NZ's High Commissioner to the UK, Phil Goff and wife Mary, meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace. Photo / Supplied
New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Phil Goff, has posted a photo of him and his wife, Mary, meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace.
In the photo, Goff, wearing a kākahu, or Māori cloak, is seen shaking the King’s hand with a big smile on his face.
“The reception was a reminder of the shared history between Aotearoa and the UK, alongside the relationship that we continue to strengthen,” he said in the post on social media.
Today, Goff told the Herald that new High Commissioners don’t present credentials as the King is Head of State, but there is an audience with him at Buckingham Palace.
“We had a 20-minute conversation late last week, which was wide-ranging.
“In particular he expressed his concern at the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle on New Zealand communities and asked how the recovery was going. He passed on his sympathy and best wishes to all those who had been affected by the event.
“We discussed the Commonwealth and the Pacific and he mentioned visiting New Zealand troops recently who were training Ukranian soldiers. He was engaging and interested in what was happening in New Zealand and expressed his affection for it,” Goff said.
Goff, who has spent most of his life in politics since 1981 as a Labour MP, cabinet minister and opposition leader and two-term Mayor of Auckland, took up the diplomatic post in January.
A day earlier, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, posted about the extension of working holiday visas for young New Zealanders from two to three years holding a photo of himself and Mary in their younger, OE days.
“Great for young Kiwis wanting their OE experience and reciprocally for young Brits. More young Brits coming to NZ will help address labour shortages,” he said.
His ratings have probably improved since the CCO reforms, says the mayor.