KEY POINTS:
Career diplomat Jeff Langley has been appointed New Zealand's next High Commissioner to Vanuatu.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Mr Langley would start in the role in August, replacing Paul Willis.
Mr Peters said New Zealand and Vanuatu had a close and friendly relationship.
"We work alongside each other in regional assemblies such as the Pacific Islands Forum, and New Zealand has a significant development programme in Vanuatu," he said.
"Last year we agreed on a new five-year development strategy, worth around $85 million, which focuses on improving basic education, governance, and economic development," Mr Peters said.
Mr Langley, currently deputy director of the South and South East Asia Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has previously been posted to Brasilia and New York.
- NZPA
