Meet the diplomats: NZ’s ‘eye, ear and voice’
The coalition Government is looking to maintain New Zealand’s place in an increasingly polarised world. That takes diplomacy and a bunch of skilled diplomats, writes
It’s just over 153 years since New Zealand boasted its first overseas diplomatic posting. Isaac Featherston become agentgeneral in London on April 5, 1871. From all accounts Featherston – a doctor who represented Wanganui in the first New Zealand Parliament in 1853, and Wellington from 1855 till 1870 – was something of a thorn in the side of the government of the day.
The solution? He became New Zealand’s man on an overseas mission, sent off to negotiate deals in Australia – the first being a mail service between our Tasman cousins and Panama – and the UK, before his appointment to London.
One and a half centuries later, it’s still all go in diplomatic circles.
It’s been just on a fortnight since Foreign Minister Winston Peters returned from meetings with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The US trip followed his attendance at the Nato foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels and bilateral visits to Egypt and Poland.
Over the past 4½ months Peters has undertaken 159 international engagements, met 35 heads of mission here, and had 81 engagements with foreign counterparts as well as vice-presidents and presidents-elect by phone/video link/ or in person.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also hot-footed it overseas to press the flesh in Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines this month.
Peters’ views on diplomacy, and who should be heading NZ Inc overseas, are well known, and perhaps best summed up in this line from a speech he gave to a foreign policy class at the University of Otago in 2022: “Diplomacy and diplomats should be confined to careerists dedicated to the art of diplomacy and not former politicians being ‘grass widowed’, ‘rewarded’, or as a ‘tradeoff’ for early retirement from politics.”
When overseas, he said, “we are our country’s message”. And, in a world where New Zealand’s prosperity – one in every four New Zealanders in work today depends on exports for their livelihoods – and security rely on keeping up with the international Joneses, that message is increasingly important.
Said Peters: “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades. We cannot afford to sit back in splendid isolation in the South Pacific, pontificate smugly and talk exclusively to those countries we agree with.
“It is critical that we show up, listen to all perspectives and enhance partnerships with our traditional friends, so that we can adapt to the complex global environment and protect and advance New Zealand’s security and prosperity.”
Tough times looming, then. And that, says a former Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade official, is exactly why we need to nurture and maintain our overseas presence. If a country, or institution – the UN, say – can make decisions that affect New Zealand’s vital interests, “we want a presence there ... and functionally, as a famous quote of the 1950s went, that’s an eye, an ear and a voice”.
Peters, meanwhile, said his focus this term would be on the Indo-Pacific (spanning from South Asia to the Pacific Islands), as well as our traditional partners.
Diplomatically his office, when asked to rank the importance of overseas posts, declined the invitation, suggesting they were self-evident.
Charles Finny, a former diplomat turned international trade consultant at Saunders Unsworth, was more open to predicting some of the potential up-andcoming hotspots, but also said agreement as to importance was highly subjective.
“If you ask 10 ex- or current MFAT staff you will probably get 10 different answers.”
In terms of overseas jobs, Canberra, Washington, Brussels, Beijing and London were top tier. Tokyo, Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok and Seoul were on the way up.
“Inside the EU, Berlin is increasingly important and right now Warsaw is in the thick of things because of Ukraine,” Finny said, adding that while the multilateral posts of New York and Geneva had traditionally been very senior roles, dysfunction at the UN and the World Trade Organisation meant they were perhaps less so now.
Demographic predictions suggested Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had potential, yet there appeared to be little appetite in official circles to pursue possibilities in those countries, he said.
Finny said there was active debate within MFAT about the benefits or otherwise of negotiating new trade deals given 80% of our trade is now covered by free trade agreements.
However, there was every reason to keep a foot on the accelerator, especially in previously neglected regions, such as Latin and Central America, where Trade Minister Todd McClay was showing some interest.
“China will remain our major market for many years but it may not be as lucrative as it has been. And you will see an increased emphasis on Asean, Taiwan, Korea and Japan in Asia,” Finny said.
David Capie is professor of international relations and director of the Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. Like Peters and Finny, he also stresses that our economic and security interests go well beyond our backyard.
“Many of the problems the region is concerned about – climate change, illegal fishing, drug trafficking – their origins are not in the Pacific. So if we want to have influence on tackling those threats we need to work outside the Pacific.”
Capie said while it was a tough time to make the case for more spending on defence and foreign affairs when people were being laid off, the world was becoming a more dangerous place for small, open, liberal democracies.
“The reality is plenty of other states are already doubling down on their ties across Asia and the Pacific. If we aren’t out there, engaging and talking about what matters to New Zealand, then our interests will get overlooked. And just showing up isn’t enough. We need to be seen to be making a practical contribution and playing our part.
“The PM has signalled Southeast Asia is a region of real priority. I’d also watch the New Zealand-Japan relationship. There’s been a significant lift in defence co-operation there. And as we get closer to Nato, it lets us deepen our ties with Japan and South Korea as well.”
Keeping NZ Inc in the global mix – the top spots
Canberra, Australia – Andrew Needs “Australia and New Zealand – there are no two closer countries on the planet,’’ said High Commissioner Annette King last year, just before she retired.
Stepping into her veteran heels was
Andrew Needs, a career diplomat with a long and varied career. He served in Canada (twice); Australia (twice); and Fiji and the Cook Islands.
Needs was among the dozens of diplomats to controversially sign a letter to then MFAT chief executive John Allen in 2012, expressing concerns about planned budget and job cuts at the ministry.
He is a former foreign adviser to National minister Murray McCully.
Needs grew up in New Plymouth, where his father worked at the local power station. In a Stuff story from 2009, after being appointed New Zealand High Commissioner to Canada, he admitted to being pretty poor at maths and science, and driving his fifth form biology teacher nuts. ‘‘I did, however, enjoy history, economics and geography.’’
Washington, US – Bede Corry
New Zealand’s ambassador to the US, Bede Corry, is about to give up his “His Excellency” title for a somewhat more prosaic one; come June, Corry takes up the role of secretary of foreign affairs and trade and chief executive of MFAT.
A former private secretary to both Don McKinnon and Phil Goff, he is one of MFAT’s leading lights, its ‘been-theredone-that’ guy. Corry has served as deputy secretary for Australia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, and as ambassador to the UK and Thailand – where, during violent clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters, he and other embassy staff were forced to move into temporary accommodation.
His CV also includes experience as deputy secretary at the Ministry of Defence, deputy chief executive and deputy secretary at MFAT and deputy secretary at the Ministry of Defence.
Corry has a BA (First Class Honours) from Victoria University, is a cricket fan and, apparently, not a bad cook. He comes from a large family, being the eighth of 10 siblings.
While his successor is yet to be announced – MFAT says the process is under way – sources have raised several possibilities, including former prime minister Jacinda Ardern or Carolyn Schwalger, who is NZ’s permanent representative to the UN.
Beijing, China – Grahame Morton Grahame Morton, New Zealand’s person in Beijing, has the honour of being one of a number of Kiwis named in cables from the United States embassy in Wellington as part of Julian Assange’s 2010 WikiLeaks 250,000 document dump.
His name cropped up in relation to a proposed visit to New Zealand by the Dalai Lama, who then prime minister John Key had apparently discussed with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao.
A former high commissioner to India, Tauranga-born Morton has also held roles as principal adviser on Americas and Asia, and as the divisional manager of the North Asia Division. He was the lead negotiator of the NZ-Singapore Enhanced Partnership and led the whole of government NZ China Capable Public Sector programme.
A history buff, Morton describes himself on his X profile as a diplomat, dad, cricket tragic, tragic at golf, a fan of Aotearoa, dogs, ideas, guitars. He’s also not averse to a little verse, choosing to celebrate New Year with an online reading of the poem Place by Central Otago poet Brian Turner, which he said summed up New Zealanders’ strong connection with their country.
London, UK – Phil Goff
Phil Goff needs no introduction. Former Labour Party leader, foreign affairs minister, justice minister, MP for Mt Roskill, mayor of Auckland, student leader, Vietnam War protester. Goff, as anyone who’s worked with him knows, is a workaholic.
In 1995 David Lange, writing on possible successors to Helen Clark, suggested Goff might be worth considering as a future centre party leader, but then went on to say he “would appeal to a limited popular constituency.”
Goff has said welcoming the Tampa refugees was one of his proudest moments as foreign minister. In 2008 Goff signed the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement, after three years and 15 rounds of negotiations.
His activities have included reading Latin texts and, when he’s at home in rural Auckland, roaring around on his Triumph 850, and chopping firewood.
Brussels, Belgium – Simon Draper Simon Draper is in the hot seat as head of mission to the European Union and Nato.
Draper masterminded New Zealand’s successful bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council and has advised other governments on the strategy to follow. He has held a number of leadership positions within MFAT since joining in 1991, and is a former consul-general to New Caledonia.
He is also the former executive director of the New Zealand Asia Foundation, perhaps not surprising given his long-held interest in the region; Draper spent two years studying the Korean language before being posted to the New Zealand Embassy in Seoul in 1992. He speaks French, Korean and Italian.
Draper has been described as ambitious, clever, articulate and strategic. He has an eclectic taste in music and encyclopaedic knowledge of anything and everything. He loves a good quiz.
And, according to a close acquaintance, he’s also a person of his word. “He is still smarting because he lost a bet with me about [former TOP leader] Raf Manji getting into Parliament. He paid up and I enjoyed the Waiheke Man O’ War Dreadnought wine very much. He is therefore also a very honourable person.”
Tokyo, Japan – Hamish Cooper
Hamish Cooper is no stranger to the machinations of diplomacy. From good Canterbury stock, he was educated at Christ’s College, a private boys’ school where Latin and Ancient Greek were part of the curriculum, and Canterbury University, where his chosen topics were English literature and American studies.
He completed a postgraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania before returning to New Zealand in 1984. The day after his return, Cooper was offered two jobs – one at MFAT, the other at Canterbury University.
He chose the first and the rest, as they say, is history. Stints in London, Osaka, Turkey and Russia followed. In 2000, as deputy head of mission in Japan he was the go-between for Japanese authorities and the families of three New Zealand snowboarders who died after being buried in an avalanche.
Singapore – Gabby Rush
Gabby Rush could well be MFAT’s fittest diplomat. A keen swimmer, Rush grew up not far from Auckland’s wild Piha Beach. She was, for several years until her appointment as high commissioner to Singapore, a member of Wellington ocean swimming group the Washing Machines who brave the capital’s frigid waters yearround, for fun.
Rush has an extensive background in international law and policy and has served in a number of positions both here and overseas. Previous roles include senior legal adviser in MFAT’s legal division, first secretary to the New Zealand High Commission in London and deputy director of the ministry’s Americas division with responsibility for the US, Canada and Commonwealth Caribbean countries.
Rush was also “outed” in the WikiLeaks saga, named as a “protected” source in relation to anti-terrorism laws.
A breast cancer survivor, Rush says she swims to honour her father, who died from male breast cancer in 2019: “Swimming is a great mental and physical healer.’’
NZ’s eyeSeoul, Republic of Korea – Dawn Bennet
Our ambassador to Korea is another polyglot and MFAT veteran. Dawn Bennet started at the ministry as a trade adviser in 1997. Fluent in Mandarin and French, her previous roles include senior trade adviser for the minister of trade, economic counsellor at the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing and international relations consultant in Paris.
Bennet was caught up in the kerfuffle caused by former trade minister Damien O’Connor’s gaffe on China television, when he suggested Australia should “show respect’’ to the superpower.
The comment followed the signing of an upgraded trade agreement with China and copped considerable criticism and a flurry of emails between the ministry, Canberra and the Beehive.
Bennet is a self-confessed K-pop fan, particularly the massively popular BTS, whose members are, somewhat controversially, currently undertaking military duty. She has a Master of Laws from Edinburgh University.
New Delhi, India – Patrick Rata
Patrick Rata was last month appointed high commissioner to India, poised to become the world’s third-largest economy within years, and is due to take up the role shortly.
Rata (Ngāti Kurī, Te Aupōuri) is another career diplomat with experience across continents. He has most recently been acting high commissioner to Sri Lanka, following roles as ambassador to Italy and the Republic of Korea, where he helped negotiate a free trade agreement, and joined a softball league.
His keen sense of humour showed itself early, when, according to one newspaper report, he was thrown in the deep end in his first week on the job in Seoul.
It was 2012 and Rata was welcoming then prime minister John Key to Seoul, at a dinner reception. Introduced by Rata, who was reading from handwritten notes, Key wondered how Rata could read such tiny script. The diplomat made a quip about Key’s age, before swiftly noting this might be his first – and last – official duty.
Rata was a senior official at the World Trade Organisation for 10 years. Outside work, he’s into sport and music.
Warsaw, Poland/Ukraine – Alana Hudson
The war in Ukraine has thrust our European missions into overdrive, and none more so than that helmed by Alana Hudson.
Previous postings in Geneva and Brussels have rocketed Hudson up the ladder as something of an EU trade expert and her multilateral skills are proving handy in the current global environment; a year after presenting her credentials to the relatively unknown Volodymyr Zelenskyy, she was back in the country offering NZ’s support for “Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
In January, at Davos, she met Ukrainian officials again, this time discussing defence needs, alongside the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula.
In 2020 Hudson was among 50 diplomats to sign a letter urging the Polish government to ‘‘end discrimination’’ of sexual minorities, following an uptick in hostility towards the LGBT+ community.
Berlin, Germany – Craig Hawke
Slow runner, football obsessive and foodie. The leisure activities of Ambassador Craig Hawke offer a tiny window into the mind of this diplomat’s diplomat. You can’t get more MFAT than Hawke.
Hawke, it has to be said, has had a prolific career – the Cook Islands, Canberra, Seoul, head of the partnerships, humanitarian aid and multilateral relations unit, deputy secretary international relations, Wellington, New York, Africa, Asia, environmental issues.
While in Berlin, he also serves as non-resident head of mission responsible for relations to the Czech Republic, the Swiss confederation and the principality of Liechtenstein. He was recently in Prague for a cyber-security conference, where the discussion centred around how best to leverage the EU-NZ free trade agreement and shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific.
Hawke was the go-between for the 2023 repatriation from Germany of the remains of 95 Māori and Moriori ancestors along with 6 Toi moko (Māori mummified tattooed heads) and taonga Māori.
He has a bachelor’s degree in social sciences and a masters in social sciences in economics from Waikato University.