Amy Tisdall has been posted to Ottawa for four years, accompanied by her husband Jeremy and their children Harry (5) and Grace (4 months).
The couple started dating when they were at high school in Oamaru, Mrs Tisdall travelling in from a farm at Georgetown.
The quietly-spoken 33-year-old said she had been ‘‘lucky’’ in her career but worked hard.
After attending Waitaki Girls’ High School, she earned double honours degrees in law and politics at the University of Otago. She wanted to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), which is responsible for New Zealand’s 57 diplomatic bases around the world.
They are called High Commissions in Commonwealth countries and Embassies in other countries.
Mrs Tisdall figured getting into MFAT would be ‘‘a longer-term prospect’’.
But she was accepted straight after university, despite competition from ‘‘lots of very impressive candidates’’ and the fact she did not speak a foreign language.
Her CV included working as a summer clerk at a Dunedin law firm, offering free legal advice with a Dunedin organisation, being a ‘‘buddy’’ to IHC clients, and coaching netball.
In nine years with MFAT, Mrs Tisdall has worked in Canberra and Wellington, specialising in trade and climate change.
That stood her in good stead for her Canada, she said. It and New Zealand have a lot in common and take very similar positions in the United Nations, championing peace-keeping, trade and human rights.
All diplomatic work was conducted in English, so her lack of French would not be a problem. However, Harry would become bilingual by attending a French immersion school.
A house is being provided for the Tisdalls to live in.
Mr Tisdall, a plumber, will stay at home to look after baby Grace at first. He had been working in Australia and plans to seek employment in Canada in the future.
Mrs Tisdall will travel back to New Zealand for MFAT consultations twice during her Ottawa term. She was ‘‘very likely to be back in Wellington’’ after the four-year stint.
Meeting heads of state was part of the job, Mrs Tisdall said. Son Harry was teething when he met then-Prime Minister Sir John Key, and Sir John said he should take Harry on the campaign trail with him.
