Dr. Yves LafoyOfficial Representative of New Caledonia to Australia & Counsellor for New Caledonia, Embassy of France

Dr Lafoy has a PhD in Pacific Marine Sciences from the University of Brest (France) and held research positions in Japan and Fiji before being recruited to New Caledonia’s Department of Industry, Mines and Energy in 1991. From 1991 – 2005, Dr Lafoy held senior research and management positions within the Department, leading New Caledonia’s EEZ resources assessment programme, in cooperation with New Zealand, Australia and France.

In 2005 Dr Lafoy was appointed Senior Advisor for Scientific Cooperation at New Caledonia’s newly established Department of Regional Cooperation and External Affairs. For 9 years he represented New Caledonia at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and played a key role in negotiating New Caledonia’s successful admission as full member to the PIF in 2016.

In 2009 Dr Lafoy was seconded to New Zealand’s Ministry of RS&T (MoRST) and NIWA to identify and develop potential avenues of bi-lateral cooperation in environmental sciences. 

In 2012, Dr Lafoy was appointed Official Representative of New Caledonia to New Zealand, based at the French Embassy in Wellington. As New Caledonia’s first Official Representative to New Zealand he oversaw the development, signing and implementation of the first Joint Cooperation Plan between the two countries in 2016.

Since January 2019, as Official Representative of New Caledonia to Australia, Yves Lafoy has been based at the Embassy of France in Canberra and represent New Caledonia’s interests in Australia.