Announcement of New Zealand’s first resident Ambassador to Ireland

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced the appointment of diplomat Brad Burgess as New Zealand’s first Ambassador to Ireland.

“New Zealand and Ireland enjoy a warm relationship based on our shared values, close personal friendships, and historical and cultural links,” Mr Peters said.

“One in six Kiwis claim Irish heritage, we have about the same population and are both members of the Small Advanced Economies initiative. Ireland is an important member of the European Union and we work closely together on global issues such as climate change, disarmament and human rights, and at the United Nations.

“Mr Burgess is ideally suited to the role. As resident Ambassador, he will support New Zealand’s interests both in Ireland and, more broadly, in Europe as the negotiations toward the EU-New Zealand FTA are in progress,” Mr Peters said.

Most recently, Mr Burgess has held the roles of Free Trade Agreement Lead Negotiator and worked as TPP Deputy Chief Negotiator at MFAT. He has also previously been seconded to the Department of International Trade in the UK to work on FTA policy post-Brexit.