PlumLos Angeles posting for retiring MPWilliamson

Controversial National MP Maurice Williamson has been awarded a sought-after posting as New Zealand’s consul-general in Los Angeles.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully made the announcement among several diplomatic appointments.

It comes a month after Williamson announced he would be retiring from politics at the next election. He has been the MP for Pakuranga since 1987 and has held several ministerial portfolios.

He has languished on the back benches since his sacking from the Cabinet in May 2014.

That followed revelations he had approached police seeking information on a criminal case being taken against Chinese businessman Donghua Liu – a National Party donor. Williamson was left with little choice but to resign.

He became an overnight gay icon when he made a speech in support of the Marriage Amend- ment Bill which allowed gay couples the right to legally marry. The vision he painted of a ‘‘big gay rainbow’’ over his Pakuranga electorate drew international praise.

A spat with the National Party leader in 2003 saw him temporarily suspended from caucus.

Relations with Bill English remained chilly, but he found himself reinstated and promoted under successor Don Brash.

Williamson made a brief return to headlines to apologise for offensive and sexist remarks he made during a speech to a business group last September.

Among the other diplomatic appointments announced by McCully was Karena Lyons, who will be the next consul-general in Hawaii and will also be New Zealand’s accredited ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau and Republic of Marshall Islands.

Lyons, a career diplomat, has served in New York during New Zealand’s United Nations Security Council campaign and most recently as an adviser to McCully.

Rachel Maidment will be New Zealand’s next consul-general in Guangzhou, China.

Following a 10-year career as a diplomat, she established a leading Asia consultancy, Navigate, providing services to a wide range of government and private sector clients.

And Michael Upton was appointed as New Zealand’s next high commissioner to Kiribati.

‘‘The high commissioner will be responsible for overseeing New Zealand’s aid programme in Kiribati, which will total around $17 million this year.

‘‘A major focus is working to address the impacts of overcrowding in South Tarawa, where about half of Kiribati’s population live, and improving waste management, water and sanitation,’’ McCully said.