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Their insensitivity to political feelings outside their immediate orbit is absolutely stunning. Just because we give them a warm welcome when they come here on holidays and many British expats have made their home here does not mean we want to have anything to do with British rule again, other than in the same way as European countries will maintain cordial relations with them.
For 40 odd years they did nothing but insult the EU and its members, and in N. Ireland they colluded with loyalist paramilitaries to kill innocent civilians and even set off bombs in Dublin and Monaghan and now were are supposed to be best buds. NOT going to happen. Index of Frank's Diaries
Like the historic ties between Britain and the USA or between France and Algeria: the ties between a former colonial power and a colonized country that fought a bitter independence war for getting rid of such "ties".
But reports on the Radio New Zealand site suggests that their agricultural exports will be damaged by the pre-defined quota split between EU and UK. Most of their trade is with Australia, China, the US, and Japan. And their main geopolitical concern seems to be trying to balance relations between China, Australia, and the US.
It appears that in New Zealand, whether the UK is in or out of the EU is of tertiary interest at best.
The EU is one of New Zealand's most important and active partners in the Pacific.
Wouldn't NZ a bit too Socialist to fit in present day capitalistic and populist driven E-27? Geez ... the Anglo-Saxon tribe wouldn't have it.
Obviously, there is more to it than that: regulations, common standards etc. But NZ is used to that sort of thing in its FTAs, and NZ farmers are awfully good at getting NZ politicians to swallow anything to give them a bigger market. And the broad alignment of values with the EU means the actual FTA we are negotiating has so far avoided the controversy such deals usually attract (probably because, thanks to the ECJ, there will be no ISDS clause. Thanks, ECJ!) (would being subject to the ECJ be an issue, given the hatred of ISDS clauses? Less so, I think, because its a real court, with a real and long established body of law, not just rich people going "wah wah government did something I don't like pay me all the imaginary money I thought I'd make if law and society didn't exist". Its not seen as undermining democracy or being opposed to the existence of legislatures in the same way that ISDS "tribunals" are).
I see this in the US as well. She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre
Is that a problem? China isn't any better.
China, US and EU are the largest economies in the world
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