Mark was High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands and also Ethiopia and rhe African Union. He was also educated at Harvard University.
He spoke about the importance of the Pacific in NZ's foreign affairs work, and NZ's strong historical and people to people links and a significant proportion of our population has roots in the Pacific. Mark's introduction included highlights of the numerous projects Rotary had sponsored in the Region.
Supporting the Pacific Forum is critical for NZ. Mark spoke of the historic and strong relationships with Pacific nations and the enthusiasm the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister had for the region with lots of travel and high-level meetings over the past two years.
There were some questions about Chinese in Pacific. Mark spoke about the delicate balance NZ faces between our economic reliance with China and being part of being part of the Western alliance of nations. He said that NZ was not seeking a security relation with China but an economic one. NZ has a pragmatic and honest relationship with China built on mutual needs and respect.