The high commissioner of the United Kingdom to New Zealand is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in New Zealand, and head of the UK's diplomatic mission in New Zealand. As the United Kingdom and New Zealand are fellow members of the Commonwealth of Nations, their diplomatic relations are at governmental level, rather than between heads of state. Thus, the countries exchange high commissioners, rather than ambassadors. The current high commissioner as of 2026 is Louise Cantillon.
The British high commissioner to New Zealand is also the non-resident governor of the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, a British Overseas Territory, and formerly non-resident high commissioner to the Independent State of Samoa. Besides the high commission in Wellington, the UK government maintains a consulate general in Auckland.
List of high commissioners
The following persons have served as British high commissioner to New Zealand since 1939:
1939–1945: Sir Harry Batterbee 1945–1949: Sir Patrick Duff 1949–1953: Sir Roy Price 1953–1957: General Sir Geoffry Scoones 1957–1959: Sir George Mallaby 1959–1963: Sir Francis Cumming-Bruce 1964–1969: Sir Ian Maclennan 1969–1973: Sir Arthur Galsworthy 1973–1975: Sir David Aubrey Scott 1976–1980: Sir Harold Smedley 1980–1984: Sir Richard Stratton 1984–1987: Terence Daniel O'Leary 1987–1990: Robin Byatt 1990–1994: Sir David Moss 1994–1998: Robert Alston 1998–2001: Martin Williams 2001–2006: Richard Fell 2006–2010: George Fergusson 2010–2014: Victoria Treadell 2014–2017: Jonathan Sinclair 2018–2022: Laura Clarke 2022–2026: Iona Thomas
2026–: Louise Cantillon
See also List of high commissioners of New Zealand to the United Kingdom
References
External links UK and New Zealand, gov.uk