Trump Appoints Member of an Oil Dynasty as Ambassador to New Zealand

Illawarra Hawks owner Jared Novelly is seen in the crowd during the round five NBL match between Cairns Taipans and Illawarra Hawks at Cairns Convention Centre, in Cairns, Australia on Oct. 19, 2024. Emily Barker/Getty Images

Jared Novelly, whose family owns Apex Oil, will become the new U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, just as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announces that mining and mineral exploration is the key to improving the country’s prosperity.

Luxon made the connection in his “State of the Nation” speech last week, though the government came into office a year ago with the explicit policy of reducing environmental regulation.

While President Donald Trump did not mention Novelly’s connection to oil—focusing instead on his ownership of a sports entertainment company—it seems probable that the new Ambassador’s knowledge of the industry will prove useful as New Zealand re-enters the market.

In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump called Novelly “a highly respected philanthropist, and Chairman of Crest Sports and Entertainment and Crest Management,” saying, “He will fight hard to protect our nation’s interests in the Indo-Pacific, and always put AMERICA FIRST.”

Crest Sports and Entertainment is a Sydney-based venture capital firm founded in 2022. It has bought a stake in the East Asia Super League, an international basketball league featuring clubs from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

In 2020, Novelly was appointed a director of the Illawarra Hawks—a professional NBL team based in Wollongong—and a year later moved into a $780,000-a-year rented apartment in The Hyde Tower in Sydney, which later became the subject of a Supreme Court battle with his landlady.

Strong Republican Links

The new ambassador is from St. Louis, Missouri, where he is a member of the wealthy Apex Oil family, headed by Paul Anthony “Tony” Novelly, an 81-year-old billionaire.

The Apex Oil company distributes a wide range of petroleum products—from asphalt to jet fuel—throughout the United States. Its operations span the East Coast, Midwest, Gulf Coast, and California.

The company doesn’t extract oil but instead handles the transportation, storage, and wholesale distribution of the products.

Election data records show Jared Novelly donated $63,400 to the Republican National Committee in 2024 and various amounts to Republican candidates and PACs since 2004.

Last year, he donated $3,300 to Trump’s campaign but directly donated $6,600 to his primary opponent, Nikki Haley, and made a $50,000 donation to the SFA Fund, which supported her presidential campaign.

Peters, Rubio Speak

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, confirmed he has spoken with new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Based on today’s discussion and our experience of working closely with the first Trump Administration, we are confident that the New Zealand-United States relationship can go from strength to strength in the years ahead,” Peters wrote in a post on X.

“Our strategic partnership matters a great deal to the security and prosperity of New Zealand and the Indo-Pacific region.”

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement that the discussion had “highlighted the strong U.S.-New Zealand partnership and its importance in promoting security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

“They discussed efforts to enhance security cooperation, address regional challenges, and support the Pacific Islands.

“The Secretary praised New Zealand’s commitment to defending our shared values and its proactive stance in aligning with like-minded partners to address these challenges,” she said.