Leadership Network: Embrace every opportunity. Be curious. Build relationships
Leadership Network member Sam Barry has three key pieces of advice for new members: embrace every opportunity, be curious and build relationships. To mark 20 years of the Foundation’s Leadership Network, we’re catching up with some of its early members to explore how their connections with Asia and the Leadership Network have shaped their lives and careers. Sam, who joined the network in 2009, took part in offshore hui to China and Hong Kong, experiences he says were memorable for the shared sense of purpose they fostered in participants.
Sam's advice for new Leadership Network members: "Embrace every opportunity. Be curious. Build relationships."
Sam Barry's fascination with Asia began in an unlikely place: Westport, on New Zealand's West Coast.
His godfather, Richard Dellaca, the founder of Postie Plus, made regular business trips to Hong Kong and China.
Sam says the photographs, souvenirs and stories Richard brought home "opened a window into a world that felt impossibly vibrant and different from my own in a small New Zealand town".
At the age of 10, Sam joined Richard, his mother and sister on a business trip through Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong.
One moment stayed with him.
"Landing at Kai Tak Airport, descending through skyscrapers into the intensity of Hong Kong's sights, smells and energy, was unforgettable," he says.
That first trip sparked a curiosity that would shape his studies, career and engagement with Asia.
As a university student, Sam returned to Asia on a short exchange in Beijing before spending a year teaching English in Incheon, South Korea.
Joining the Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network in 2009 was the next step.
"It gave me the confidence to pursue opportunities in Asia academically, professionally and personally," Sam says.
More than that, he says, the network reshaped how he saw his own country's place in the world - "not as a distant observer, but as a country whose prosperity, identity and future are deeply intertwined with the region".
The 2012 Hong Kong Hui (Sam second right); Sam: "What made them [hui] memorable was the shared sense of purpose,"
Through the network, he developed the cultural understanding to work across Asian settings, built friendships across the region and gained a deeper appreciation of the contribution of Asian communities in New Zealand, he says.
The offshore hui became some of the experiences he remembers most clearly, including gatherings in Hong Kong in 2012 and Xi'an in 2015.
"What made them memorable was the shared sense of purpose," Sam says.
"You had a group of talented, curious people, each bringing different backgrounds and perspectives, all passionate about New Zealand's relationship with Asia - experiencing the region together, debating ideas and forming friendships that have lasted more than a decade."
After studying international relations and political science, he built a career focused on strengthening New Zealand's engagement with Asia.
Sam at Haedong Yonggungsa Temple in Busan, South Korea, during his posting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
His roles have included a posting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in South Korea, where he learned the language, a political role in the Beehive, and now a position with Air New Zealand.
"New Zealand is small and distant; we are not entitled to success. We have to work hard to be seen, to be understood, and to build the relationships that underpin our prosperity," he says.
Sam believes engaging offshore is only half the job. The other half is leading the conversation onshore, helping New Zealanders understand why the relationship with Asia matters.
Two decades on, Sam sees that relationship woven into everyday New Zealand life.
"We see Asian New Zealanders shaping our politics, arts, sports and business," he says. "Māori engagement in Asia has grown as cultural confidence has flourished."
Looking ahead, Sam believes New Zealand's relationship with Asia can continue to grow, but it cannot be taken for granted in a world facing rising nationalism, geopolitical volatility and economic uncertainty.
"The momentum of the past decades won’t automatically carry us forward. We need to be agile, determined and clear-eyed about our values as we navigate what lies ahead,” he says.
That's why the network matters more than ever, Sam says, not just for professional development or policy influence, but for something harder to measure.
"It’s also in the human connections. The friendships, the shared experiences, the cultural exchange, and the sense of belonging to a community that believes New Zealand’s future is strengthened by its engagement with Asia. Those moments and connections are hard to measure on the balance sheet, but they matter deeply.”
Sam: "You are not just participating in New Zealand's relationship with Asia - you are shaping it with every action, large or small, that you take."
Looking back, Sam hopes he's given something back to the network - his own passion for Asia, and a perspective shaped by growing up in small-town New Zealand.
"If I've helped even a few members feel more confident engaging with the region, or more curious about the world beyond New Zealand, then I'm proud of that," he says.
His advice to anyone joining today is simple.
"Embrace every opportunity. Be curious. Build relationships," he says.
"You are not just participating in New Zealand's relationship with Asia - you are shaping it with every action, large or small, that you take."
The Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network equips the next generation of Kiwi leaders to thrive in Asia. We provide members with the connections, knowledge and confidence to lead New Zealand’s future relationship with the region.
