Suzannah Jessep's February 2026 CE Update

We’re all aware the global environment is becoming more unsettled, shaped by geopolitical competition, rapid technological change, more frequent extreme weather events and ageing populations across many developed economies.  

At the same time, we’re seeing strong demand from young New Zealanders to get out into the world.  

Across the arts, sport, academia and entrepreneurship, there’s a clear appetite to deepen connections with counterparts in Asia. Businesses, too, are looking for insight into where the opportunities and risks lie in fast-moving sectors. 

Whichever way we look at it, Asia will remain central to global growth and innovation, and to New Zealand’s prosperity and security.  

Maintaining deep but flexible connections across the region is essential: what Southeast Asia often calls “bamboo diplomacy” – strong roots with the ability to adapt. I wrote more about this in my recent Newsroom article.

Below is a summary of some of our recent activity and what we’ll be focusing on in 2026. Thanks again for your support and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re interested to learn more about what we do.  

The Foundation welcomes the 2026 senior fellows 

Dhruva Jaishanka (top) and Peter Kell

This month, we welcomed two new senior fellows who will help us decode the world in 2026!  We’re thrilled to have the executive director of the Observer Research Foundation America, Dhruva Jaishanka, and former New Zealand senior diplomat, Peter Kell, take up these important roles. 

We introduced the Senior Fellows Programme last year to strengthen the Foundation’s ability to provide independent expert analysis, enhancing our capacity to offer insight and commentary on key political, economic and strategic developments across Asia. 

With their extensive experience and relationships in Asia, Dhruva and Peter will provide informed perspectives on the region and New Zealand’s connections there, adding real value to the Foundation’s work. I’m looking forward to working closely with the two of them over the year.  

Keep an eye out for their contributions, which we will publish throughout the year on the Foundation’s website and through our other channels. 

Leadership Network anniversary 

The Foundation's Leadership Network marks its 20th anniversary this year

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Foundation’s Leadership Network. In some respects, the Leadership Network is the crown jewel of the Foundation – a vibrant community of emerging leaders who are each playing an important role in shaping New Zealand’s connections with Asia.  

Over the years, the network has grown from strength to strength and, with more than 500 members now spread across the globe, has become a truly international community.  

Through professional development and leadership opportunities, the network helps members build their Asia capability. Watching them expand their connections in Asia and thrive professionally has been inspiring, with many going on to senior roles such as cabinet ministers, chief executives, trade commissioners and senior diplomats. 

This year, to mark our anniversary, we’ll be hosting special Leadership Network events and showcasing members’ stories - celebrating the connections they’ve made through the network, the opportunities they’ve embraced, and the impact they’ve made. 

Indonesian entrepreneur and New Zealand artist collaboration 

Entrepreneur Adi Reza and artist Charlotte Crichton at the opening of Fluid Bodies

Earlier this month, we were delighted to host Adi Reza in New Zealand. Adi is the co-founder and CEO of MYCL (Mycotech Lab), an Indonesian biotech company producing sustainable biomaterials for global fashion and construction applications. Adi first connected with the Foundation in 2018, when he visited New Zealand as part of a Southeast Asian sustainable business leaders’ delegation through the Foundation-run ASEAN Young Business Leaders Initiative (YBLI).

This time, Adi was in New Zealand to attend the opening of an exhibition by artist Charlotte Crichton, Fluid Bodies, at Toi Mahara Gallery in Waikanae, which featured works made with MYCL’s mushroom-based biomaterials. In the three busy days he was in New Zealand, Adi also spoke at an Asia After Five evening in Auckland and joined the Asia Media Centre for a podcast interview, sharing his journey as a young entrepreneur, his experience with the Foundation’s ASEAN Young Business Leaders Initiative (YBLI), and the story behind MYCL’s pioneering work. That interview will be published on the Asia Media Centre later this week.

It was a joy to reconnect with Ardi and to see firsthand how the Foundation is helping New Zealanders engage with some of the most exciting tech developments emerging from Asia – translated here into the language of fine arts and a conversation about sustainability and green tech. If you live in the area, or live in Wellington and feel like a trip up the coast, I recommend heading along to Toi Mahara gallery and checking out the exhibition.

December’s delegations to India and China 

In December’s CE Update, I mentioned two delegations that were still in the field when the update went out: six performing arts leaders visiting India to attend the Serendipity Arts Festival, and a group of business leaders from the health and wellness sector travelling to China to explore the industry and build connections. 

As well as attending the Serendipity Arts Festival, the performing arts leaders connected with arts institutions and spaces in Mumbai and Goa

By all accounts, both visits were highly rewarding, offering insights and experiences that will build participants' confidence to engage in the region and hopefully spark future collaborations and initiatives. I’m pleased to share that the India trip has already opened the door for one delegate to return to collaborate on a project. While the details are still being worked out, it’s an exciting prospect worth keeping an eye on.  

Read a Q&A with one of the participants of the India performing arts visit, and keep an eye on our social media channels and website for an article on the business delegation to China. 

Looking ahead 

In March, I’ll be accompanying a delegation to India to mark 100 years of sporting ties between New Zealand and India. While there, I’ll also attend the Raisina Dialogue - India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics. This will be the fifth or sixth time I’ve participated, and each year it offers fascinating insights and the opportunity to hear directly from global decision-makers about what’s top of mind for them. 

Also in March, the Foundation will be launching the next in its series of Perceptions reports. This report – authored by three members of our Leadership Network – takes a closer look at perceptions of Asia in the Pacific from a New Zealand Pasifika perspective. Through new survey data and interviews with New Zealanders of Pacific heritage, the research will shine a light on how New Zealand’s Pacific population views engagement by Asian countries in the Pacific region.    

Looking further out, in May the Foundation will be hosting an Asia Symposium in Wellington, in partnership with The Asia Foundation. The event will bring together leading scholars and practitioners from Asia and around New Zealand to discuss the most pressing geopolitical developments facing the region. Through keynotes, expert panels, and moderated discussions, participants will hear expert views on the region’s evolving geostrategic landscape, demographic and technological shifts, maritime security and supply chain resilience, environmental sustainability, and more. We look forward to sharing more details about this event with you soon.

Finally, I'd like to highlight the opportunities we have on offer at the moment, including the latest round of business internships, a delegation of screen creatives heading to India, a sports leaders group also India bound and a grant for journalists to take part in the Jefferson Fellowship programme. 

I hope the year is off to a great start for you and that you’ve managed to catch a few moments in the sun whenever the weather has cooperated. I’m looking forward to a busy and productive year ahead, and I can’t wait to catch up with as many of you as possible over the months to come. 

Ngā mihi nui, 

Suz Jessep