November 4, 2024 • 9 mins
It's being touted by the candidates as the most important election in United States history, and its all playing out tomorrow afternoon New Zealand time.
To discuss the importance of the election and how the result could affect relations with New Zealand, US Embassy deputy chief of mission David Gehrenbeck joined Nick Mills.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks ed B.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
We have a special guest joining us now. Dave Gerenbe
is the Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States
Embassy here in Wellington. He's worked wait for this. When
I'm reading this, I'm thinking, are you for real? He's
worked in both the Ukraine and Russia, but it's come
to Wellington last year. So as CV reads like this, Ukraine, Russia, Wellington,
(00:44):
Oh my gosh, that's a strange looking CV. David, good morning,
you welcome to our show.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Hi there, thanks for having me. I'm happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I'd be happy to be at Wellington after Ukraine and Russia.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Wellington is an amazing place. I love it here. I
love I've been here just a little over a year.
It reminds me of my hometown Providence, Rhode Island. They're
about the same size, both on the water. So yeah,
I love it here.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Okay, So tell us about your job. What do you
do here? How does it work? Tell us just give
our our listeners a bit of a background. What you
do in the embassy here in Wellington.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Sure. So, I'm the Deputy Chief of mission, as you mentioned,
and that means that I basically take care of the Ambassador,
make sure he has what he needs because of course
he's the overall leader of the mission. He's providing of
course our strategic direction. But then I need to make
sure that he has what he needs to do that.
But basically what he needs is the support of the
entire mission. So my job really is to make sure
(01:43):
that the whole mission is running well, that our staff members,
both Americans and local staff were incredibly important to our
work here, all have what they need to do their
jobs well. All the different sections have what they need
to support the Ambassador and his vision for us New
Zealand relations. And I will say, we have two posts.
We have the Embassy in Wellington and we have the
Consulate General in Auckland, and so we also have to
(02:04):
make sure that we're coordinating across those two posts.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
But the Ambassador is based here and you are based here.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
And wanting to know that's right, okay.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Tell us about this election. Give us a little bit
of a rundown. We're all potive New Zealand fields. I
mean you know this from living here. Now we feel
like we're you're our big brothers. You know how to
state's are the ones that protect us. You're there for us.
We love everything about America. We love the American sport,
we love American intertimement, we love America. So we you're
(02:32):
from in America. How things with this election ab as
big as what we think.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
That, Well, let me just tell you from my own
personal perspective, I'm very excited about this election because I
get excited about all of our elections. This is when
we get to pick our leadership. I get to choose
who is going to take care of us and govern
us and speak for us on behalf of our needs
and our concerns. And that's not just at the federal level.
(02:58):
Of course, there's a whole lot of attention and interest
in the presidential election, and as there should be, but
it's not just an election of the president. It's an
election of members of the Senate, the members of the
House of Representatives, and then local elections also, so where
people are choosing their governors and their local council members
and things, and a lot of times when people go
(03:18):
to vote, they're focused on some of those local issues
in those local elections as much or even more than
they're focused on the national level. So this is you know,
the crux of democracy, right, this is where we really
sort of make this idea of people power come come alive.
We in the United States have our constitution which starts
we the people, right, and we're trying to maintain the
(03:41):
system that gives a sovereignty, gives authority to the people
through their selection of people. So I'm excited personally. I
think you're right, there's a lot of particular interest in
this election, and I think that's actually a hopeful sign
in that people are really invested in making the best
choice for the country because they are paying attention to
(04:02):
the candidates, to the issues, and they're actively getting out there.
You know, we don't know yet, but it's looking like
the turnout is going to be pretty good, which is
really exciting. So, I mean, this is this is a
big day, of course, but it's a big day every
every couple of years, any four years for the president
as well.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Have you voted you.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
I did. I voted about a month ago. I vote
in Virginia, and we have the system that allows us
to vote, you know, absentee by mail.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Who's your NBA team, by the way.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
So I grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, so I'm
a pretty solid New England sports teams fan. So I
would have to say the Boston Celtics.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Of course, you'd have to say the Boston Celtics are
mighty Boston Celtics. Anyway, back to this election, we really
only care and I'm saying may personally here, maybe not we,
but we really already care about the presidency race in
America because that's the showtime, that's the show biz, doesn't it?
Is this the most diverse election, divisive, sorry, election in
(05:00):
US history?
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I'm not sure that I would agree with that. I
certainly it is a well contested and a spirited campaign,
that's for sure. But we've had those throughout our history,
and so this is what our system is designed to do.
Is designed to make sure that the choice is clear
to the American people and then they can make the
best choice they can for themselves. But you're right, it's
(05:25):
a certainly a hot and contested campaign, but I think
they usually are.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Are you kind of concerned about what could happen or
might happen? I mean, us sitting back in New Zealand,
we look at it and we go if Trump just
only loses by tiny But will we have a problem
if it works the other way? Will we have a problem?
Do you am I picking something that's not there?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
So let me just say a couple of things about
sort of how we might look at the election and
what might happen. First of all, you mentioned, you know,
focus on the presidency. That's of course one of the
important races, but the role of the Congress shouldn't be
forgotten either. In our constitution, we have this division of
powers among three branches of government, the executive branch, the
legislative branch, and the judicial branch. And the way that
(06:12):
the Constitution was written by a founders was to distribute
power among the branches so no one element would get
too much authority and be too powerful. So although the
presidency and the executive branch sort of had the lead
on foreign policy, Congress has a really important role too,
because they passed the budgets, for example, and they have
to confirm some of the choices that the president or
(06:32):
the executive branch might make. So those congressional races in
the Senate and the House of Representatives are pretty important too,
So I would make sure to pay attention to all
of those different races on election day. But in terms
of sort of my level of concern or something, I'm
really not all that concerned. I've been doing foreign policy.
I've been in the State Department for about twenty five years,
(06:55):
so I've gone through lots of elections. I've gone through
transitions from one party to another party and back again.
And I have to say our overall approach to the
world has stayed pretty consistent, and I could say pretty
confidently that New Zealand is one of our most important
partners and will remain so, and we will remain committed
to having a great relationship with New Zealand. You know,
(07:18):
I arrived here actually just before New Zealand's election last year,
and so I was here during that campaign and I
was sort of as I was preparing to come to
New Zealand, I was hearing great stories and great news
about our bilateral relationship. What a great condition it was
in where sort of our relations have been steadily improving
(07:39):
for years, and they really reached a great point last
year with the previous government, and I would say that
is continued with the current government, and I would say
that so we have an election on our side, will
that will remain the case, that we will remain great
partners and very cooperative.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
But who would be better for us? Who would be
beta for New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
I have to say that the United States population is
going to make its selection for you know itself. The
United States is going to make The people of the
United States are focused on, you know, interests of their own,
just like New Zealand voters are focused on their own
particular interests. But I honestly think that whatever selection the
United States makes, we are going to have continue to
(08:20):
have a great relationship for New Zealand. I honestly believe that.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Okay, thanks, does a change for you? I mean, if
there's a change of president, could you lose your job
just quickly? I've got to go.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
But yeah, no. So I'm a career Foreign Service officer
and that means that it doesn't matter who is whichever
administration is in power. I am a career officer and
so I just keep my job.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Thank you very much for joining us this morning on
Wellington Mornings. That's Dave Geirinbeak. David Geirinbeak, and he is
the Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy.
Good luck for tomorrow, David, I hope you really enjoy
it very much. They know it's a big deal for you,
so enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
No, we're excited. Thanks a lot, all right.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news Talks It'd be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks ed B.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
We have a special guest joining us now. Dave Gerenbe
is the Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States
Embassy here in Wellington. He's worked wait for this. When
I'm reading this, I'm thinking, are you for real? He's
worked in both the Ukraine and Russia, but it's come
to Wellington last year. So as CV reads like this, Ukraine, Russia, Wellington,
(00:44):
Oh my gosh, that's a strange looking CV. David, good morning,
you welcome to our show.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Hi there, thanks for having me. I'm happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I'd be happy to be at Wellington after Ukraine and Russia.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Wellington is an amazing place. I love it here. I
love I've been here just a little over a year.
It reminds me of my hometown Providence, Rhode Island. They're
about the same size, both on the water. So yeah,
I love it here.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Okay, So tell us about your job. What do you
do here? How does it work? Tell us just give
our our listeners a bit of a background. What you
do in the embassy here in Wellington.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Sure. So, I'm the Deputy Chief of mission, as you mentioned,
and that means that I basically take care of the Ambassador,
make sure he has what he needs because of course
he's the overall leader of the mission. He's providing of
course our strategic direction. But then I need to make
sure that he has what he needs to do that.
But basically what he needs is the support of the
entire mission. So my job really is to make sure
(01:43):
that the whole mission is running well, that our staff members,
both Americans and local staff were incredibly important to our
work here, all have what they need to do their
jobs well. All the different sections have what they need
to support the Ambassador and his vision for us New
Zealand relations. And I will say, we have two posts.
We have the Embassy in Wellington and we have the
Consulate General in Auckland, and so we also have to
(02:04):
make sure that we're coordinating across those two posts.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
But the Ambassador is based here and you are based here.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
And wanting to know that's right, okay.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Tell us about this election. Give us a little bit
of a rundown. We're all potive New Zealand fields. I
mean you know this from living here. Now we feel
like we're you're our big brothers. You know how to
state's are the ones that protect us. You're there for us.
We love everything about America. We love the American sport,
we love American intertimement, we love America. So we you're
(02:32):
from in America. How things with this election ab as
big as what we think.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
That, Well, let me just tell you from my own
personal perspective, I'm very excited about this election because I
get excited about all of our elections. This is when
we get to pick our leadership. I get to choose
who is going to take care of us and govern
us and speak for us on behalf of our needs
and our concerns. And that's not just at the federal level.
(02:58):
Of course, there's a whole lot of attention and interest
in the presidential election, and as there should be, but
it's not just an election of the president. It's an
election of members of the Senate, the members of the
House of Representatives, and then local elections also, so where
people are choosing their governors and their local council members
and things, and a lot of times when people go
(03:18):
to vote, they're focused on some of those local issues
in those local elections as much or even more than
they're focused on the national level. So this is you know,
the crux of democracy, right, this is where we really
sort of make this idea of people power come come alive.
We in the United States have our constitution which starts
we the people, right, and we're trying to maintain the
(03:41):
system that gives a sovereignty, gives authority to the people
through their selection of people. So I'm excited personally. I
think you're right, there's a lot of particular interest in
this election, and I think that's actually a hopeful sign
in that people are really invested in making the best
choice for the country because they are paying attention to
(04:02):
the candidates, to the issues, and they're actively getting out there.
You know, we don't know yet, but it's looking like
the turnout is going to be pretty good, which is
really exciting. So, I mean, this is this is a
big day, of course, but it's a big day every
every couple of years, any four years for the president
as well.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Have you voted you.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
I did. I voted about a month ago. I vote
in Virginia, and we have the system that allows us
to vote, you know, absentee by mail.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Who's your NBA team, by the way.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
So I grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, so I'm
a pretty solid New England sports teams fan. So I
would have to say the Boston Celtics.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Of course, you'd have to say the Boston Celtics are
mighty Boston Celtics. Anyway, back to this election, we really
only care and I'm saying may personally here, maybe not we,
but we really already care about the presidency race in
America because that's the showtime, that's the show biz, doesn't it?
Is this the most diverse election, divisive, sorry, election in
(05:00):
US history?
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I'm not sure that I would agree with that. I
certainly it is a well contested and a spirited campaign,
that's for sure. But we've had those throughout our history,
and so this is what our system is designed to do.
Is designed to make sure that the choice is clear
to the American people and then they can make the
best choice they can for themselves. But you're right, it's
(05:25):
a certainly a hot and contested campaign, but I think
they usually are.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Are you kind of concerned about what could happen or
might happen? I mean, us sitting back in New Zealand,
we look at it and we go if Trump just
only loses by tiny But will we have a problem
if it works the other way? Will we have a problem?
Do you am I picking something that's not there?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
So let me just say a couple of things about
sort of how we might look at the election and
what might happen. First of all, you mentioned, you know,
focus on the presidency. That's of course one of the
important races, but the role of the Congress shouldn't be
forgotten either. In our constitution, we have this division of
powers among three branches of government, the executive branch, the
legislative branch, and the judicial branch. And the way that
(06:12):
the Constitution was written by a founders was to distribute
power among the branches so no one element would get
too much authority and be too powerful. So although the
presidency and the executive branch sort of had the lead
on foreign policy, Congress has a really important role too,
because they passed the budgets, for example, and they have
to confirm some of the choices that the president or
(06:32):
the executive branch might make. So those congressional races in
the Senate and the House of Representatives are pretty important too,
So I would make sure to pay attention to all
of those different races on election day. But in terms
of sort of my level of concern or something, I'm
really not all that concerned. I've been doing foreign policy.
I've been in the State Department for about twenty five years,
(06:55):
so I've gone through lots of elections. I've gone through
transitions from one party to another party and back again.
And I have to say our overall approach to the
world has stayed pretty consistent, and I could say pretty
confidently that New Zealand is one of our most important
partners and will remain so, and we will remain committed
to having a great relationship with New Zealand. You know,
(07:18):
I arrived here actually just before New Zealand's election last year,
and so I was here during that campaign and I
was sort of as I was preparing to come to
New Zealand, I was hearing great stories and great news
about our bilateral relationship. What a great condition it was
in where sort of our relations have been steadily improving
(07:39):
for years, and they really reached a great point last
year with the previous government, and I would say that
is continued with the current government, and I would say
that so we have an election on our side, will
that will remain the case, that we will remain great
partners and very cooperative.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
But who would be better for us? Who would be
beta for New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
I have to say that the United States population is
going to make its selection for you know itself. The
United States is going to make The people of the
United States are focused on, you know, interests of their own,
just like New Zealand voters are focused on their own
particular interests. But I honestly think that whatever selection the
United States makes, we are going to have continue to
(08:20):
have a great relationship for New Zealand. I honestly believe that.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Okay, thanks, does a change for you? I mean, if
there's a change of president, could you lose your job
just quickly? I've got to go.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
But yeah, no. So I'm a career Foreign Service officer
and that means that it doesn't matter who is whichever
administration is in power. I am a career officer and
so I just keep my job.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Thank you very much for joining us this morning on
Wellington Mornings. That's Dave Geirinbeak. David Geirinbeak, and he is
the Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy.
Good luck for tomorrow, David, I hope you really enjoy
it very much. They know it's a big deal for you,
so enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
No, we're excited. Thanks a lot, all right.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news Talks It'd be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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