Exciting learning opportunities, open to everyone

#2607 Can nations make the world a better place?

Speaker: Colin Keating

Date: Saturday 2nd May 2026  10am-1pm

Venue: Waikanae Presbyterian Church Hall, 43 Ngaio Road, Waikanae

Colin Keating is a former New Zealand diplomat who has served in Samoa, London and Washington. He was New Zealand’s Ambassador to the UN in New York and represented New Zealand on the UN Security Council. He is recognised as a leading global authority on the UN Security Council. For seven years he worked for Colombia University in New York as Executive Director of the organisation “Security Council Report”. Colin is an international lawyer and served as the Legal Adviser of the New Zealand Foreign Ministry. He was responsible for leading the policy and legal work in New Zealand for the ratification of the Human Rights Covenants and a number of other UN Human rights treaties. He was also appointed as Secretary for Justice and has worked in the private sector in New Zealand as a partner in legal practice. Currently, Mr Keating advises on a range of international and other matters.

International cooperation in an increasingly inter-dependent yet polarised world is complex and hard to achieve. Yet efforts towards peace and security, economic and social development, human rights and fair trade through agreed rules and collective action have been promoted through multilateral institutions since early in the 20th century. What has been achieved, why is it not really working today, who’s undermining it and what are the prospects for the future? Colin will trace the establishment and evolution of multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and its specialised agencies, the World Bank and IMF, the World Trade Organisation and regional blocs to explore what the future holds and the role New Zealand has and is playing in these organisations.In this seminar, John will give a version of events that have shaped the historical importance of Kāpiti Island; from the time of the New Zealand Company settlements and interaction with Ngatitoa chief Te Rauparaha. He will discuss settlement patterns around the Wellington region and “top o the south”, the impact of whaling, trading, farming and eventually conservation activity leading to the development of one of our finest nature reserves.