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.

“France is one of our major trading partners in Europe and our relationship will prove important in our forthcoming negotiations for an FTA with the EU.

“The Ambassador to France is also Permanent Representative to the OECD. Contributing to and drawing from the OECD economic assessments and peer review processes are a valuable way to benchmark New Zealand’s economic performance.”

Ms Coombs is currently Divisional Manager of the North Asian Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She has also served as Manager of the Americas Division, Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington DC and Ambassador to Korea in Seoul.

Ms Coombs has accreditations to the Principality of Monaco, Portugal and Senegal.

| A beehive release  ||  April 28, 2017   |||