Venkat Raman
Auckland, March 11, 2025
Former Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) Secretary and Chief Executive Chris Seed has been appointed Acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, succeeding Phil Goff, who stepped down on March 6, 20025, following a diplomatic incident in the British Capital.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters told the media that Mr Seed will be in London next week to take up his new post.
He described Mr Seed as “one of New Zealand’s most senior and accomplished diplomats.”
This Reporter has travelled with Mr Seed on many official visits overseas and he brings to bear high-level skills of diplomacy. His services were recognised by King Charles who appointed him as the ‘Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit’ (CNZM) on his Birthday Honours List in 2024.
About Chris Seed
Chris Seed joined the public service in 1984 and MFAT in 1985. He was New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea from 2001 to 2003 and Australia from 2013 to 2018.
In his 40-year public service career, Mr Seed has been involved in several important decisions.
As MFAT Secretary Mr Seed led the government’s consular response, trade recovery initiatives and foreign policy engagements during the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath. He was instrumental in ensuring that New Zealand’s diplomatic network continued to function and deliver for New Zealanders through the pandemic.
During his tenure, he also oversaw international aspects of several complex consular and disaster responses including the 2019 Christchurch Mosque Attacks, the Whakaari/White Island Eruption and Operation Whakahokina Mai, the latter a collaborative effort with the New Zealand Defence Force and other agencies which enabled more than 1700 New Zealanders and eligible Afghan nationals to depart Afghanistan following the August 2021 Taliban takeover.
More broadly, during his service he championed New Zealand’s diplomatic interests with a wide range of partners, especially with Australia and the countries of the Pacific.
What Phil Goff did
As reported on March 6, 2025, Mr Peters was furious over Mr Goff’s remarks at a meeting held at the Chatham House in London yesterday at which many other dignitaries including India’s External Affairs Minister were also present.
We saw a video which showed Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen answering questions after she outlined her approach to European security entitled, ‘Keeping the peace on NATO’s longest border with Russia.’
“Take it from us: whatever happens in this war, Russia will remain a long-term strategic threat to Euro-Atlantic security. Rather than encourage, we need to keep it at bay,” she said.
Concluding her speech, Ms Valtonen quoted former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the late Sir Winston Churchill: ‘To each, there comes a moment; when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing, unique to them and their talents,’ and quipped, “This is Europe’s moment. We must rise to it.”
A remark in indiscretion
Thereafter, Mr Goff, said, “I was re-reading Churchill’s speech to the House of Commons in 1938 after the Munich Agreement, and he turned to Chamberlain, he said, ‘You had the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, yet you will have war.’ “President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?”
Mr Peters was aghast at Mr Goff’s remarks and acted swiftly to remove him from the post of High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He followed up his decision with a directive to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Secretary and Chief Executive Bede Corry to hasten the transition process and ensure Mr Goff’s return.
Tributes to Goff
Mr Peters said that the decision to remove Mr Goff from London was difficult.
“Mr Goff has contributed significantly to the interests of our country over a long period of time. As a Senior Minister with a range of domestic and internationally focused portfolios, Mayor of Auckland, and then as a diplomat, Mr Goff has dedicated his professional life to serving the New Zealand people. We continue to hold him in high esteem, and we wish him well,” he said.
