Gareth is the Deputy Head of Mission and Consul-General at the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo. Before coming to Tokyo in 2023, Gareth worked as Lead Adviser Japan and Korea in the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in Wellington. Gareth joined MFAT in 2007. He has focused on New Zealand’s relationships with Asia for most of his career. In addition to Tokyo he has previously served in Kuala Lumpur and New Delhi. After learning Japanese at school in New Zealand, Gareth spent five years studying in Japan and graduated from the University of Tsukuba. This experience left him with a life-long connection to Japan.