Estonia and New Zealand

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Estonia and New Zealand

Bilateral relations

(last updated: 13.12.2011)

Relations between Estonia and New Zealand have not been very close, primarily due to the distance separating the countries. Nevertheless, relations have been friendly and good.

New Zealand recognised Estonia when it joined the League of Nations on 22 September 1921 (New Zealand joined that organisation as a founding member in 1919 together with other British dominions, such as Australia, Canada, the Union of South Africa, and India, which had the status of being a British colony).

New Zealand re-recognised Estonia on 28 August 1991 and diplomatic relations were established between the two countries on 6 January 1992.

Estonia's first ambassador to New Zealand Peeter Miller presented his credentials to Governor-General Anand Satyanand in December 2007. The new Estonian ambassador to New Zealand is Andres Rundu, who resides in Tallinn. As of 2007 Estonia’s honorary consul in New Zealand has been Tõnu Loorpärg.

Since June 2011, New Zealand has been represented in Estonia by Ambassador Peter Howard Rider. The ambassador resides in Berlin. New Zealand’s honorary consul in Estonia is Toomas Luman.

In April 2009 an agreement for consultations between the two foreign ministries was signed during a meeting of the foreign ministers of Estonia and New Zealand.

Visits

to Estonia
April 2010	Foreign Minister Murray McCully
September 2006	Foreign Minister Winston Peters
April 2004	Speaker of the Parliament of New Zealand Jonathan Hunt
September 2004	Foreign Minister Philip Goff

to New Zealand
April 2009	Foreign Minister Urmas Paet

Agreements

The first and currently only bilateral agreement between Estonia and New Zealand is an intergovernmental agreement on the right to work in the field of tourism, which came into effect on 5 November 2007.

Economic relations

Total Trade between Estonia and New Zealand 2005-2010 (thousands of euros)

	Export	Import	Balance
2005	140.6	1 661.7	-1 5210
2006	172.5	1 712.8	-1 540.0
2007	140.6	1 124.8	-984.2
2008	229.5	1 580.0	-1 351.0
2009	516.2	605.9	-89.7
2010	1 191.0	1 132.0	59.6

Source: Statistical Office of Estonia

Main articles of export in 2010:

Machinery and equipment – 493 223 EUR
Timepieces and parts – 282 165 EUR
Toys and sports equipment – 135 509 EUR

Main articles of import in 2010:

Fish and seafood – 416 629 EUR
Wool – 544 403 EUR
Machinery and equipment – 137 632 E

Estonians in New Zealand

The first large group of Estonians (116 people) came to New Zealand in June 1949. As they had arrived in the country with the assistance of the Government of New Zealand, the obligation of working for 2 years was applied to every newcomer. Men were for the most part sent to factories and women performed sewing or cleaning jobs. The major Estonian centres are in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. In 2006 there were 105 Estonian-born people living in New Zealand and about 1 400 individuals with Estonian roots.