On the opposite side of the world is a small country, population just 3 million, whose green mountains and friendly people remind Jim Bolger of Utah.
The current New Zealand ambassador to the United States is a former prime minister of the two-island country; in Salt Lake City for several days to address students and businessmen and encouraging trade between the state and his homeland.While Bolger talks with knowledge and enthusiasm about foreign affairs, his face really lights up when the conversation turns to rugby -- an obsession of his countrymen and countrywomen. (New Zealand's national women's team recently won the world championship.)
The sport, which has a fat football, goal posts, no forward passing, no pads or helmets, an odd lump of arms and legs called a "scrum" and vicious tackling, is catching on a bit in the United States, Bolger reports. He recently attended a game on a makeshift field just under the flight path of National Airport in Washington, D.C. "We managed to put together proper teams," he says.
Like many foreigners who visit Utah, Bolger has found a number of people here who have visited there. That's because of mission work by the LDS Church there and New Zealand church members coming here to visit or go to school, Bolger said.
"Yes, I've had (LDS) missionaries knocking on my door at home. I can't think of many doors they haven't knocked on." And he was pleased to meet a number of countrymen here during his visit.
"Utah is actually a fine place" for New Zealanders to do business. And vice versa. "We're looking for states that are about the same size as we are, economically and in population, that are fast moving" in the new world economies of high tech.
Already Utah businesses are dealing with New Zealand firms in natural health products. "You have several large distributors of health products here that import" New Zealand raw materials and supplements.
Computer software technology also has created a growing trade between the state and his country, Bolger said.
A bit of hard feelings linger today over President Clinton's decision last July to place tariffs on New Zealand lamb imports. That action was actually unnecessary, Bolger said, because a prolonged drought in his country has drastically cut the number of lamb births.
New Zealand appealed the tariff decision to the World Trade Federation. "It was not a hostile move, and your president in his visit to our country (several months ago) recognized that."
In the 1980s New Zealand proclaimed itself a nuclear-free zone and refused to allow U.S. nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed warships into its waters. Even though nuclear weapons were taken off U.S. warships in 1991 at the end of the Cold War, the American government continues to boycott New Zealand ports today over the nuclear issue.
"We only had one or two visits a year before from (nuclear-powered) ships. They would be welcome today" if the United States changed its mind, Bolger said.
Despite such differences, New Zealand is one of America's greatest allies. "We've fought alongside you in every war in this century. Only Australia can say the same. Economically, in trade and foreign policy our countries are very alike," Bolger said.
Now, if the United States could just get some decent rugby going, all would be better.