Dr Zsolt Hetesy is the Hungarian Ambassador to New Zealand. A lawyer by background, and a civil servant since 1992, he worked in different leadership positions in the field of law, national security as well as in multilateral and bilateral diplomatic relations. Amb. Hetesy started his career in the Prime Minister’s Office, dealing with national security law and administration. He later on directed two Hungarian national security services, the Special Service for National Security (2002-2007) and the Information Office (2007-2010), then worked as Hungary’s counterterrorism coordinator in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2010-2012).
 
His previous diplomatic posts include two stints at the Hungarian Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, first as legal adviser (1997-2002) and later as Deputy Permanent Representative (2012-2016). While serving in New York, he had managing roles in the establishment of the International Criminal Court and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals. Subsequently, he was posted to Washington DC, as Deputy Chief of Mission.
 
Ambassador Hetesy holds a J.D. from the School of Law of Janus Pannonius University of Pécs, Hungary (1992); an LLM from College of William and Mary, Marshall Wythe School of Law, Williamsburg (1995), Virginia, USA, and a PhD from the School of Law of University of Pécs, Hungary (2012). He is married and a proud father of two daughters.

In his presentation, Ambassador Hetesy will provide an update on current issues shaping Europe’s future at home and in the World. He will touch upon the EU’s growing role in the Indo-Pacific region, its efforts in fighting climate change, as well as what member states, like Hungary and regional cooperation formats like the Visegrad Group (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), can bring to the common table.  (The event is also registered as part of the Conference on the Future of Europe lecture series https://futureu.europa.eu/pages/charter?locale=en).