Following is the text of a joint statement by the United States and New Zealand issued on March 19, 2012:
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt M. Campbell and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Lavoy hosted New Zealand’s Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, David Walker, and Secretary of Defence, John McKinnon, for the 2012 U.S.-New Zealand Strategic Dialogue today as part of their ongoing bilateral dialogue.
The two countries discussed opportunities and challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. They reiterated their commitment to deepening the strategic partnership between the United States and New Zealand, as envisioned in the Wellington Declaration - which was signed in November 2010 by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully.
The U.S. delegation included representatives from the Departments of State and Defense, the National Security Staff, and USAID. The New Zealand delegation included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Defence, the New Zealand Defence Force, the National Assessments Bureau, and the New Zealand Embassy in Washington D.C. The two sides look forward to meeting again in the future.