WELLINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Defense Minister Ron Mark on Wednesday announced that a further person will join the country's current contribution of four personnel to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

The New Zealand Defense Force Brigadier will undertake the chief of staff role in the mission and will assume the role this week. The term is for one year. The UN mission is currently led by New Zealander David Shearer.

"New Zealand's contribution to United Nations peacekeeping in South Sudan is longstanding and important. This is an opportunity for New Zealand to further contribute to the mission in a military leadership role," Mark said in a statement.

"The United Nations Mission in South Sudan does important and thankless work in a very tough environment," Mark said, adding that the UN mission is responsible for providing essential protection to civilians, monitoring and investigating human rights conditions, and supporting the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

The Defense Force of New Zealand had personnel deployed to Sudan from 2005 to 2011. Following the independence of South Sudan in 2011, Defense Force personnel were shifted to the newly established United Nations Mission in South Sudan in 2012.