Poland has just commemorated the 30th anniversary of the birth of Solidarity.  Thirty years ago the ”August Agreements” were signed with the communist authorities which led to the establishment of the Solidarity Union.  People recall the importance of Solidarity as the driving force behind the eventual overthrow of the communist yoke.  Solidarity was more than a trade union

I decided to go sightseeing in Poland this last weekend.  As usual it was an adventure, not only driving on Polish roads, but seeing the countryside and learning some more of the history of Poland.
I decided to visit Lublin, a city towards the east and south of Warsaw (which I had visited before), and Zamość, a UNESCO World Heritage

Over the past week I have spent much of my time tracking down potential opportunities for economic growth.  Not all of these will come to fruition, but it is extremely important to make contact with locals and encourage trade and investment with New Zealand.
There are not as many economic linkages between New Zealand and Poland as I

Sometimes a lot can happen in a week.  There was the first death of a New Zealand solider in seven years of action in Afghanistan – Lieutenant Timothy O’Donnell.  My sincere condolences go to the family and friends of Lt O’Donnell and my best wishes for a speedy recover to those who were injured in the attack. 

Two events took place in Warsaw 1 August which provided a contrasting picture of Warsaw and Poland.  The first was the commemoration of the 66th anniversary of the Warsaw Rising – an uprising by the Polish resistance forces against the Nazi regime in the dying days of World War II.  The second was the 67th Tour

The Smolensk plane tragedy has been on my mind this past week.  For those in Poland that lost members of their family and their friends on April 10th, this was a deeply personal loss.  There is no closure yet – it is simply too soon.  The official investigation process continues and like all such investigations it

I was asked this week to brief some Polish officials on New Zealand’s public sector reforms of the 1980s and our current approach to public financing.  What had led to this request was an article in the Financial Times highlighting the continuing relevance of the New Zealand economic reforms and the views of Sir Roger Douglas, one

Krakow, Poland, was the venue for a high level meeting held July 2-4 commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Community of Democracies.  New Zealand was one of the founding members of the Community of Democracies set up with the aim of promoting democracy and strengthening democractic institutions.  
I participated in the high level meeting, together with Dame Jenny

As part of my duties, I am accredited as non-resident Ambassador to Estonia.  I made a brief visit to Estonia last week for foreign policy consultations – an opportunity to discuss mutual interests with a like-minded country.  Estonia, one of the three Baltic States that regained its independence in 1991, is a small maritime country

I am very proud to be a New Zealander, especially in light of the performance of the All Whites in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.  In Poland I have had many people come up to me to pass on their congratulations to the New Zealand team.  Most compliments have centred on the All White’s drive and determination, as