By Liam Rātana

Copyright thespinoff

After a busy week in New York, the foreign minister is set to make a big speech this weekend, writes Liam Rātana in today’s extract from The Bulletin.

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New York at a standstill

The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly began earlier this week in New York City. Foreign affairs minister Winston Peters became another victim of the numerous blockades around the city, missing a vital chance to attend a special dinner and have the ear of US president Donald Trump. Peters told RNZ he was “brassed off” about being stuck in traffic trying to move around the city.

“There was a possibility [of speaking to Trump] and in this business, being in this country, way out in the southwest Pacific called New Zealand, you take every chance you possibly get. You don’t blow anything.”

It isn’t just Peters who has found himself frustrated by the traffic issues this week – French president Emmanuel Macron was filmed earlier in the week talking to Trump, complaining about being impeded by a presidential motorcade escorting the US president through the packed city streets.

Peters vs the Paris Agreement

Despite missing the presidential dinner, Peters has been busy on the sidelines in New York, meeting with delegates from around the world. Air services agreements have been signed with Hungary and Iceland, which Peters said would help “facilitate growth in trade, tourism, education, and people-to-people connections”.

One of the more notable meetings Peters has indicated he would like soon is with leaders from around the Pacific to discuss the Paris Agreement on climate. Leading into the COP30 Climate Summit 2025 yesterday, RNZ’s Teuila Fuatai reported Peters has raised concerns (again) about New Zealand’s commitment to the agreement. This morning, he spoke at the united leaders’ breakfast hosted by Tuvalu, and focussed on the differential treatment given to the world’s four largest emitters – China, India, Russia and the United States. “Four countries comprise 60 percent of the world’s emissions, and the rest of the 191 countries… are wrestling with this problem. We have to face the fact, deal with it – we’re in a battle we can’t possibly win,” he said.

Following the second withdrawal from the Paris Agreement by the United States in March, Peters came out criticising it, claiming other countries were pulling out, no one knew what the target was and that it would be prohibitively expensive to honour.

At the time, RNZ’s Eloise Gibson ran a handy fact check of those claims. To date, the prime minister has said he has no intention of withdrawing New Zealand from the agreement.

Announcement on Palestine imminent

Peters attended the fifth annual Crimea Summit earlier in the week, where Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his thanks to members for the support in the war against Russia, which he labelled “the most destructive arms race in human history”. As reported by 1News, Peters declared borders should not be changed by force, which could be indicative of the long-awaited announcement of the position New Zealand holds regarding Palestinian statehood. As of writing, more than 80% of UN member states have recognised Palestinian statehood.

Peters is expected to speak at the UN General Assembly tomorrow morning (NZ time), though an exact time is yet to be confirmed.

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