Minister of Foreign Affairs announces diplomatic appointments to Malaysia and Austria

Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Hon Nanaia Mahuta has announced Pam Dunn as New Zealand’s next High Commissioner to Malaysia and Brian Hewson as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Austria and UN Permanent Representative, Vienna.

Malaysia

“New Zealand and Malaysia enjoy a warm bilateral relationship. We have had diplomatic relations for more than 60 years, and longstanding political, cultural and economic ties including through multilateral forums such as ASEAN, APEC and the Commonwealth,” Nanaia Mahuta said.

“Malaysia is a significant trading partner as well as a key strategic and security partner.”

Ms Dunn has held diplomatic postings across Asia; in Beijing twice and Shanghai, as well as serving as New Zealand’s Ambassador to ASEAN, based in Jakarta.

Austria

“Austria and New Zealand have many shared interests, including a strong commitment to peace and security, multilateral cooperation, human rights and open trade,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “The European Union-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, currently under negotiation, will provide a good basis for further cooperation.”

In this role, Dr Hewson will promote New Zealand’s interests in the UN and other international organisations based in the Austrian capital such as the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). As Ambassador to Austria, he will also be accredited to Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

He has been previously been posted to Beijing and Shanghai and before that worked at the New Zealand Ministry of Defence.