Denmark–New Zealand relations
Encyclopedia
Denmark-New Zealand relations are the foreign relations between Denmark
and New Zealand
. neither country has a resident ambassador. Denmark is represented in New Zealand through its embassy in Canberra
(Australia
), a trade commission in Auckland
, and honorary consulates in Auckland, Wellington
, and Christchurch
. New Zealand is represented in Denmark through its embassy in The Hague
, (Netherlands
) and an honorary consulate in Copenhagen
. The New Zealand government describes relations as "good" and records a high degree of agreement on international affairs.
Both countries are full members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
, and in certain contexts ally themselves with the United States
. Denmark is a 'third party' to the UK-USA Security Agreement, of which New Zealand is a member.
and Norsewood
. A former Prime Minister and high-ranking churchman from Denmark, Danish Prime Minister
, Bishop Ditlev Gothard Monrad
, settled in Karere
near Palmerston North
in the 1860s, and set up the first dairy plant in the region. Monrad returned to Denmark after a stay of three years, but other members of his family stayed in New Zealand. He left behind his collection of art now now housed at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
. Other Danes came to the Seventy Mile Bush
area in 1872 and founded the town which retains the Danish name of Dannevirke
, commemorating the Danevirke
in Slesvig
. The other town created by the Danes was Norsewood
.
In 1946, the two countries signed an agreement regarding 'exchange of notes', and other property held during World War II
. In 2009 Carol Stigley was appointed by the Queen of Denmark, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II as Consul General of Denmark to New Zealand.
in the 1970s, and thus had a substantial impact on New Zealand's economy in the following years.
made an official state visit
to New Zealand in February 1987. Other visits between the two nations include a November 1998 visit to New Zealand by Niels Helveg Petersen
, the Danish Foreign Minister; and Phil Goff
, the New Zealand Foreign Minister
visiting Denmark in September 2002.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. neither country has a resident ambassador. Denmark is represented in New Zealand through its embassy in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
(Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
), a trade commission in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, and honorary consulates in Auckland, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, and Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
. New Zealand is represented in Denmark through its embassy in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, (Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) and an honorary consulate in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. The New Zealand government describes relations as "good" and records a high degree of agreement on international affairs.
Both countries are full members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade...
, and in certain contexts ally themselves with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Denmark is a 'third party' to the UK-USA Security Agreement, of which New Zealand is a member.
History
There is a small Danish community in New Zealand, descended from a group of early settlers who came to clear thick North Island bush, in the middle years of the 20th century, and stayed to found settlements including DannevirkeDannevirke
Dannevirke , is a rural service town in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region of the North Island, New Zealand. It is the major town of the administrative Tararua District, the easternmost of the districts in which the Regional Council has responsibilities...
and Norsewood
Norsewood
Norsewood is a small rural town in the Manawatu - Wanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is situated in the Tararua District. Its population is 330....
. A former Prime Minister and high-ranking churchman from Denmark, Danish Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Denmark
The Prime Minister of Denmark is the head of government in Danish politics. The Prime Minister is traditionally the leader of a political coalition in the Folketing and presides over the cabinet....
, Bishop Ditlev Gothard Monrad
Ditlev Gothard Monrad
Ditlev Gothard Monrad was a Danish politician and bishop of Lolland-Falster.Monrad was one of the pioneers of the making of a constitutional Denmark after 1848...
, settled in Karere
Longburn
Longburn is a rural settlement just outside of Palmerston North in the Manawatu-Wanganui area of New Zealand. Made up of large dairy processing plants Longburn is often mistaken to be a small township and not seen as a large satellite town of Palmerston North...
near Palmerston North
Palmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
in the 1860s, and set up the first dairy plant in the region. Monrad returned to Denmark after a stay of three years, but other members of his family stayed in New Zealand. He left behind his collection of art now now housed at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
. Other Danes came to the Seventy Mile Bush
Seventy Mile Bush
The Seventy Mile Bush was a forested area of New Zealand north of Wellington that Scandinavians cut down to clear the land for farming....
area in 1872 and founded the town which retains the Danish name of Dannevirke
Dannevirke
Dannevirke , is a rural service town in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region of the North Island, New Zealand. It is the major town of the administrative Tararua District, the easternmost of the districts in which the Regional Council has responsibilities...
, commemorating the Danevirke
Danevirke
The Danevirke The Danevirke The Danevirke (modern Danish spelling: Dannevirke; in Old Norse Danavirki ; in German Danewerk ; is a system of Danish fortifications in Schleswig-Holstein (Northern Germany). This important linear defensive earthwork was constructed across the neck of the Cimbrian...
in Slesvig
Schleswig
Schleswig or South Jutland is a region covering the area about 60 km north and 70 km south of the border between Germany and Denmark; the territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany...
. The other town created by the Danes was Norsewood
Norsewood
Norsewood is a small rural town in the Manawatu - Wanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is situated in the Tararua District. Its population is 330....
.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 2009 Carol Stigley was appointed by the Queen of Denmark, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II as Consul General of Denmark to New Zealand.
Trade
Denmark and New Zealand have been major competitors in the British food-products market since the early 1900s. Denmark's desire for access to the United Kingdom's dairy market influenced the negotiations for the United Kingdom's accession to the European Economic CommunityEuropean Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
in the 1970s, and thus had a substantial impact on New Zealand's economy in the following years.
Agreements
The two countries have agreements covering double taxation, pensions, and other social security payments. working holidays, and air services. New Zealand has encouraged immigration of temporary workers from Denmark, and vice-versa for working holidays by New Zealand citizens to Denmark.Bilateral visits
Queen Margrethe II of DenmarkMargrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375-1412 during the Kalmar Union.-Early life:...
made an official state visit
State visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a foreign head of state to another nation, at the invitation of that nation's head of state. State visits are the highest form of diplomatic contact between two nations, and are marked by ceremonial pomp and diplomatic protocol. In parliamentary democracies, heads...
to New Zealand in February 1987. Other visits between the two nations include a November 1998 visit to New Zealand by Niels Helveg Petersen
Niels Helveg Petersen
Niels Lolk Helveg Petersen is a Danish politician, member of parliament for the Danish Social Liberal Party 1966-1974, 1977-1993 and again from 1994. Graduated in Law....
, the Danish Foreign Minister; and Phil Goff
Phil Goff
Philip Bruce Goff is the current Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. During the Fifth Labour Government, he served in a number of ministerial portfolios, including Minister of Defence of New Zealand, Minister of Corrections, Minister of Foreign Affairs and...
, the New Zealand Foreign Minister
Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs is a major ministerial portfolio in the government of New Zealand.The current Minister of Foreign Affairs is Murray McCully, who was National Party Spokeperson of Foreign Affairs and Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs. There are also Associate Minister roles...
visiting Denmark in September 2002.