NEW ZEALAND TOUR 1967
PRESS COFEREiCE SUMMING UP TIALK
! ITH F~ UI. JHULl TE ANAU, fhil 7TH FE3RUARY, 1967.
MiR. HOLT: I thou t I would give you some idea of the things
Mr. Holyoake and talked about. i. e have had a series of
opportunities-for thlking closely together. I won't be able to
go into a great deal of detail on these matters because a lot of
the talk was of quite a confidential kind, but it was helpful to
us both to exchange views in this intimate wayi and as you will
gather from the subject matter I will give you, the talks ranged
Tar and wide. Naturally Vietnam featured in its various aspects in our
discussions and so did the South Pacific generally. I was very
interested, for example to learn of the constitutional developments
which have occurred in the territories, formerly Trust Territories of
Iew Zealand, and some of these territories in this general area are
of such interest to us that I thought it would be useful, and I
suggested this to M! r. Holyoake, that at some point of time, not
necessarily this year but at a time convenient to us we take
a lo-k at the people to see how they are faring in the new
situations which have arisen from their new constitutional processes.
And decimal currency........ I was able to speak with some
authority on this matter, of course, as the Treasurer who introduced
the scheme into Australia; I have noticed quite a deal of discussion
in the press here about the transition phase. Some of the
apprehensions which have formerly been voiced in Australia were
expressed here and I was aole to tell them of our own experience.
The fact is that in some directions it has exceeded our expectations,
but the cost has been less than we had estimated and the changeover
of the machinery is proceeding well ahead of schedule.
Understandably as two Heads of Government, we had a good
deal to talk about together on the way we organize our Cabinet and
Parliamentary business and seei r. vh'it we could learn from each
other which would be helpful. found that there were differences
in methods of treating different subject matter Cabinet for example.
He was interested to see how our Procedures went, and I think I was
aole to indicate directions in which we had streamlined our Cabinet
business. On the other hand, of course, he had a rather different
situation here with a smaller iinistry and his Ministers are more
accessible in point of distance than mine can be. But this was the
sort of thing Parliamentary and Caoinet organisation of business
which came into our talks.
Tourism, I said something about this at the Parliamentary
Luncheon, and the more I have seen -as I have gone around the more
I feel that w: e can usefully co-operate together. Quite obviously
New Zealand has a great deal to offer which hould be more widely
known in Australia anrid I may be able to help in that direction, but
what I was thinking of particularly, when I spoke previously, was that
we might be aole to help each other by encoura; in-. tourists who come
to our own countries to take in a visit to the other as part of
their journey. I have been interested incidentally to see how the
Government ha-is established hotels such as this here at particular
points of scenic attraction where the area has not been adequately
served previously by the official hotel industry. Mr. Holyoake
expressed to me that they don't move into an area where there is
an hotel service provideR already, but the points where they are
featuring the attractions of the place and there isn't accommodation
appropriate to the sort of tourist traffic they are looking for
they have gone into this field. I am not implying that there is a
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parallel to this in Australia but it is interesting to see how
they are handling it.
I think I have a clearer picture of the IManapouri Scheme
as a result of having come here, and its importance to New Zealand,
both to add some visual picture of the basis of the Scheme and also
its implications. The topic of forest products is one which is clearly one of
interest here, and while the Prime Minister touched on this and the
operations of the Free Trade Agreement, we did not discuss this in
any depth because John McEwen is coming over shortly for detailed
discussion on these matters as Part of the regular and periodical
conference in he writing out of'the Agreement. But I must admit
that I haven't detected the same tone in my discussions with
Ministers here that there has been evident in some of the editorials
and some of the statements b' representatives of industry on this
matter. ' e had a good deal to talk about together of mutual interest
arising from the visit to our respective countries of President
Johnson and Prime M'inister Ky. I was aole to inform the Prime Minister
in a quite incidental way of the purposeful approach of our
manufacturing industries in some of our more sophisticated projects.
For example, the wvork we are doing at 7oomera through ELDO and
also the manufacture of the guided missile system such as IKARA.
7e talked of the Manila Conference and the desirability of
maintaining momentum in relation to the goals which had emerged
from the Manila Conference. talked in a general way without
either of us having very precise information aoout the recent
developments in China. I1ow that is not an exhaustive list. It is
just a selection which I jotted down last night on some of the
matters which had occupied our time together. e covered a very
wide range, and I am sure I am very much better informed about New
Zealand, both as a result of my visit and the talks with Cabinet and
more particularly the Prime Minister. I think I can claim he has
learned a good de. al more asout : hat is going on inside Australia.
Aspects of the economy and the problems which he faces at
the present time of course may also have come into our thoughts.
But I am not wishing to imply on any of these matters that requests
were made by one or the other in exchanging information and views
not seeking many immediate outcome from them. I thought it might be
helpful to have cover of this sort because now we are moving into a
day in which there won't be much of an official nature and oerhaps
these are elements of Australia which will fill in a bit. Have we
made any arrangements for a final talk
MR. E; GLETOi: There will be an opportunity at Christchurch tomorrow.
They want an opportunity to have a final word with you and, of course
Christchurch would oe the est place for thit. And of course, when we
ret off the plane in Canberra tomorrow night there will be a simil: r
little gathering on the tarmac as there was when you left.
MR. HOLT: Well all right. I think w: e can give at that the general
impressions on how it went.