Bush tabs Oregonian envoy to New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – President Bush nominated Oregon businessman William McCormick to be the next U.S. ambassador to New Zealand, the U.S. Embassy said Friday.

McCormick, who has already been granted diplomatic approval by New Zealand, must undergo a Senate confirmation hearing before he can become ambassador.

He has also been nominated to serve as ambassador to Samoa, a Polynesian South Pacific nation east of New Zealand.

McCormick, 65, was a member of the “pioneers” group of Republican Party supporters who raised at least $100,000 to help President Bush win re-election in 2004 and is co-founder and chairman of McCormick & Schmick Management Group. Starting with a seafood restaurant 30 years ago, the company now operates a chain of more than 30 restaurants in 20 U.S. states.

He is to replace fellow Oregonian Charles “Butch” Swindells in the post.

Swindells, in his farewell speech at an American Independence Day party on July 12, said both nations need to engage in dialogue to repair their relationship, which has been strained since New Zealand adopted an anti-nuclear policy in 1985.

No U.S. warships have visited New Zealand since it adopted the anti-nuclear policy, which bans nuclear weapons and nuclear-powered warships from its territory.