The Government has appointed the country's first ambassador solely responsible for the relationship with the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).
Stephanie Lee, who was most recently New Zealand's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations and previously represented New Zealand at the OECD, will be based in Jakarta.
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says Ms Lee will be responsible for maintaining the momentum in New Zealand's relationship with the region.
He says exports to the 10 Asean countries totalled more than $4.7 billion in 2013 and there is room for the economic relationship to expand.