Goff names new High Commissioner to Samoa

New Zealand’s next High Commissioner to Samoa will be career diplomat John Adank, Foreign Minister Phil Goff announced today.

“The High Commission in Apia is an important post for New Zealand. Samoa is a key player in the Pacific region and the relationship between our two countries goes very deep," Mr Goff said.

"Our historical ties are close and the growing Pacific flavour in New Zealand culture has much to do with our connections to Samoa. Around 115,000 Samoans live in New Zealand, which is half of our Pacific population."

Samoa is New Zealand’s fifth largest Pacific export market, worth $83.7 million in 2002, and its economy has been growing rapidly.

New Zealand also has a strong development partnership with Samoa. Key areas of focus for the $8.2 million NZAID programme are education, health, governance, and private sector and community development.

Mr Adank is currently Deputy Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Legal Division. His previous postings were in New Zealand's Mission to the United Nations in New York, and in Geneva as New Zealand’s deputy permanent representative to the UN and World Trade Organisation.

Mr Adank takes up his position in April, replacing Penelope Ridings, who has returned to Wellington.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>