King Charles III will connect with New Zealanders through concern for climate, says ex-NZ PM

The former Prime Minister of New Zealand said that the advocacy for climate issues that King Charles expressed throughout his life brings him closer to New Zealanders.

Sangita and Ms Clark's exchange comes at a time when discussions on the place the Commonwealth has in the modern world are taking place.

"He has taken up issues that are of concern to New Zealanders," Ms Clark said.

She added: "They are concerned about damage to planetary boundaries, the extinction of species, the threat of what is happening to our climate, our natural environment, and resources".

"The messaging that he's had on that resonates very much here, people know that he was ahead of his time in speaking up for those elements that can't speak for themselves, namely nature, its species, its habitats and ecosystems," Ms Clark added.

While reflecting on the Queens' relationship with New Zealand and the Commonwealth, Ms Clark told Sangita that the affection New Zealanders felt for the late Queen would further encourage them to support the newly-appointed King.

"It was entirely appropriate that when the Queen was at the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), she made it clear to the leaders that she wished that the then Prince of Wales would succeed her as head of the Commonwealth," said Ms Clark.

Ms Clark, who was New Zealand's Prime Minister between 1999 and 2008, told Sangita that King Charles had taken over responsibility at the last CHOGM conferences.

When asked what she expects will unfold between the new King and the Commonwealth, Ms Clark responded that King Charles is well known and well liked in New Zealand, and that the commonality between his and the public's interest in climate issues will make for a "popular visit".

In his first address to the nation as monarch, King Charles made clear that he will abide by constitutional principles and can no longer partake in charitable and activist causes.

While looking back on her personal memories of the late Queen, Ms Clark told Sangita that the Queen has captured the fondness of New Zealanders during her multiple visits to the nation.

She drew upon the Queen's first visit to the nation in 1953, when New Zealand was engulfed in tragedy after a lahar volcano erupted and threw an overnight train from Wellington to Auckland into water, killing 151 people.

"That I think cemented in Kiwis minds that she was a very empathetic figure to New Zealand," said Ms Clark on the Queen's presence in New Zealand during that time.

This affection spread to New Zealand's indigenous population, whom Ms Clark said showed huge respect to the late queen. She traced the origins of this fondness back to the Queen's many visits to the nation and her presence during crucial moments of New Zealander history, like the 1990 presentation of the founding document of modern New Zealand.

"Whenever the Queen has visited New Zealand on those ten occasions, her visits were always greeted with huge ceremony and protocol," said Ms Clark.

Ms Clark's comments follow current New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's broadcast on the Queen's death, in which she sends her condolences to the royal family.

The Queen last visited New Zealand in 2002.