Jacinda Ardern has hailed her surprise pick as New Zealand's foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta, as a "fantastic relationship builder" who will quickly take to the role.
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Ms Mahuta was named as New Zealand's next chief diplomat by Ms Ardern on Monday.
The trailblazing Maori MP will become the first female foreign minister in New Zealand's history.
The foreign affairs ministry will be vacated by Winston Peters this week after the wily 75-year-old's party New Zealand First failed at the October 17 election.
Ms Ardern said Ms Mahuta showed "diplomacy skills that we need to represent New Zealand on the world stage" during her last three years as local government minister.
"She is someone who builds fantastic relationships very, very quickly and that is one of the key jobs in a foreign affairs role," Ms Ardern said.
Ms Mahuta said she was "absolutely privileged" to take on the job.
"As a small country we need to develop our relationships, remain committed to a multilateral rules-based trade system that works for New Zealand," she said.
Ms Mahuta was the first woman to wear a "moko", into New Zealand's parliament after getting the traditional Maori facial tattoo in 2016, two decades after she was first elected.
She has previously held the customs and Maori development portfolios and will hold onto the local government ministry alongside her foreign responsibilities.
Ms Mahuta's appointment has surprised many.
Former leader Andrew Little, trade minister David Parker and ex-Oxfam NZ chief Phil Twyford had been tipped for the role, only for Ms Ardern to choose the Hauraki-Waikato MP.
David Capie, director of Victoria University of Wellington's Centre for Strategic Studies, said on Twitter the 50-year-old's ascension appeared "like a signal Jacinda Ardern plans on being her own foreign minister".
Ms Mahuta declined to say whether Australia was New Zealand's most important relationship but said "the close relationship with Australia will only continue to strengthen".
Trans-Tasman relations have strengthened in recent years after close collaboration on disasters and tragedy.
The two countries have worked together and offered assistance during last year's Christchurch Mosques shootings, the White Island volcanic eruption, Australia's record summer of bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms Mahuta acknowledged the thorny deportations issue - whereby Australia sends Kiwi convicted of crimes back to New Zealand against their will - remains an unresolved agitation.
"That's a conversation that I'll have alongside the prime minister," Ms Mahuta said.
"We need to continue to work in a way that the interests of New Zealanders are protected and that we retain the relationship we have, the good relationship that we have with Australia."
Australian Associated Press
