Speakers

Paul Ballantyne has been the New Zealand Ambassador to Poland since March 2025, with parallel accreditations to Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Georgia.
Prior to his appointment as Head of Mission, Paul served as Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of New Zealand.
At the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Paul Ballantyne held positions in the United Nations, Human Rights and Commonwealth Department, the Middle East and Africa Department, and the Consular Department, among others. He also served on secondment to the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office.
Outside New Zealand, Paul served as Deputy Head of Mission at the New Zealand Embassy in Abu Dhabi (2018–2021) and at the Permanent Mission of New Zealand to the United Nations in New York (2006–2016). He also held short-term assignments at the New Zealand Embassy in Tehran and as Chargé d'affaires at the New Zealand Embassy in Baghdad.
Paul is in Poland with his wife Cristina.