Foreign Minister Winston Peters has appointed one of his long-serving senior advisers, Jon Johansson, as New Zealand's next ambassador to Sweden, one of five diplomatic postings announced today.
Johansson, a political scientist who specialises in political leadership, has advised Peters since 2017, first as chief of staff and later as a senior specialist ministerial advisor.
He was a former Victoria University academic.
A spokesperson for the minister described Johansson as "an excellent and seriously qualified choice" for the Stockholm-based role.
"Dr Johansson has worked for the past quarter-century at the intersection of New Zealand politics, the news media, the public service and international relations," they said.
"Since 2017, he has served as a senior advisor to Mr Peters, providing advice on a broad range of policy issues and participating in the minister’s engagements with counterpart Foreign Ministers all around the world.
"A proud Kiwi with Nordic family heritage, Dr Johansson will serve New Zealand with distinction in Stockholm."
Johansson taught and researched at Victoria University between 2000 and 2017, helping to edit or write six books and appearing regularly as a political commentator.
He was also a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Georgetown University in Washington in 2009.
Born in Canterbury, Johansson has Scandinavian roots – his father emigrated to New Zealand from Denmark in the late 1940s.
The four other appointments announced today were Tāne Waetford as Ambassador to Colombia, Melanie Roberts as High Commissioner to Niue, Stephen Wong as Ambassador to Timor-Leste, and Brad Burgess as Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
Waetford, a lawyer who joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2009, has worked on trade negotiations with the UK, EU and India, and previously served as deputy head of mission in Brazil and Argentina.
Burgess opened New Zealand's first embassy in Dublin in 2018 and has led the country's consular and crisis response operations since 2022.
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