Stephanie is New Zealand’s first dedicated ambassador to ASEAN, and works at the New Zealand Embassy in Indonesia’s capital.
“I run a small team that works with representatives of ASEAN governments and the ASEAN Secretariat to build opportunities for New Zealand through cooperation and influence.
“Working with ASEAN is tremendous. It’s going through significant evolution at the moment, and New Zealand has just celebrated 40 years of dialogue relations with it. We’ve entered a new phase of our relationship, and I’m at the interface where there’s lots of energy and positivity,” she says.
Stephanie took up the position last year and particularly enjoys working across a broad range of policies and ideas.
This year she has worked on issues such as regional security architecture, countering violent extremism, maritime cooperation, economic integration and low-carbon energy.
“Diplomacy comes with a huge variety of experiences and challenges. You never know quite what will happen next. It’s a great privilege to be a witness to history, sometimes even a minor participant, and especially to be part of something that makes life better for New Zealanders,” she says.
Stephanie is well used to being at the forefront of international relations and policy-making through her various roles with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), including New Zealand’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
But her career did not always follow the diplomatic track. She graduated from Victoria in 1983 with a BA in English literature, French and drama, before gaining a diploma in drama from the University of Auckland. She then spent a year with a theatre-in-education company, before working abroad for four years.
Upon returning to New Zealand in 1991, she came back to Victoria, this time to study law.
Stephanie says both degrees taught her invaluable skills that she draws on in her professional life.
“Drama has been constantly useful as being a diplomat involves a lot of public speaking and negotiating. I also draw on drama when needing to go beyond my comfort zone. It helps me to put my game face on.”
French proved useful when working in Paris, and those language learning skills helped later on when learning Mandarin and Indonesian.
“The discipline of law taught me how to analyse and think, to question dispassionately, explore an idea from all sides and to look for creative solutions. That’s important not only in being able to provide the best analysis and advice to Ministers, but to appreciate where other viewpoints are coming from, which is an essential tool in diplomacy.”
Although Stephanie enjoys Jakarta’s energy, hidden charms and great food, she expects her next position will bring her back to Wellington.
“But the beauty of an MFAT career is that unexpected opportunities turn up. So my only requirement – and it’s sure to be fulfilled - is that my next step will be interesting.”