The Maldives Government has appointed Dr Ershad Ali as its Honorary Consul based in Auckland.
Born in Bangladesh, Dr Ali migrated to Auckland in 1994 and since then has been working closely with the Maldivian community in New Zealand.
He is the Director of the Centre for Research in International Education at AIS St Helens based in Auckland.
“His appointment in this position reflects the multicultural nature of this growing community in New Zealand,” a press statement said.
Dr Ali described his appointment as “an honour and a delight.”
“I look forward to working for the development of a closer relationship between Maldives and New Zealand,” he said.
Maldives and New Zealand do not have direct diplomatic representation but are served by their respective High Commissions in Singapore.
Ahmed Saleem is New Zealand’s Honorary Consul based in Male.