TNAG-0281-FCO40-317-Visit-of-the-Chancellor-of-the-Duchy-of-Lancaster-to-Hong-Ko-1970 — Page 153

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Communities to include Britain and the other

applicants will bring New Zealand opportunities,

including opportunities in the agricultural

sphere. You are such a very efficient farming

community, and your climate is so ideal for

pastoral farming, that some of your key exports r

wool, chroom

na avhasa even whs985

may well find valuable new outlets.

8. In your exposition of New Zealand's

economic relationship with Britain you are right

to stress the historical background, and right

also, I think, to stress the other links which

make our relationship an enduringly close one.

I hope you will not mind if, in conclusion,

I also make one or two historical observations

to explain why, after ten years of striving to

join the suropean Communities, our resolve to

jaci

succeed if terms

at can be achieved -

remains as strong and indeed even stronger

than ever before.

9. Britain is a major European country.

That statement could be simply a definition of

geographical location. But it is not. Nor

caffeicte

is it just an expression of the ties of od

and culture which link us and you to the Con-

tinent of Europe. New Zealand, like Britain,

is the heir of that wider culture. In addition

to all this, Britain has played a major role

in continental politics in virtually every

century since the Dark Ages.

a period of glorious isolation.

There never was

The reason

for this is simple. As New Zealanders who

came so heroically to our aid in two European

seunty

wars know only too well, Britain's safety

been directly liked

has always

with

thopean

opended primarily on the Continent.

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