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Foreign Policy Officer - Personal requirements

Āpiha Take Tāwāhi

Skills & knowledge

Foreign policy officers need to have:

an interest in, and knowledge of political, economic, industrial, social and cultural aspects of New Zealand life
knowledge of the politics and cultures of other countries
knowledge of international affairs
excellent communication and people skills
excellent analytical skills.

The ability to communicate in a foreign language is useful but not essential.

Foreign policy officers need to keep up to date with national and international events

Foreign policy officers need to have good communication skills

Personal Qualities

Foreign policy officers need to be:

adaptable, versatile and resilient
highly motivated
resourceful
able to relate to people from a wide range of cultures
able to persuade and influence others
able to work as part of a team.

Foreign policy officers also need to have common sense, a strong sense of New Zealand identity, and be willing to travel and live overseas for extended periods.

"You need to be flexible because there is a lot of variety in the work, and all sorts of different issues come up. You need to be the sort of person who can just go with the flow and adapt."

Rachel Stevens - Foreign Policy Officer

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Updated September 2009

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