actually mean in practice, or the extent to which they find validation in New Zealand’s actions in the international arena. A literature has built up, surveying and analysing New Zealand’s ‘place’ in the world from the perspective of diplomatic relations and military relations.