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The Embassy of New Zealand in London |
Contact
Address
1 Pall Mall East, London, SW1Y 5AU
Phone Number
020 7930 8422
Website
www.mfat.govt.nz/uk
E-Mail
LON-enquiries@mfat.govt.nz
The Ambassador
Amb. Hamish Cooper
Hamish Cooper is a veteran New Zealand career diplomat with around four decades of service. He studied at the University of Canterbury and undertook postgraduate study in the United States. His career has included several London postings, service as Consul-General in Osaka and ambassadorial appointments to Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Japan before he became High Commissioner to the United Kingdom in 2025.
History
Bilateral ties between New Zealand and the United Kingdom are profoundly deep, historic, and familial, formally originating prior to New Zealand’s transition to dominion status and continuing through an unbreakable modern alliance. While historically associated with the iconic 18-storey New Zealand House on Haymarket—a landmark modernist skyscraper opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1963—the High Commission currently commands a prominent, highly active operations base at Kinnaird House on Pall Mall East.
The High Commission in London serves as a powerhouse operational command post for executing advanced digital trade statecraft, defense integration, and Indo-Pacific security coordination between Wellington and Whitehall. Under High Commissioner Cooper's specialized security and legal background, a paramount mandate of the mission centers on fully operationalizing the landmark UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA). This comprehensive agreement has aggressively removed tariffs, modernized digital supply networks, and catalyzed massive cross-border service liquidity between both economies. Concurrently, the mission synchronizes closely with the UK on joint security priorities via the Five Eyes intelligence alliance and the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA).
