New Zealand Appoints Official From Its Embassy in Beijing as Ambassador to ASEAN

Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from L-R: Malaysia's Saifuddin Abdullah, Philippines' Teodoro Locsin, Singapore's Vivian Balakrishnan, Cambodia's Prak Sokhonn, Indonesia's Retno Marsudi, Laos' Saleumxay Kommasith and ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi pose for a group photo during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Phnom Penh on Feb. 17, 2022. Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP via Getty Images

The New Zealand government has announced that it has appointed Stuart Calman, the deputy head of its mission at its embassy in Beijing, as the country’s new ambassador to the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) based in Jakarta, Indonesia.

“Aotearoa New Zealand and ASEAN share a strong legacy of working together to promote peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” said New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta. Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand.