The
High Commission of New Zealand is located in London, the United Kingdom's capital city. New Zealand has maintained a resident
high commissioner in the United Kingdom since 1905, and a resident
Agent-General since 1871. The high commissioner to the United Kingdom is
concurrently accredited as high commissioner to
Nigeria. The high commissioner was formerly accredited as
ambassador of New Zealand to Ireland, which is now a resident mission in Dublin since 2018. As New Zealand was created as a part of the
British Empire, its diplomatic relationship with the United Kingdom is its longest-standing; the position of high commissioner in London pre-dates New Zealand's
Dominion status by two years, the
Balfour Declaration of 1926 by 21 years, and the adoption of the
Statute of Westminster of 1931 by 42 years. New Zealand appointed a
high commissioner to Canada in 1942, and a
high commissioner to Australia in 1943. As fellow members of the
Commonwealth of Nations, diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the United Kingdom are at governmental level, rather than between
heads of state, with member countries exchanging high commissioners, rather than ambassadors. ==List of heads of mission==