Hon Murray McCully
Minister of Foreign Affairs
9 April 2013
Consul-General to Guangzhou announced
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today announced the appointment of diplomat Rebecca Needham as New Zealand’s
Consul-General in Guangzhou, China.
Ms Needham will be the first Guangzhou Consul-General to be appointed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The post has until now been managed by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
“The change to Ministry leadership reflects the increasing diversity of NZ Inc interests in southern China. It will
enable New Zealand to better serve consular needs and to grow our political and economic engagement with the region,” Mr
McCully says.
As well as being one of the main gateways for New Zealand’s burgeoning trade with China, Guangdong province is home to
China Southern Airlines and a major source of tourists and investors.
Ms Needham, who speaks Mandarin, has previously served in Shanghai and Beijing. She was also part of the development and
promotion team of NZ Inc’s China Strategy.
The Consulate-General, which opened in 2007, provides consular services in five provinces and autonomous regions in
China: Guangdong, Hainan, Hunan and Fujian provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
ENDS