United States ambassador William McCormick has plaudits for most aspects of New Zealand life, but not teenage drinking. He told a gathering of civic and business leaders and Kamo High School students who met him in Whangarei last night that teen drinking was a huge issue in this country. Eighteen-year-olds who weredrinking were likely to provide liquor to 16-year-old siblings, whereas more maturity could prevent that happening if the drinking age was 21, Mr McCormick said. He and his wife, Gail, had sent their 17-year-old daughter to boarding school in Canada rather than bring her to New Zealand because of their concern over teen drinking. That personal issue aside, Mr McCormick, 68, concentrated on "commonalities" that had the US and New Zealand "joined at the hip in so many areas". His predecessors had seen a big rock labelled "Nuclear disarmament" on the road ahead, but he was looking for a path around that obstacle. The ambassador spoke of US appreciation of New Zealand's participation in East Timor, the Pacific and Afghanistan. "We are on the same page when it comes to security," he said. Both countries were interested in getting the Dohar trade round going. The US believed it would lift 76 million people out of poverty. Both countries were concerned about the sustainability of fishing in the Pacific. The US had created a "1.8 million square mile" no-fishing zone near Hawaii in a bid to boost fish stocks. Asked about the prospects for a NZ-US free trade agreement, Mr McCormick said President George W. Bush would fast-track it, but the US Congress was aligned with the labour movement and wasn't keen on free trade agreements. The ambassador visited Marsden Pt and the NIWA aquaculture research centre at Ruakaka yesterday. Today and tomorrow he was to visit historic places in the Bay of Islands, including the site of the first US consulate at Okiato Pt. The US perception of New Zealand was "incredibly positive" because it is "clean and green and the people are fantastic". "I'll keep your secret. I won't tell a soul how wonderful it is here," he said.
