Connie Minett

Connie has long had an interest in Chinese culture and language and started learning Chinese by moving to Taiwan directly after finishing high school.

Since that first experience, she has spent two and a half years living in Taiwan, has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Scholarship to Asia, and was the top graduate in her Chinese Language class at Victoria University of Wellington.

A member of the Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network, she has also started a small tea company importing Taiwanese teas to New Zealand.

Her time overseas led to her current role with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, where she works in the South East Asian group, with a focus on the Philippines, Timor-Leste and Singapore.