BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, June 5, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris bade farewell to New Zealand’s High Commissioner to St. Kitts and Nevis and Ambassador to CARICOM, Her Excellency Jan Henderson, who has successfully completed her duties in the region.
High Commissioner Henderson paid a visit on Prime Minister Harris at his office on Monday, June 4, where she reflected on her time spent working in the region and thanked the St. Kitts and Nevis prime minister for his support and cooperation during her tenure.
Mrs. Henderson, who was appointed to the OECS in 2014, said she is pleased with the work she has done to improve the bilateral relationship between St. Kitts and Nevis and New Zealand.
“You may recall that I came and I set up the first New Zealand Mission inside the region. Before that, we were accredited from outside the region and our government decided that actually we needed to do better. In the Pacific, the other region of small island states, we have missions in a number of countries so we wanted to deepen the engagement in the Caribbean, and I hope I’ve achieved some of that,” High Commissioner Henderson stated.
Prime Minister Harris extended his own gratitude and that of the Government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis to High Commissioner Henderson for her excellent work during her stint in the Caribbean and for the level of cooperation she extended on several issues of mutual interest.
Dr. Harris added, “I want to thank you for being a friend on whom we could rely because while you very faithfully pursued the agenda of your principles, you did so by bringing, I believe, a better understanding of the region to which you represent to your principles so that the policymaking became easier and was more sensitive to the region’s priorities.”
The prime minister continued, “For myself, I’ve enjoyed working with you; I have enjoyed the frank conversations we have had on the multiplicity of issues that have engaged ourselves, and so it’s for me only to wish you well [and] to regret that you have to leave at this crucial time in the development of the relations, but nonetheless it’s one of the exigencies and realities of diplomatic service.”
High Commissioner Henderson was the first New Zealand High Commissioner to be based within the region.
