Sir Jerry Mateparae, the former Governor General and Defence Force chief, has been stationed in London since
early 2017, during a referendum which found a majority of voters wanted Britain to exit the European Union.

While he described the negotiations as "tortuous" and said Britain faced a number of challenges, Mateparae
said that the process for New Zealand – one of a handful of countries with which free trade talks were a priority – should on balance be favourable.