New High Commissioner to Malaysia

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has today named diplomat John Subritzky as New Zealand’s new High Commissioner to Malaysia, to be based in Kuala Lumpur.

“Malaysia is an important political, trade and economic partner for New Zealand.  It is our seventh-largest trading partner, with total goods trade exceeding $3 billion annually,” Mr McCully says.

“Malaysia and New Zealand also have close education links, with many New Zealand universities having formal agreements with Malaysian education providers. There were more than 1,800 Malaysian students studying in New Zealand in 2013.

“Malaysia is a key strategic partner for New Zealand.  We are both members of the Five Power Defence Arrangement, which is the cornerstone of New Zealand’s defence and security engagement in the region.  Our two countries’ defence forces work well together in multinational peace-keeping operations, most recently in Bamyan province, Afghanistan.

“Next year will mark the 40^th anniversary of New Zealand’s formal relationship with ASEAN, and as next year’s Chair of ASEAN and the East Asia Summit Malaysia will play a key role as we seek to celebrate this important relationship,” Mr McCully says.

The High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is also accredited to Brunei.

Dr Subritzky has previously been posted to Jakarta and New Delhi and more recently was Director of the Chief Executive’s Office in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.