My first encounter was arriving in Tokyo on July 16, 2017, heading to the New Zealand Embassy in Shibuya in balmy weather. I had come to Japan to take up the second secretary position at the embassy. This was only supposed to be for a short-term assignment of six months, but I soon fell in love with Japan and decided to stay.

Work really hard at everything you do, but never lose sight of who you are, where you came from or that there are many people less fortunate than you, so always be generous. This is my motto because I believe we will all be accountable, one day, for the way we lived our lives.

Negotiating on behalf of my country in the World Trade Organization plurilateral Environmental Goods Agreement for 12 intense negotiating rounds. For a majority of these rounds, I was leading negotiations for New Zealand, facing the world’s biggest economies and most fierce trade negotiators, successfully defending New Zealand’s top priorities in the agreement.

I have three major goals: To learn as much nihongo (Japanese language) as I possibly can; develop strong connections with Japanese people, encouraging them and the future of their country; and deepen Australia, New Zealand and Japan’s business links — tapping into more opportunities as there is huge potential. I also wouldn’t mind swaying a few people to use less plastic in this country if I can!

Whilst in Japan, be patient and keep climbing. In many ways I associate much of Japanese life with climbing Mount Fuji, which I admit, I’ve done once and probably won’t do again. The progress feels slow, the process somewhat frustrating, but with each step the view gets a little better, clearer and its beauty is like no other. It's good to remember that we're all experiencing the same journey so no point complaining; let's keep going together.