Goff's nephew in Iraq with US military

Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff has revealed he has three close family members in the United States military and one of them is serving in Iraq.

The link was revealed while responding to US ambassador Charles Swindells' farewell speech in Wellington earlier this week.

"So when I say I have a vested interest in your foreign policy I truly do mean that - one of my nephews is in Ramala, Iraq," Mr Goff told the ambassador.

Mr Goff declined to identify his three nephews, particularly the one in Iraq, as he did not want to put him in more danger than he already faced.