Stuart is a career public servant and diplomat and took up his role as New Zealand Ambassador to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on 7 April 2022.
Since joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in 2013 he has held leadership roles in the Pacific and Development Group, including as Manager Energy, Infrastructure and Environment, Divisional Manager Global Development and Scholarships (including oversight of NZ’s development programme in South East Asia) and as Special Adviser in the office of the Deputy Secretary, before moving to the Europe and Middle East and Australia Group in 2020 and Asia and Americas Group in 2021. He has extensive experience in energy, climate change and development issues. Stuart has previously been posted to Canberra and, most recently, as Deputy Head of Mission in Beijing.
Prior to joining MFAT, Stuart held management roles in a range of policy and international relations teams in the Ministry for the Environment (1995-2001 and 2009-2012) and the Ministry of Economic Development (2001-2008).
Stuart studied Business, Economics and International Development at Massey University. Stuart’s whakapapa (family/tribal ancestry) includes Ngati Toa, Ngati Raukawa and Ngai Tahu. He is married with two children and his interests include cooking, mountain biking and most activities involving water or the ocean.

Hamza Haidon is New Zealand’s Senior Economic Official to ASEAN, and leads the MFA’s Trade Policy Engagement team which is responsible for implementing New Zealand’s free trade agreements with the AANFTA, RCEP and other FTAs. An experienced diplomat and negotiator, he has been posted to Geneva as deputy Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation) and has had assignments in Baghdad and other locations.

Craig Price is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for professional services consultancy Beca Group. His responsibilities comprise operational strategy and business performance of the group, which has more than 4,000 employees in 25 offices around the world, having delivered projects in more than 70 countries. He is Chair of Beca Asia Holdings, which governs Beca’s operations across Asia, including consulting engineering businesses based in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar.

Craig is a practicing Chartered Professional Engineer, with significant experience as a project director, leading multidisciplinary projects across a range of markets. He is a Distinguished Fellow of Engineering New Zealand, and a Chartered Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. He is a past President of Engineering New Zealand and Chair of the International Professional Engineers Agreement for the International Engineering Alliance, to which a number of ASEAN countries are Authorised Members.

Derek Yu is head of sales Asia at Whittaker’s, leading market strategy and commercial executions. Whittaker’s chocolates are available through Southeast Asia, Greater China and North Asia.

Derek has more than ten-year experience of international business and FMCG category. Before joining Whittaker’s, Derek delivered other New Zealand businesses and brands’ growth in Asia including ecostore. Derek holds a Master degree of International Business at University of Auckland and attended WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management’s MBA European summer programme in Germany.