Trump’s US moves further from Ardern’s NZ

Donald Trump’s arrival in New York for a United Nations gathering will highlight the growing distance between New Zealand and the United States as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reaffirms New Zealand’s support for the Iran deal and rules out signing up to the US President’s global war on drugs.

Both issues are expected to dominate the UN general assembly attended by more than 130 world leaders.

Trump is expected to address the assembly today and Ardern will speak later in the week on Thursday, US time.

With the US poised for critical mid-term elections, Trump will likely use the UN as an opportunity to appeal to a domestic platform, meaning there is little chance of any backdown from his hard line on issues including Iran, Syria, and an increasingly protectionist agenda on trade.

Advisers to the US president have signalled he will also push foreign leaders to take a stronger stance against the global drug trade, and he will kick off his appearance at the UN with an event tied to his global call to action on the world drug problem, a document that the United States has been circulating to UN member states to sign.

Countries have been promised an invitation to the event if they do, and an opportunity to participate in a group photo with Trump. Ardern has confirmed, however, that New Zealand won’t be signing up – a move that aligns us with a number of other European countries.

‘‘It’s not our intention to and there are number of other countries that haven’t either,’’ she said. Asked why, Ardern said because it had ‘‘a particular opioid focus’’ and New Zealand had its own agenda focused on addressing issues associated with drug use. ‘‘We have a number of challenges quite specific to New Zealand in the particular drugs that are present, but also in taking a health approach. We want to do what works and so we’re using a strong evidence base to do that.’’

Ardern’s stance that New Zealand prefers an ‘‘evidence based’’ approach to drugs is a direct challenge to the US administration’s rhetoric on the issue, and it is not the only area where both countries are increasingly talking a different language.

Since her arrival in the US, Ardern has made it clear that she will carry the torch for multilateralism across all areas include trade, conflict, climate change and development.