Asia After Five: Experiences in Taiwan

Hear from the Foundation's Leadership Network members and Taiwan alumni as they share their experiences and reflect on future opportunities for Kiwis in Taiwan.

Our Asia After Five events are interactive. You will have a chance to ask questions, network with others and learn more about Asia.

Venue:  Asia New Zealand Foundation, Level 16, Fujitsu Tower, 141 The Terrace (access to building via Cable Car Lane before 6pm)

This event is free to attend, but please RSVP for catering purposes.

This event is a collaboration between the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New Zealand (TECO).

The speakers

Ema Kato

Ema Kato is a recent graduate from Victoria University of Wellington with a degree in Communication, specialising in intercultural communication and Mandarin.

Having lived in Japan, Taiwan and New Zealand, Ema is passionate about cross-cultural exchange and will return to Taiwan next year to pursue advanced language study and a master’s program at National Taiwan University with the Huayu and Taiwan Scholarships.

Tom Durkin

Tom is currently based in Auckland, working in Private Wealth at Craigs Investment Partners. Having studied Mandarin as a part of his degree at the University of Otago, he has long held an interest in Chinese language and culture.

Tom spent two months travelling in Taiwan at the end of 2023. During this time, he joined parts of the Taipei Hui with the Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network, worked with a farmer in Chiayi and spent two weeks at Fo Guang Shan Buddhist monastery in Southern Taiwan. 

Tom has recently been accepted to study at the National Taiwan Normal University - Mandarin Training Center from later this year.

Lauren Pattermore

Lauren Pattemore is an early career journalist, who has recently returned from Taipei after spending three months working for Taiwan's public TV broadcaster, TaiwanPlus with the support from the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

The stories she told in Taipei drew on connections between Taiwan, New Zealand and Australia, and her reporting gave her the opportunity to learn more about Taiwan's culture and work environment. Lauren hopes to return to Taiwan again, feeling like she only scratched the surface.

Rob Eland

Rob was the sole New Zealand recipient of the Taipei City Chinese Learning Scholarship in 2018, selected by Mayor Justin Lester.

With the scholarship, he took a sabbatical from work and travelled to Taipei, where he lived from mid-2018 to early 2019.

During this time, Rob studied full-immersion Chinese at NTNU's Mandarin Training Center (MTC) and took part in several New Zealand–Taiwan cross-cultural activities, including supporting then-Deputy Mayor Jill Day and a group of New Zealand performing arts students during their visit to Taiwan.

Rob returned to New Zealand in 2019, but he looks forward to heading back to Taiwan again soon.