New Zealand has appointed a Wellington-based, High Commissioner to Tuvalu.
Gareth Smith, who's returning to the capital from the role of First Secretary in Canberra, has previously served as deputy High Commissioner to Tonga.
New Zealand's Foreign Minister says accrediting non-resident ambassadors provides the government with a flexible and cost-effective means of increasing its diplomatic activity.
Murray McCully says this year New Zealand will spend more than three million US dollars on helping Tuvalu with education, health and job creation.
