McCully names new High Commissioner to Ottawa

Career diplomat Andrew Needs will be New Zealand's new High Commissioner to Canada, Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced today.

Mr Needs will also be cross-accredited to Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

"New Zealand and Canada have a close and friendly relationship. Our shared parliamentary, legal, and defence traditions, as well as our Commonwealth heritage and increasing personal links underpin many common values," Mr McCully said.

"Canada's views as a member of the G8 and G20 as well as its membership of NATO are of considerable interest to us.

"We share a common view of security issues, and cooperate closely in counter-terrorism work, particularly in Afghanistan.

"We work closely together in the United Nations on issues such as non-proliferation and disarmament, and as agricultural producers we have a strong interest in seeing a successful completion of the WTO Doha negotiations," Mr McCully said.

Mr Needs is currently Foreign Affairs adviser to Mr McCully. He was Deputy High Commissioner in Ottawa from 2004-2008, and has served in Canberra, the Cook Islands, and the Pacific Forum Secretariat.

He takes up his appointment in early 2010, replacing Kate Lackey, who is retiring.