Frank Wilson (diplomat)

New Zealand diplomat

Frank Wilson

Chargé d'Affaires of New Zealand to the Soviet Union
In office
September 1981 – May 1984
Preceded by| Gerald Reginald McGhie
Succeeded by| Alison Vale Stokes
Ambassador of New Zealand to Chile
In office
27 March 1992 – 1996
Preceded by| Paul Tipping
Succeeded by| David McKee
Personal details
Born| 1946 (age 77-78)
Relatives| Ormond Wilson (father)
Frank Rolleston (grandfather)
John Davies Ormond (great-grandfather)
William Rolleston (great-grandfather)
Mary Rolleston (great-grandmother)
James Wilson (great-grandfather)
John Rolleston (great uncle)
George Rolleston (great-great-uncle)
James Wilson (great-great-uncle)
Joseph Brittan (great-great-grandfather)
Alma mater| SOAS, University of London

Francis Ormond Wilson (born 1946) is a retired New Zealand diplomat. During his career, he served as head of mission in Moscow, Santiago, and Hong Kong.

## Early life and family

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Wilson was born in 1946, the son of politician, farmer and author Ormond Wilson and his second wife, author Rosamond Rolleston.[1][2] He was educated at Christ's College in Christchurch from 1960 to 1964,[3] and completed a Master of Arts degree in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London in 1970.[4]

## Career

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Wilson joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1971, and remained in the public service until his retirement in 2006.[4] He was second secretary at the New Zealand embassy in Saigon in 1975, and was the last New Zealand diplomatic representative to leave South Vietnam on 22 April 1975, shortly before the fall of Saigon, having been instrumental in arranging the evacuation of New Zealanders and Vietnamese people with New Zealand connections.[5] Wilson's other postings in Asia were to Bangkok and, from 2001 to 2005 in Hong Kong where he served as New Zealand's consul-general.[4] Between 1981 and 1984, Wilson was the New Zealand chargé d'affaires in Moscow, and from 1992 until 1996 he was ambassador in Santiago.[4]

Wilson also served at various times at the head of the Asia section of the New Zealand Overseas Development Agency, the Asia section of the External Assessments Bureau within the Prime Minister's Department, and the South and Southeast Asia division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).[4]

After his retirement, Wilson was appointed as a special advisor to MFAT, and was a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum expert and eminent persons group.[4]

## References

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1. ^ Wilson, Ormond (1982). An outsider lookes back. Wellington: Port Nicholson Press. p. 162.
2. ^ Rolleston, Rosamond (1971). William & Mary Rolleston: an informal biography. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. inside back cover. ISBN 0-589-00621-5.
3. ^ "Member directory: school number 7119". Christ's College Old Boys' Association. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
4. ^ a b c d e f Wilson, Frank (2012). "Profile: Frank Wilson". Indonesia and its significance for New Zealand (PDF). Asia New Zealand Foundation. p. 28.
5. ^ McGibbon, Ian (2010). New Zealand's Vietnam War: a history of combat, commitment and controversy. Auckland: Exile. pp. 508–515. ISBN 978-0-908988-96-9. Retrieved 22 December 2018.