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"EAST IS EAST AND WEST IS WEST
AND NEVER THE TWAIN SHALL MEET"
-WHERE DOES NEW ZEALAND BELONG?
WHERE DOES HER FUTURE LIE?
"East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet." Rudyard Kipling was born in India. This quotation, by him, was written at a time when Britain was at the height of her power, her colonial expansion had reached a peak and the British Empire was the greatest in the world. India was an integral part of the Epire. It would be di cult to ascertain whether Kipling believed what he wrote and in what frame of mind he wrote it; perhaps the piece was written frivolously or particularly and Kipling would be astonished that it has been accepted as a truth and propounded as a Hash of insight which is applicable to all ages and places. But the question is now what is our modern interpretation of this apoarent maxim, and to what extent does it relate to New Zealand's position in the world today?
ORIGIN CONTRIBUTIONS
And the Paci c World is a dynamic one. The eco­ non11c growth of Japan is a source of wonderment for all nations, the fact of the emergence of nations and the ssociated friction, political unrest, extremism, eco­ nomic upheaval and Communism-all these demand the attention of New Zealand. She cannot, now, blindly turn back to Britain and hide behind a long-established organisation which is, perhaps, outdated.
Geo raphica!ly New Zealand is part of the " New World . She hes on the Paci c Rim, a political unit m a pattrn _of Soth-east Asia which is still evolving. Despite its msulanty and position .at the south-east extremity of Asia, New Zealand's closest structural links are with South-east Asia. So far these links in terms of distance are not matched by economic ties. In accordance w,ith traditional dependence, 90 per cent. of New Zealand s products of her egrarian economy are consumed. by Britain. Now Britain is tending toward membership of the European Economic Community. No matter ho:v idealistic this notion at rst seemed, British membership of the Common Market could become a fact; with this realisation New Zealand must, now, take a more realistic view of her own trade arrangements. Certainly, trades missions from this country are at work in Asia, notably in Japan, but there will have to be more and stronger efforts by New Zealand, perhaps a greater e ort to compromise on prices and other ar­ rangements, if we are to survive economically in the New World.
The country's survival, though, as a cultural unit may become one of the most controversial issues of New Zealand's new outlook. Undoubtedly New Zealand is, culturally, a part of the Western vVorld. As such we may seem to be mis ts and usurpers in Asia. Our ultural a nities with Europe may be a luxury which, m the eyes of our Asian neighbours, we can scarcely a ord. ew Zealand, as a Christian country, must try to live m peace and understanding with non-Christian neighbours; where religions have existed for thousands of years, mutual toleration may not be easy to attain. Surely education and communications must provide the answers to these problems, and already New Zealand has made a small beginning with the Colombo Plan by which Asian students can win scholarships to attend New Zealand universities. Bv the Volunteer Service Abrad Sch_eme youn New Zealand people are going ut mo adiacent Paci c communities and giving prac­ tical aid to local development projects in these places. But these activities are little more than gestures and they must increase.
All these measures must lead to increasing inter­ dependence. Like Australia, and possibly with her, New Zealand must carve out a place for herself in the Paci c, and more particularly, the Asian World. In this process new allegiances will be sought and certainly some will be found: SEATO and ANZUS have already pro ed this. But the old allegiances cannot, of course, be Just abandoned. New Zealand still has a very strong heritage from Britain and it is still true to think of this
For the position of New Zealand has changed. Fol­ lowing the Second World War the centre of that ever­ present whirlpool of political controversy has shifted from the Atlantic to the Paci c, from the · Old World " to the "New". The political and economic awakening of the South-east Asian countries and the new world balance of power has directed the stage of confrontation to a new setting of which New Zealand is a part.
Since I840 New Zealand has been colonised by Europeans, the vast majority of whom were British. She de e!oped as at o_ f .the_ British Empire and gained political and civil mst1tut10ns which are a direct re­ flection of those in use in England; for example, our Parliamentary system. Although New Zealand became politically independent and was given the international status o ·: Domini n ", her allegia,1;1ces were still rmly with Bntam, the Mother Land , which provided a market for our produce and a guarantee of military protecticn. New Zealand's gratitude for this benevolence was shown by the attitude she took during the two World vVars where she stood with Britain, and made Britain's quarrels her own.
For this country, the end of the Second World War has forced us to review our traditional outlook. Dis­ regarding the end of the British Empire and the present arrangement of the Commonwealth, New Zealand's friendships and alliances have taken on a new dimension which reflects a feeling of responsibility for our Paci c citizenship. The ANZUS pact and our membership of SEATO, our participation, however insigni cant, in the struggles of Korea and Vietnam; these commitments dis­ play a new awareness of our position, a realisation that if we are to survive in this new world then we must discover nd demonstrate to our neighbours where our loyalties lie. New Zealand is a very small country. Naturally with the presence in the Paci c of that bene­ volent leader of the Free World, the United States of America, the Dominion is making some attempt to earn protection.
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