Wellington - New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is to get more than 100 extra diplomats over the next five years in a more than 50-per-cent expansion of its foreign service, the government said Wednesday.

About a quarter of New Zealand's embassies are staffed by only two diplomats, and its overseas presence is less than half that of countries of similar size, such as Ireland and Norway, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.

"The reality is that New Zealand is struggling to maintain an adequate presence on the international stage," he said.

"New Zealand has a well-deserved international reputation as a small but active, independent and decent country," Peters said.

"We need to guard that reputation jealously and ensure that it is continually renewed in the years ahead," he added. "To do that, our foreign service must be able to meet the increasing challenges we face internationally."

Peters said the ministry's staff at the head office in Wellington would be increased in high-priority areas such as Asia, the Pacific, Latin America, trade and the environment.

New posts would be opened this year in Stockholm and Brisbane; the embassy in Teheran would be strengthened to increase contacts with Pakistan and Afghanistan; and more experts would be employed to work on free trade negotiations with South Korea, Japan, the United States, India and Mexico, he said. (dpa)