James Harrison Weir (8 June 1922 – 19 November 2012) was a New Zealand professional

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

. Weir was born in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. He graduated in history from the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

with a thesis on the function and development of the press in New Zealand. After this, he joined the New Zealand Diplomatic Service in 1947, where he was one of “Mac’s Team”, the original group recruited by

Alister McIntosh Sir Alister Donald Miles McIntosh (29 November 1906 – 30 November 1978) was a New Zealand diplomat. McIntosh was New Zealand's first secretary of foreign affairs serving as the principal foreign policy adviser to Prime Ministers Peter Fraser, ...

to establish a New Zealand presence overseas. He established a presence in overlooked regions; Southeast Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. He was posted or cross-accredited to or spent substantial time in Cairo,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, Malta, New York, Ottawa, Rangoon,

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, and Washington D.C. On the trade front, he was involved with wrangling in Brussels and other capitals over continued access to European markets for dairy and meat products. His most notable appointment was as ambassador to Moscow from 1977 to 1980, until he was expelled as a tit-for-tat when the Soviet ambassador Vsevolod Sofinsky was expelled for passing funds to the pro-Soviet

Socialist Unity Party of New Zealand The Socialist Unity Party was one of the better-known communism, communist parties in New Zealand. It had a certain amount of influence in the labor union, trade union movement, but never won seats in Parliament of New Zealand, Parliament. The ...

. He was noted for his ability to report succinctly from overseas posts and for commenting on over-pompous aspects of protocol. He wrote two books of recollections and three of New Zealand quotations. He died in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. His wife Mary (Mollie) predeceased him; they are survived by a son and three daughters.

Books by Jim Weir

*''Letters from Moscow'' (1988) *''New Zealand Wit and Wisdom'' (1998) *''Strong Language'' (2007) *''Eat, Drink and be Wary'' (2011) *''Quotable New Zealand Quotes'' (2012)

References

*Obituary ''Weir excelled as NZ diplomat'' by Brian Lynch in ''The Dominion Post'', 1 December 2012 page C6. {{DEFAULTSORT:Weir, Jim New Zealand writers Ambassadors of New Zealand to the Soviet Union University of Canterbury alumni 1922 births 2012 deaths High commissioners of New Zealand to Malaysia New Zealand expatriates in the United States New Zealand expatriates in Canada New Zealand expatriates in Malta Expatriates in Myanmar Expatriates in Saudi Arabia New Zealand expatriates in Singapore People from Christchurch