Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, has announced two new diplomatic appointments.
Carolyn Schwalger will serve as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Japan.
Ms Schwalger has held the role of New Zealand’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations since January 2022.
Between 2019–2021, Ms Schwalger was the inaugural Chief Executive of the New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Prior to her appointment, she was seconded to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to lead the establishment of the NEMA and later became its inaugural Chief Executive. As CE NEMA, Ms Schwalger was a member of the New Zealand COVID-19 National Response Leadership Team.
From 2017 to 2019 Ms Schwalger was Deputy Secretary and Principal Capability Adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade with responsibility for leading a wide programme of organisational capability improvement.
Ms Schwalger also served as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative at the New Zealand Permanent Mission to the United Nations from 2014–17.
Anais Kedgley Laidlaw has been named as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Italy.
Ms Kedgley Laidlaw is currently Unit Manager of MFAT’s APEC Policy team and New Zealand’s Alternate Senior Official to APEC.
She has have also held leadership roles in MFAT’s Legal Division, where she appeared as counsel for New Zealand before the WTO Disputes Panel and Appellate Body, acted as New Zealand legal counsel in FTA negotiations and represented New Zealand at various international meetings related to arms trading, seabed mining and outer space.
She has also served as New Zealand’s Programme Director on women’s economic empowerment at the APEC Secretariat in Singapore, First Secretary (Trade and Economic) at the New Zealand Embassy in Thailand, and Legal Adviser at the New Zealand Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.
