New Zealand has been France’s ally since the beginning of the twentieth century. The foreign relations of France with New Zealand became stronger in the early part of the twentieth century because the military of New Zealand had helped the French during World War I and World War II. During World War I New Zealand participated in the alliance with the French to fight against the Germans. More than 1500 New Zealand soldiers laid down their lives and several thousands were seriously wounded in the Battle of the Somme. During the same year, the New Zealand military again helped the French in the battle fought at Passchendaele, where a battalion of 850 personnel were killed during a futile operation.

The foreign relations of France with New Zealand were estranged during the 1980s. During this decade, there were several nuclear tests carried out in France which were a concern for the social organizations working for the cause of conservation of global environment. In an attempt to embarrass France by interfering in its nuclear tests, a group of volunteers belonging to the Greenpeace organization left New Zealand and headed towards Mururoa Atoll which was the spot where the French intended to carry the nuclear testing.

These nuclear tests were frequently carried out at MururoaAtoll, which was destroying the natural oceanic resourrces and living organisms in the region. It also had created cracks in several parts of the Atoll. When the Greenpeace volunteers were close to the site in their ship, French agents bombarded the ship so as to stop the volunteers from interfering. This created waves in the international circle and a police investigation was initiated in which the two concerned French agents were arrested. However, the French government put pressure on the New Zealand authorities to release the two culprits, which led to the souring of foreign relations of France with New Zealand.

Since the beginning of the new millennium, foreign relations of France with New Zealand have improved and bilateral discussions have increased between the two nations.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand and ministers of diverse portfolios have visited France in recent years with an aims of discussing and working out possibilities for financial and military improvements within both countries. There has been an acceptance of transporting the nuclear raw material through the southern part of the pacific that has increased the chances of further strengthening the diplomatic relations of France with New Zealand in the coming years.