Foreign Minister Murray McCully has appointed diplomat Jane Coombs as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to France.

“New Zealand’s relationship with France is one of our most long-standing and vibrant, and it remains an important partner within the European Union,” Mr McCully says.

“Since 2014, we have been jointly commemorating both the 100th anniversary of the First World War and the death of thousands of New Zealand soldiers on French soil.

New Zealand and Viet Nam have launched a $5.4 million initiative to reduce dam related flooding in Viet Nam.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully joined Mr Ha Cong Tuan, Viet Nam’s Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, in Ha Noi today to launch the New Zealand-funded five-year project, which will focus on dam safety for the 1000km-long Ca River in Viet Nam.

“New Zealand is sharing its expertise in water engineering and natural hazard management to help Viet Nam address its development challenges,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to Ha Noi today to meet Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and President Tran Dai Quang.

“New Zealand’s relationship with Viet Nam has grown markedly in recent years. Bilateral trade, political engagement and people-to-people connections are all strengthening,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to Hawaii today to meet with senior figures in the United States Pacific Command. Mr McCully will also meet with members of Hawaii’s political leadership, senior academics and opinion makers.

“The US Pacific Command is responsible for US military operations in over half the world’s surface,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has today announced that New Zealand has updated its travel advice for Turkey. 

“The advice for New Zealand citizens reflects information received that suggests terrorists may seek to target Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula,” Mr McCully says.

While travel advice for Turkey and the Gallipoli Peninsula has changed, the level of risk remains the same. 

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has condemned the bombing in the northwest of Syria where dozens of people have been killed in a chemical weapons attack. 

“I was appalled to learn of another attack in an area where chemical weapons have previously been used,” Mr McCully says.

“Our thoughts and sympathies are with the victims of this barbaric attack, which is especially horrific for the number of children killed and injured.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully welcomes the Angolan Minister of External Relations Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, who he will meet in Wellington today.

“This visit presents an opportunity to deepen this relationship, including through discussing ways to increase trade flows. Angola had one of the fastest-growing economies of the past decade, and appointed its first ever Ambassador to New Zealand, resident in Singapore, last year,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has today welcomed Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil to New Zealand.

Lebanon is an important partner for New Zealand in the Middle East. During our term on the UN Security Council, we engaged closely with Lebanon on regional issues, including the war in Syria.

Since 1954, New Zealand has contributed to the UN Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) which helps maintain peace in the region. The current commander of UNTSO is a New Zealander.

New Zealand and Singapore are to pursue an Enhanced Partnership that will significantly boost collaboration between the two countries, their Foreign Ministers, Hon Murray McCully, and Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, announced today

The two Ministers, who met in Wellington today, said the Enhanced Partnership would deepen cooperation in the areas of trade and economics, security and defence, people-to-people links and research, technology and innovation, and in ways that would set an example of integration in the Asia-Pacific region.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today welcomes his Singaporean counterpart Dr Vivian Balakrishnan to Wellington on his first visit to New Zealand as Foreign Minister.

“New Zealand and Singapore share a warm friendship that includes extensive trade and economic links, long-standing defence ties and regional cooperation,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced that New Zealand will provide $3 million to support emergency famine relief and prevention efforts in Africa and Yemen. 

“More than 20 million people are currently facing famine conditions or severe food shortages across the Greater Horn of Africa, Nigeria and Yemen,” Mr McCully says.

“Droughts in some of these areas have been compounded by conflict and insecurity, giving rise to a very serious humanitarian situation. 

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has today signed two arrangements with China aimed at strengthening cooperation in the areas of fisheries and international development, particularly in the Pacific region.

The arrangements were signed in Wellington as part of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to New Zealand. 

“These arrangements will strengthen and expand our cooperation even further,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced that New Zealand will open an embassy in Dublin, Ireland.

“New Zealand and Ireland enjoy a very warm relationship which is underpinned by our shared values,” Mr McCully says.

“We work closely together on issues such as climate change, disarmament, and human rights, and are also both members of the Small Advanced Economies Initiative.

“Having an embassy in Dublin will enable us to build on and strengthen this relationship.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced that New Zealand will open a High Commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

"Establishing a High Commission in Colombo is a sign of New Zealand’s commitment to strengthening the relationship between our countries," Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced he will attend the Counter-ISIL Foreign Ministers’ meeting being hosted by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington DC on 22 March.

“New Zealand is committed to supporting Iraq as it addresses the threat posed by ISIL and works to stabilise affected communities,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to Samoa this week to meet with Prime Minister Tuilaepa and members of his Cabinet.

“My discussions with Prime Minister Tuilaepa and the Government of Samoa will cover a range of matters including renewable energy, New Zealand’s support to Samoa’s tourism sector and New Zealand’s Pacific Sporting Partnerships Programme,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has condemned in the strongest terms today’s launch of multiple missiles by North Korea.



“This decision is highly provocative and deeply detrimental to regional and global security,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully travels to the Gulf region this weekend for meetings in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain. 

“Our relationships with this important region are growing at a great pace and my visit will be an opportunity to continue discussions about priority areas, including the NZ-GCC FTA, regional security issues and cooperation in areas such as renewable energy,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to the Cook Islands this week to undertake a range of meetings, including with Prime Minister Henry Puna and his Cabinet.

“My discussions with Prime Minister Puna and his Cabinet will cover a range of matters including New Zealand’s support to the Cook Island’s tourism sector, which accounts for over 60% of national GDP,” Mr McCully says.  

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands next week for meetings with their political leaders about partnerships, economic development and maintaining political stability.

“Papua New Guinea is the largest Pacific Islands country, a leader in the region, and an important partner for New Zealand,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully welcomes the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó to New Zealand, who he will meet in Auckland on Friday this week.

“This visit presents an opportunity to deepen this relationship, including through discussing trade opportunities and New Zealand’s ambitions for a Free Trade Agreement with the EU,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has welcomed to New Zealand the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, who he will meet in Auckland tomorrow.



“This year, New Zealand celebrates 45 years of bilateral relations with China, and our important partnership continues to be forward-looking,” says Mr McCully.



“Our two-way trade stands at over $23 billion and our aim is for this to reach $30 billion by 2020. We’ve grown in education connections and tourism, with 70 direct flights a week between our countries.”

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to Australia this week to meet his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop for formal six monthly foreign policy consultations. He will also meet a range of other senior ministers and the opposition Foreign Affairs spokesperson.

“These twice yearly consultations are an opportunity for us to exchange views across a range of foreign policy issues,” Mr McCully says.