List of High Commissioners of New Zealand to the United Kingdom

The High Commissioner from New Zealand to the United Kingdom is New Zealand's foremost diplomatic representative in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and in charge of New Zealand's diplomatic mission in the United Kingdom.

The High Commission is located in London, the United Kingdom's capital city. New Zealand has maintained a resident High Commissioner in the United Kingdom since 1905, and a resident Head of Mission since 1871. The Ambassador to the United Kingdom is concurrently accredited to the Republic of Ireland and Nigeria.

As New Zealand was created as a part of the British Empire, its diplomatic relationship with the United Kingdom is its longest-standing; the position of High Commissioner in London pre-dates New Zealand's dominion status by two years, the Balfour Declaration by 21 years, and the adoption of the Statute of Westminster by 42 years. The next oldest High Commissioner's position (the High Commissioner to Canada) was created only in 1942, and the High Commissioner to Australia in 1943.

As fellow members of the Commonwealth of Nations, diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the United Kingdom are at governmental level, rather than between Heads of State. Thus, the countries exchange High Commissioners, rather than ambassadors.

Derek Leask. The current High Commissioner

List of heads of mission

Agents-General in the United Kingdom

	Name	Monarch	Took Office	Left Office
1	Dr Isaac Earl Featherston	Victoria	1871	1876
2	Sir Julius Vogel		1876	1880
3	Sir Francis Dillon Bell		1880	1891
4	Sir Westby Brook Perceval		1891	1895
5	William Pember Reeves	Victoria, Edward VII	1895	1905

High Commissioners to the United Kingdom

	Name	Monarch	Took Office	Left Office
1	William Pember Reeves	Edward VII	1905	1908
2	Sir William Hall-Jones	Edward VII, George V	1908	1912
3	Sir Thomas Mackenzie	George V	1912	1920
4	Sir James Allen		1920	1926
5	Sir James Parr		1926	1930
6	Sir Thomas Mason Wilford		1930	1935
	Sir James Parr, 2nd time	George V, Edward VIII	1935	1936
7	Sir William Joseph Jordan	Edward VIII, George VI	1936	1951
8	Sir Frederick Doidge	George VI, Elizabeth II	1951	1955
9	Sir Thomas Clifton Webb	Elizabeth II	1955	1958
	Dr Richard Mitchelson Campbell (acting)[1]		1958	1958
	George Laking (acting)[1]		1958	1961
10	Sir Thomas Lachlan MacDonald		1961	1968
11	Sir Denis Blundell		1968	1972
	Merwyn Norrish (acting)[1]		1972	1973
12	Sir Terence McCombs		1973	1975
13	Hugh Watt		1975	1976
14	Sir Douglas Carter		1976	1979
15	Les Gandar		1979	1982
16	Bill Young		1982	1985
17	Joe Walding		1985	1985
18	Bryce Harland		1985	1991
19	George Gair		1991	1994
20	John Collinge		1994	1997
21	Richard Grant		1997	1999
22	Paul East		1999	2002
23	Russell Marshall		2002	2005
24	Jonathan Hunt		2005	2008
25	Derek Leask		2008	incumbent

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b c} Acting High Commissioner only.

References

• Heads of Missions List: U. New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved on 8 July 2006.