Tēnā koutou katoa.
As I’m sure you’re all aware, this week is Te Wiki o te reo Māori. It’s encouraging to see increasing numbers of New Zealanders from all walks of life learning te reo, including a number of staff here at the Foundation who for the past two years have been taking regular lessons and are really coming along.
Over the last few years, I’ve seen te reo words increasingly entering daily conversation and being used by media. It may seem like slow progress at times, but small steps like this add up and will hopefully encourage more people to learn the language.
And next week is New Zealand Chinese Language Week. Research shows that having learned a second language learning a third is that much easier – so we don’t see learning one as being in conflict with learning the other.
Vietnam Track II frank and open
In late August, we continued our highly regarded exchange with the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam – this time it was our 12th annual dialogue and was hosted online.
Our discussions revolved around how New Zealand and Vietnam could be doing more together, both bilaterally as strategic partners, and multilaterally in support of an international rules-based order that is under pressure as a result of growing nationalism and major power rivalry.
While speaking online doesn’t provide the same sense of intimacy that meeting in person does, our Vietnamese colleagues were quintessentially frank and open, and the dialogue was still a great opportunity to explore different approaches to connectivity and cooperation.
Webinar examines how Asia's innovation will impact New Zealand
The Foundation has partnered with the University of Canterbury’s Te Kura Umanga UC Business School to develop a series of webinar with an Asia business focus. The first of this series was held last week and examined how Asia’s innovation will impact on New Zealand businesses.
We were pleased to have knowledgeable friends available to take part in the event: Honorary Adviser Mitchell Pham; Gojek’s Susan Chen (who we have hosted in New Zealand as part of a tech-focused programme through our Young Business Leaders Initiative); and international trade policy expert Stephanie Honey, a participant in our Track II work.
We know Asia will be crucial for New Zealand’s economic and social recovery from Covid-19, and that the rapid pace of change in the region means New Zealand businesses will need to keep in touch with new developments, so it was incredibly valuable to gain the panel’s insights.
How well are Asian communities being represented by traditional media
Early this month, I was interviewed on Newstalk ZB about how well Asian communities in New Zealand are being represented by traditional media.
The interview was in response to an NZ on Air survey that found Asian New Zealanders more than any other ethnicity were turning away from free to air television and looking online for content.
As I said during the Newstalk ZB interview, with New Zealand’s increasing Asian population, if television networks don’t recognise this and look to develop more content aimed at Asian audiences, they will find this trend away from their networks will continue.
It’s a basic matter of supply and demand, at the moment the demand is high, but the supply, at least from traditional media, is low, so people are looking elsewhere.
Enhancing bilateral trade with India
At the beginning of September, I participated in digital conference looking at ways to enhance bilaterian trade between New Zealand and India, the India-New Zealand Bilateral Economic and Trade Relationship.
It made me reflect on a trip to New Delhi I took in March as part of a delegation accompanying Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker. The trip was part of the Government’s efforts to grow the relationship with India, a relationship that has all the foundations to be one of our most important.
Since that bit of overseas travel, a lot has changed and in many ways. Countries have naturally become more inwardly focussed as they look to tackle internal issues associated with Covid-19. Exactly what the long-term impact Covid-19 will have on this country’s relationship with India is yet to be determined, but it’s not something that should be left up to chance.
In my closing remarks at the conference, I put it to attendees to consider how the relationship may be disrupted by Covid-19 and what can be done to mitigate these disruptions. With Asia expected to play such a critical role in this country’s post-Covid recovery, it’s immensely important to ensure lines of communication are strong and relationships aren’t left to wither on the vine.
Nāku iti nei, nā Simon Draper.