Suzannah Jessep's October 2026 CE Update
The end of the year is coming into view, although there’s still plenty happening at the Foundation before we get there. In recent weeks, we’ve welcomed a new cohort into our Leadership Network, helped New Zealand businesses explore opportunities in Malaysia, released some fascinating sporting history and brought Asian expertise into conversations about energy security. A few highlights below.
On the 20th anniversary year of the Leadership Network, the Foundation welcomed 36 new members
We’ve announced 36 new members of our Leadership Network in a milestone year for the programme. Since it began in 2006, more than 700 New Zealanders have come through the Network, who have each gone on to contribute to New Zealand’s relationships with Asia across business, government, research, education, the arts and their communities.
That’s a substantial group of people building knowledge, connections and experience of the region over two decades. I’m looking forward to meeting our newest members at their induction in Auckland in November and seeing where their own Asia journeys take them.
Taking New Zealand business to Malaysia
The entrepreneurs' visit was built around health and beauty expo Cosmobeauté Malaysia
Our Young Business Leaders Initiative (YBLI) recently took ten New Zealand entrepreneurs to Malaysia to explore opportunities in the health and beauty sector.
The programme gave participants the chance to meet potential partners, test their thinking about market growth and get a better feel for one of Southeast Asia’s dynamic consumer markets.
Making connections on the ground can reveal opportunities that are difficult to identify from New Zealand. It’s still early days, but we’re already hearing about promising new relationships, business leads and potential partnerships emerging from the delegation. We’ll be interested to see what develops from here.
A century of sporting ties with India
A Century of Sporting Ties looks at the sporting relationships between New Zealand and India
One of the more surprising pieces of history I've come across recently was in A Century of Sporting Ties, a new report from our Research and Engagement team, produced in partnership with sports journalist Stephen Hewson.
The report traces a century of sporting connections between New Zealand and India, beginning with the Indian Army hockey team’s tour in 1926.
One detail caught my attention: 25,000 people turned out to watch the team play New Zealand at Eden Park that year. That’s an extraordinary crowd for the time.
It’s a reminder that the sporting links between our two countries go well beyond the cricket and hockey stories we know today.
There’s a much longer history here, and plenty more to discover about how sport has connected New Zealanders and Indians over the years.
Taiwan, bubble tea and opportunities for young New Zealanders
Asia After Five events are an opportunity to catch up with others, make new connections and hear from speakers on Asia-related topics
Our recent Asia After Five event in Wellington, Experiences in Taiwan, attracted a large audience and generated lots of positive interest.
Three young New Zealanders shared their experiences of studying and interning in Taiwan, giving those considering similar opportunities a first-hand account of what it’s like to live, study and work there.
Questions from the audience were a good sign of the interest among young New Zealanders in Taiwan and the opportunities it offers, alongside its cultural and people-to-people connections with New Zealand. And the bubble tea and other treats provided by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office were a welcome addition to the evening!
Asia’s energy outlook and what it means for New Zealand
Sue-Ern Tan, head of the International Energy Agency’s Regional Cooperation Centre in Singapore, speaks at the Westpac Strategic Outlook Forum in Auckland
Our business team recently brought Sue-Ern Tan, head of the International Energy Agency’s Regional Cooperation Centre in Singapore, to speak at the Westpac Strategic Outlook Forum in Auckland.
With developments in the Middle East and shifting dynamics between the US and Russia affecting global energy markets and supply chains, the timing was particularly useful. Sue-Ern brought a regional perspective on Asia’s energy challenges, including how countries are adapting their energy production and storage as they look to meet changing needs.
For New Zealand, understanding what is happening across Asia and the region’s choices around energy supply, technology and storage, have implications for our own energy security and economic resilience. Hearing directly from people working on these issues helps bring that bigger picture into focus.
New research shines a light on perceptions of the US and China
We’ve also published a mini poll building on our annual Perceptions of Asia research, examining how New Zealanders view major powers - particularly the US and China – amid growing global uncertainty.
The findings highlight some shifts in how these countries are perceived and the importance New Zealanders place on them.
More opportunities to come
There’s plenty more in the pipeline for the rest of the year, including sports and media internships, research grants, a music delegation to India and opportunities through our Sports Leaders Fund. The Fund supports New Zealand sporting organisations to build connections in Asia, including through new competitions and sporting collaborations.
I’m looking forward to seeing who takes up these opportunities and hearing what they learn and achieve. We’ll share more from these programmes in early 2027.
There’s a lot happening across our work, and it’s always good to see the range of ways New Zealanders are getting to know Asia, whether through business, sport, research, culture or time spent in the region.
More in the next update!
Ngā mihi, Suz
