NZ has a diplomatic advantage, and AI can’t replicate it
Routine foreign affairs may be becoming increasingly automated, but NZ should keep doing what it does best to build influence in Asia – cultural and people-centred diplomacy, writes the Foundation's CE Suzannah Jessep.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Christopher Luxon during his visit to NZ this year
George Bernard Shaw once said “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place”.
We have never had more ways to communicate with the rest of the world. We can translate almost instantly, speak to millions of people from a phone and watch events unfold in another country in real time. Yet it is not clear that we understand one another any better. That is why people-centred diplomacy matters.
The British Council’s Natasha Beckman is right to argue that cultural diplomacy deserves a prominent place in New Zealand’s international engagement. And local media is right to ask whether New Zealand’s efforts are sufficiently funded, coherent and coordinated to give it that prominence.
Over the past two decades I have seen first hand how arts, sport and other people-centred engagement strengthens our international relationships and improves cross-cultural understanding – particularly in Asia, where New Zealand has long-standing ties but not always deep levels of familiarity.
Research shows how this kind of diplomacy also influences perceptions of New Zealand and, because it endures beyond political cycles and strategy refreshes, plays a surprisingly big role in shaping New Zealand’s reputation and how others understand us.
One of the challenges of cultural and track II (non-governmental) diplomacy is, however, that it’s difficult to measure. The relationships it builds may not always be visible, knowledge and understanding can be hard to assess, and collaborations might outlast reporting cycles.
There is nonetheless an opportunity to think about these forms of engagement more fundamentally: not simply as expressions of goodwill, entertainment, or additions to a diplomatic programme, but as a pillar of our diplomacy and part of the long-term relationship-building that gives New Zealand greater resilience and reach.
When cultural and track II diplomacy is woven into the development of future leaders, its impact can extend across generations.
The Asia New Zealand Foundation’s Leadership Network and Young Business Leaders Initiative brings together hundreds of talented under-40s each year, many of whom go on to hold senior positions in their field. These leaders help to inform future decisions, policies and partnerships, while providing trusted channels that can sustain, and at times help rebuild, relationships when official ties come under strain.
Suzannah Jessep: "As [Leadership Network members'] careers progress, they will be the ones opening doors for New Zealand long after official visits end or exhibitions get wrapped up."
As their careers progress, they will be the ones opening doors for New Zealand long after official visits end or exhibitions get wrapped up. The initiative is a gold-standard example of a collaborative and high-impact programme supported by government and delivered by non-government that positively impacts the private sector and broader bilateral relations across decades and geographic borders.
The same can be said for engaging Asia’s emerging leaders. This week, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visits New Zealand as the two countries elevate their relationship through a new strategic partnership. This country’s relationship with Anutin did not begin with his appointment, however.
Nearly a decade ago, Anutin Charnvirakul was identified as an emerging leader and engaged through a range of New Zealand government and non-government connections and initiatives. As a result, by the time he assumed office, he was already familiar with New Zealand, its people and its interests – demonstrating the long-term value of relationship-based diplomacy and this kind of soft power outreach.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visiting the Foundation's Wellington office in 2018 when his Bhumjaithai Party was in opposition
Recent visits by Vietnam’s leader Tô Lâm and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi provide similar reminders. These are relationships of growing importance to New Zealand, yet shared interests do not automatically produce shared understanding.
Countries bring different histories, cultures, political systems and perspectives to the table. Building familiarity and confidence takes time and benefits from the involvement of a wide range of people and institutions.
During Tô Lâm’s visit, a visit to an exhibition by Māori photographer Fiona Pardington offered a different way of building understanding, while sport and community connections played a similar role during Modi’s visit. Tô Lâm himself explicitly described culture and the arts as a “bridge” between countries.
There is another reason New Zealand should think seriously about cultural diplomacy in its broadest sense. Artificial intelligence will transform how governments, businesses and institutions operate. Routine analysis, communications and administration will increasingly be automated, and governments facing fiscal pressures will look to technology to improve productivity and reduce costs.
Suzannah: "...as more transactional work is automated, human connection may become more valuable."
Much of this will be sensible. But there is a risk in the assumption that every interaction that can be automated should be. AI can translate our speech, analyse public sentiment and draft a briefing paper. What it can’t do is replace the experience of spending time in another country, engaging with different cultures, and building trust through shared experience.
No digital platform can fully replicate an artist’s creative expression, a sporting exchange, an indigenous connection, or the insights that come from sustained personal engagement. Ironically, as more transactional work is automated, human connection may become more valuable.
New Zealand therefore has an opportunity not simply to do more cultural diplomacy, but to protect and invest more deliberately in the distinctive advantage that our cultural and track II diplomacy gives us. It is, in the broadest sense, about building the relationships, reputation and familiarity on which New Zealand’s influence depends.
The global rise of K-pop, Korean film and television has made South Korea more familiar to audiences around the world and helped shift perceptions of the country from one that was once associated primarily with war, division and rapid economic development to one seen as creative, sophisticated and culturally influential.
The OECD notes that the ‘Korean Wave’, or Hallyu, has generated wider interest in Korean culture, contributing to growth in tourism and exports of products such as food and beauty products, while also helping create a more modern and positive image of the country. It also notes that South Korea’s cultural capital has contributed greatly to the country’s economic resilience.
The OECD notes that South Korea’s cultural capital has contributed greatly to the country’s economic resilience
By capturing the hearts and minds of the next generation, Korea is also building familiarity and affinity that can translate into stronger relationships, greater economic opportunity and a more favourable environment for its interests overseas.
The important point for New Zealand is that this influence hasn’t come simply from promoting Korean culture abroad or using culture as entertainment. It has come from creating things people around the world want to engage with and using that interest as a gateway to deeper familiarity with the country itself.
This article was first published on the Newsroom website
