Maurice Williamson: former New Zealand Consul-General to LA on Winston Peters sacking Phil Goff as High Commissioner to the UK

There's support for the Foreign Affairs Minister sacking Phil Goff as High Commissioner to the UK. 

Goff questioned President Donald Trump's understanding of history at a public Chatham House event.

Winston Peters says that's ultimately made his position as High Commissioner untenable. 

Former New Zealand Consul-General to LA, Maurice Williamson, says diplomats are clearly warned not to convey personal views.

"It wouldn't matter if you were talking about Japan or China or anything - that's the role of a diplomat, you're there to represent the Government's views."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So Phil GoF Is Gonski as High Commissioner to London
to the UK, I should say he made this remark
at Chathamhouse in London. He asked the Finnish Minister who
was in attendance at a panel, if she thought that
Donald Trump really understands history, which is obviously not something
you want to say about a thin skinned man over
in the White House. Now Winston is fired to Morris

(00:20):
Williamson's the former Consul general to Los Angeles. Good evening,
good evening, right call to get rid of him.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
I think there's no choice for the Foreign Minister to
do what he did. I can tell you I was
a diplomat in the United States when Donald Trump was
the president for his first term. We're given very very
clear warnings that we are there to convey only what
the government's policy are and not what our own personal
views may or may not be. And it wouldn't matter

(00:50):
if you were talking about Japan or China or anything.
That's the role of a diplomat. You're there to represent
the government's views. And I think it was pretty clear
that I think Foreign Minister said it's untenable what happened,
and I simply don't know why Phil Goff would have
made such a mistake.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
I wondered whether he knew he was being filmed. I mean,
he's been around the traps a long time. Surely you
must have known. But he was playing politician, not diplomat,
wasn't he. That's the problem.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yeah, and your problem with those things, and I always
I had it quite a lot. I went to a
function in Utah once and I was told it was
all well Chatham House rules because you were a Chathamhouse
And I never accept that, because someone will be filming
it with their hand camera, someone will be recording it
with a tape deck inside their jacket. You literally, when
you're in the public you have to be representing New Zealand.

(01:38):
You have to The government is the master. You are
there their pleasure and they can either appoint you or
remove you accordingly. And I have to say that I
was appointed under a national government when I went up
there and it switched to a labor New Zealand First government.
It's quite unusual for me to say it, but I

(01:58):
think Winston Peters is just an out standing foreign minister
and really well regarded around the world. Everybody I talked
to from the foreign sort of embassies of other countries
were actually quite envious that we had a guy who
knew foreign affairs as well as Winston Peters does.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
He's had a long time to learn about it too, Morris.
Thank you for that. Marris Williamson, former Consul General in
Los Angeles.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
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