'We will all die': Bizarre tweet from NZ diplomat account sparks ministry action

Caroline Beresford, New Zealand's second-ranking diplomat in Washington, has been censured after tweets were posted from her account calling for US Democrats to get their act together.

Caroline Beresford is Deputy Head of Mission at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington DC. Source: LinkedIn

New Zealand has censured its second-ranking diplomat in Washington after tweets were posted from her Twitter account saying US democrats need to get their act together for the next presidential election "or we will all die".

The tweets were later deleted from the Deputy Head of Mission Caroline Beresford's Twitter account, which was also made private.

The controversial tweet has since been deleted. Source: stuff.co.nz

On Wednesday, New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the tweets didn't meet its code of conduct for social media, which require diplomatic staff to maintain political neutrality and take care in expressing personal opinions.

The ministry said it was taking appropriate action, but declined further comment.

Beresford's account sent several tweets late last week disagreeing with an opinion column on political news website The Hill which said a 2020 Democratic ticket with Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren could "win big".