Former Labour leader and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has been appointed as New Zealand's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta on Thursday announced the widely-rumoured move, which will see the 69-year-old take up his role from January.
Ms Mahuta said Mr Goff's decades of service, which included six years as foreign minister in Helen Clark's government, would serve NZ well.
"As foreign affairs and trade minister he pursued a free trade agenda that saw New Zealand gain unique advantages for its goods and services in key export markets," she said.
"After three years of negotiations, Mr Goff signed the New Zealand-China FTA in Beijing, the first free trade agreement between China and an OECD country.
"Phil Goff brings the skills Aotearoa New Zealand needs in London as we move to implement the FTA and promote our interests in the UK."
The former foreign minister opted not to re-contest the Auckland mayoralty this year. The right's candidate Wayne Brown was elected on October 8 in an upset win.
Mr Goff is the second Labour luminary appointed to a diplomatic posting in recent months.
In August, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appointed outgoing speaker Trevor Mallard as Ambassador to Ireland.
Both men will serve three-year terms.
Also on Thursday, Ms Mahuta announced NZ would back a conditional moratorium on seabed mining in international waters.
"This area contains some of the least understood eco-systems on the planet, and our scientific knowledge of it remains extremely limited," Ms Mahuta said.
"Deep sea mining could cause irreversible changes to this environment and have a significant impact on its biodiversity.
"This is why we are now calling for a conditional moratorium on deep sea mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction, until a Mining Code can be agreed that ensures the effective protection of the marine environment."
