Last month, Leadership Network members attending the Manila Hui learnt about opportunties and challenges faced by the Philippines
This week a group of our Asia-based Leadership Network members are coming together in Singapore for the two-day Master Class Hui.
With more than ten years having passed since the first members joined the network, we have a growing pool of more established, I hesitate to say older, members, many of whom live offshore, with a significant number residing in Asia.
The hui is an opportunity for some of these members to reconnect with the Leadership Network, discuss New Zealand’s relationships in Asia and consider ways that they can give back to younger members of the network.
I’d like to personally thank those who have made the time to meet our Network members in Singapore and who will, no doubt, make this hui an enlightening and worthwhile experience.
Among others, the group will meet for roundtable talks with:
- Minister of Agriculture and Associate Minister of Trade and Growth Export, Hon Damien O’Connor
- New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Regional director for East Asia Clare Wilson
- Executive director of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat Dr Allan Bollard
- New Zealand High Commissioner to Singapore HE Jonathan Austin
- President of the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Singapore Vivienne Hunt
Australia and China visits
Next week I will be heading to Australia to meet with the Foundation’s counterparts such as Asialink and see how our friends are doing across the Tasman when it comes to their relationship and engagement with Asia. We did a similar visit last year and it’s a good time to return given the change of prime ministers in both countries.
My trip coincides with a Leadership Network gathering for our Australia-based members and I will be joining them for their hui on Thursday. As with the Singapore Hui, the Australia Hui is about keeping connections strong with our offshore members. It will be an opportunity to keep them abreast of developments within the network as well as update them on NZ-Asia relationships and get their unique perspectives on how Australia is engaging with Asia.
Next week the Foundation will also be leading a delegation of trade policy experts to Beijing and Shanghai to speak with Chinese colleagues about the challenges China and New Zealand are navigating on trade, including the implications of the Belt and Road Initiative.
I’ll fill you in on how these visits went and what we learnt from them in next month’s newsletter.
Instagram launch
In the social media space, the Foundation will be strengthening our Instagram presence. This decision aligns with our updated Foundation strategy and our 2018-2020 communications strategy to increase engagement with younger New Zealanders.
Instagram is the third largest social media platform in New Zealand and is used by a relatively younger demographic, with 85 percent of users under the age of 45.
The channel will particularly feature content on Asian food and travel, which according to our Perceptions of Asia research, are the two main ways New Zealanders interact with Asia.
Please follow us on Instagram.
Staffing
This month, we welcomed two new colleagues — Karen Schwoerer, who joins the research team, and Emma Rzepecky, who joins the communications team. Karen has a background in public health research and communications including a focus on health outcomes for Māori and Pasifika. Emma is a senior student at Massey University completing Bachelor of Communication major in Public Relations minor in Expressive Arts.
Indian Weekender award
And finally, I’d like to thank The Indian Weekender for the honour of being included in their top 25 influencers who matter in the New Zealand-India relationship.
I received the award from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last week at the 2018 Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame Awards in Auckland.
It was an honour to be mentioned alongside some of the leading figures in the NZ-Indian community, including former Governor General and Foundation honorary adviser Sir Anand Satyanand, Leadership Network member and Labour List Member Priyanca Radhakrishnan, and New Zealand High Commissioner to India Joanna Kempkers, to name a few.
Simon Draper