In 1936 Radio New Zealand began broadcasting from Parliament, Dan Sullivan and later John Beanland was Mayor of Christchurch and Michael Savage – later to become New Zealander of the Century – was Prime Minister.

1936 also saw the RV Discovery II visit the Ross Sea Region. This was the last time that a British Government vessel of any kind – either a research or Royal Navy vessel –visited that region. I am delighted that the visit this week of HMS Protector addresses this.

The presence of HMS Protector in Christchurch this week is a reminder of a fundamental and unchanging truth that Britain and New Zealand are both island nations. As such we depend on the sea for our prosperity and our security. Even in the age of the Internet, our dependence has not lessened: over 95 per cent of all intercontinental digital traffic travels via undersea fibre optic cables.

The 90 Officers and Ratings on board HMS Protector represent just a small proportion of the over 7000 British personnel on naval operations around the world — in home waters, in the Southern Ocean, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Gulf, and beyond.

The reasons why both the UK and New Zealand maintain such effective and professional navies is very simple. Our goals are your goals: a rules based international system which ensures the seas are safe for maritime trade and which supports growth and prosperity. This is important when you consider that 95 per cent of the UK's trade by volume and 99 per cent of New Zealand's is carried by sea.

But the international system, so vital to our national interests, can be fragile. That is why the UK and New Zealand must work together to prevent the pressures and challenges that arise from an increasingly complex and interconnected world from spilling over. This means responding to regional instability, failing states and terrorism – threats that have the potential to send shockwaves through world markets. It means playing our part to limit the consequences of economic inequality and environmental change, like piracy, illegal fishing and people trafficking.

Just as the Royal Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy sailed alongside one another through the menace of the U-boats and the heroism of the WWII Convoys, we stand alongside one another today in response to these new threats.

It is true that the world isn't getting any safer. The sea is our frontline. But we must never lose sight of the fact that globalisation is also a unifying force, which breaks down barriers and brings the people of the world closer together.

It is the world's shipping lanes, linking the markets of the Pacific, China and Asia with those of Europe and North America, that are the arteries on which the UK and New Zealand depend upon so heavily.

Our navies, often in concert with allies and partners, continue to play a vital role in contributing to the stability and success of world trade by keeping these waterways open and secure for the benefit of world trade.

The deployment of HMS Protector provides yet another opportunity for the UK and New Zealand to work with and alongside one another – this time to uphold the conservation rules of the Antarctic Treaty System and to protect the Southern Ocean from illegal fishing activities. Her primary responsibility for the visit to the Ross Sea is to undertake, with colleagues from the Ministry of Primary Industries, fisheries patrol inspections of toothfish vessels under the terms of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

As two of the 12 original signatories to the Antarctic Treaty, our countries are committed to ensuring that Antarctica remains a place of peaceful scientific endeavour and that commercial activities, such as fishing, are carried out in line with international conservation agreements.

Both countries have a strong track record in supporting and developing the Antarctic Treaty System to ensure that it offers the best possible environmental protection to the region. We also have much in common, given our strong scientific programmes and the operation of important networks of Antarctic research stations, vessels and planes.

This visit is an important opportunity to cement the Antarctic ties between our two countries; to celebrate the commitment to the Antarctic Treaty and celebrate our shared Antarctic heritage; and to assist in delivering real protection to this vast, but vulnerable wilderness.

I know that the Captain and crew of HMS Protector are grateful for the extremely warm welcome from the City of Christchurch, the Port of Lyttelton and the New Zealand Government. I also know they are looking forward to welcoming as many Cantabrians (and other Kiwis) as possible on board the ship when it holds a public open day on Sunday. I look forward to seeing you there.

HMS PROTECTOR is having an open day on Sunday 24 January. The ship will be open to the public from 10am till 2pm at Port Lyttelton. For updates and more information, see the event on the UK in New Zealand Facebook page.

Jonathan Sinclair is the British High Commissioner to New Zealand.