British minister Mark Field visits Northland during first NZ trip

Kiwi North husbandry team leader Kevin Saxton shows Flash the Tuatara to British High Commissioner to New Zealand Laura Clarke and British minister Mark Field. Photo/John Stone

Northland's muggy weather couldn't dampen the first visit to the region by a British Minister.

Mark Field is the minister in the foreign and commonwealth office for Asia and the Pacific. He is on his first visit to New Zealand, spending yesterday in Northland, and today in Wellington.

After a "very, very cold winter" Mr Field was grateful to have some "warmth in his bones".

He spent a couple of days in the Solomon Islands before heading landing in New Zealand.

Mr Field met Auckland mayor Phil Goff yesterday morning, before visiting Kiwi North with Whangarei mayor Sheryl Mai, where he got to see the two resident kiwi tuck into a meal.

He then heard about the work of the Kiwi Coast and predator control programmes in Northland.

He said the idea to come to Northland came from the British High Commissioner to New Zealand, Laura Clarke.

"She had the idea that rather than spending all of my time in my initial visit to New Zealand in meetings in cities, which is important and I'll be in Wellington tomorrow meeting political counterparts, it would be just great to get out into Northland."

Ms Clarke said staff looked at records, and believe Mr Field is the first UK minister to visit Northland.

She said it gives "a much more rounded sense of a country to come out and travel around".

Mr Field has a responsibility in the foreign office for the issue of illegal wildlife trade and is interested in conservation projects.

He described Kiwi North as a "tremendous asset".

"I'm very impressed by the fact that a lot of youngsters have a passion for conservation that, hopefully, will mean that the risk of kiwi and indeed other indigenous species going the same way as many others and becoming extinct over recent decades will be something we can consign to the past."

Ms Clarke said Northland was also a good fit in terms of economic regeneration.

"To come and look were there's a big focus firstly on conservation but also on economic regeneration, which is such a big priority, where there is a lot of talk about how can New Zealand redevelop and boost the economy of this region. The UK is a key partner for that, whether you're looking at infrastructure, whether UK firms have the expertise to invest and support in those areas."

Mr Field met local politicians and the Chamber of Commerce later in the afternoon.