Agents Abroad is the story of the people who have helped build New Zealand's trade over more than a century. As the first history of the New Zealand Trade Commissioner Service, it covers early trade promotional work from the late 1800s through to 2003, when New Zealand Trade and Enterprise was formed.
Written by former and current trade officials, this book contains anecdotes from Trade Commissioners and their families, who lived and worked in many different cultures. It also includes photographs illustrating New Zealand's growth from a supplier of raw material to the wide range of manufactured goods and services expected today.
A feature of the book is the number of behind-the-scenes personal anecdotes by trade commissioner staff writing from the front line.
