Asia Media Centre
Asia-related issues and perspectives from the Asia Media Centre at the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono in Wellington. The podcast will feature Asia experts from across the region, along with staff from the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
In this episode, Asia New Zealand Foundation Arts programme Director Craig Cooper talks to Mark Williams from arts agency CIRCUIT Artist Moving Image, and Cushla Aston, from the Aston Road music industry agency, about their recent experiences observing the arts and music scene in Indonesia. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
Alan Gepty is currently the Undersecretary for the International Trade Group at the Department of Trade and Industry in Manila, managing trade agencies of the Philippines government, as well as trade policy and trade negotiations across the board. He was in New Zealand earlier this month for the inaugural meeting of the new Philippines-New Zealand Joint Economic Commission – the JEC - a new body designed to develop trade between the two countries. I sat down with Alan to discuss the new JEC, and just how the Philippines is dealing with trade issues in the Asia Pacific and across the globe. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
Dhruva Jaishankar is executive director of the Observer Research Foundation America and a 2026 senior fellow with the Asia New Zealand Foundation He’s also a non-resident Fellow at the Lowy Institute in Australia, and is the author of Vishwa Shastra: India and the World ,an excellent introduction to India's international relations due to be published in New Zealand later this year. Dhruva was in Wellington recently and had time to sit down for chat on all things India, and the future of the New Zealand India relationship .. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
In May 2026 the Asia New Zealand Foundation led its first sports delegation to India. Six New Zealand sports leaders joined Programme Manager Kirsty Sharp on a trip that included Mumbai and Amdavad, to take a closer look at India's sports ecosystem as India prepares to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. Among the delegates was Erin Roxburgh - researcher, lecturer, and governance practitioner specialising in sport leadership and equity. She is also the Deputy Chair of Women in Sport Aotearoa. Kirsty caught up with Erin after the delegation returned, for a wide-ranging chat on the role of sport in India, and what administrators here can learn. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
In this episode Lingy Au talks to Shenny Tang, an entrepreneur based in Brunei, who is Head of Growth at Innov8 Labs, Brunei's first digital capability centre - specialising in cybersecurity, AI and emerging technologies. Shenny was in New Zealand earlier this year participating in the Young Business Leaders Initiative, a week-long exchange programme to learn more about the NZ business environment. She joins us online from Brunei for a chat about her time in NZ , her home country, and her work at Innov8 Labs. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
Today we're joined by Professor James Laurenceson, Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology in Sydney, one of the sharpest minds working on the economics of the China relationship anywhere in the region. James has spent years cutting through the noise on trade, investment, and what's become the defining question for governments and businesses alike: how do you manage risk with your biggest trading partner when the geopolitics keep getting more complicated? In the country for the China Business Summit, James has been a go-to voice on economic coercion, on what de-risking actually means in practice, and on where Australia and New Zealand's economic interests really sit amid the broader US-China rivalry. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
Our guests on the podcast today are two leading experts of Asia security issues, in Wellington NZ for the Asia Symposium hosted by the Asia New Zealand Foundation. This episode's a deep dive on Asia politics, and replete with the various associated acronyms. So if you aren't familiar with The IP4, The Quad, or ASEAN and Japan's OSA - a quick Google of the terms will make for a more rewarding listen. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic and International studies one of the country’s most high-profile think tanks, known widely as ISIS Professor Mohd Faiz Abdullah is its Executive Chairman and Chief Executive His diverse career spans media, law enforecement, education and three decades as a lawyer. He’s also currently an advisor to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibraham. A small delegation from the Institute has been in Wellington this week and we sat down with Faiz for a wide ranging chat on all things Malaysia and New Zealand, and the current state of the world. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
Charlotte Glennie is a name with a rather special place in the New Zealand media history, as the country’s only former foreign correspondent based in Asia. She’s spent more than two decades in the media, and as well as New Zealand outlets – notably TVNZ , she’s also worked with the BBC and ABC Australia. She’s just released an autobiography called “Every Second Counts” , running through her life and times in journalism – the stories, the people, the stress and strain of being a one-woman news machine in Asia. I sat down with Charlotte in Wellington this week for a chat about the book, and a life in journalism. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
Mycotech is an Indonesian startup based in the central Javanese city of Bandung, and since about 2016 its been in the business of mycelium leather, the mushroom based alternative that is taking on the traditional leather goods industry. One of the company’s founder is Adi Nugroho, who has been in the country recently courtesy of the Asia New Zealand Foundation. We sat down for a chat about the development of the company, and the huge possibilities in the animal-free leather market. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
Dr Samir Saran is President of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), India’s premier think tank. ORF puts together the Raisina Dialogue, a global geo-politics conference held in New Delhi annually, attracting analysts, politicians and journalists from around the world. Samir's been back in NZ as a Prime Minister’s Fellow, and we sat down for a chat about India in 2025, the India -Russia relationship, climate change, technology, and what’s next for the Raisina Dialogue, to be held in early March 2026 Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
Prof Joseph Liow is Dean, and Professor of East Asian Affairs, at the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, at Singapore’s National University. He’s been in New Zealand this week as the inaugural Non-Resident Fellow at the Asia New Zealand Foundation. Professor Liow is one of Singapore’s leading scholars on international affairs, known for his incisive analysis of Southeast Asian politics and the role religion plays in the region. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
Last month, the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono released its 28th Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples survey – the longest-running dataset tracking New Zealanders’ views of Asia and our connections to the region. Today on the podcast, the Foundation's Director of Research and Engagement, Julia MacDonald, is joined by VUW's Jason Young and Foundation fellow Raf Manji to discuss this year's findings and what they reveal about the developing NZ-Asia relationship. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
Recently six New Zealand sports leaders joined Kirsty Sharp, Manager of the the Asia New Zealand Foundation's Sports programme, for a trip to Singapore and Malaysia to meet with and learn about the sports ecosystems in both countries. Today on the podcast Kirsty catches up with Sport New Zealand's Claire George, who was one of the delegates -to hear her observations and reflections post -trip. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
The ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn has been in New Zealand to mark the 50th Anniversary of the dialogue relationship. Today we catch up with him to discuss the role of ASEAN in turbulent times, where the organisation is headed, and the importance of the enduring links between ASEAN and Aotearoa. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
This week we join Raf Manji, a Non-Resident Fellow at the Asia New Zealand Foundation, in conversation with Dr Reuben Abraham, the CEO of Artha Global, a Mumbai and London-based public policy organisation advising governments around the world. The pair take a deep dive into the new India - economics, trade, technology, and foreign policy. -as NZ embarks on the latest round of talks towards a Free Trade Agreement. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
Today on the podcast Dr Julia Macdonald, head of Research and Engagement at the Asia New Zealand Foundation, sits down with Vietnam’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Do Hung Viet, who earlier this year visited New Zealand as an ASEAN Prime Minister’s fellow. Mr Viet was appointed Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2022, following a diplomatic career that has focused on international organisations. He has held positions as Assistant Foreign Minister, Director-General of the Foreign Ministry’s International Organisations Department, and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He will take up the position as Viet Nam’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in mid 2025. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
In this episode of Asia Unfiltered, our host Arina Aizal chats to Nathan Taylor about his experiences growing up living in Indonesia as a teenager, and later living as an adult in China. Digressions include the unique experience of going from homeschooling in New Zealand to being dropped into the middle of a remote Indonesian jungle, a deep dive into the power of accents within linguistics, and how translation work is rather difficult when working with the made-up mystical worlds of Chinese video games. Asia Unfiltered is an exploration of the stories and experiences of young Kiwis abroad in Asia. Each episode will feature conversations between members of the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono’s Leadership Network, and one of our two fellow Leadership Network hosts: Kii Small and Arina Aizal. This is the last episode of this season - we've hoped you've enjoyed the episodes so far! The Leadership Network is a global professional network equipping the next generation of New Zealand leaders with the know-how to strengthen the New Zealand-Asia relationship. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
In this episode of Asia Unfiltered, our host Arina Aizal chats to Yik Kun Heng about his experiences living… well, everywhere! Yik Kun has lived in Beijing, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Switzerland, and now Chile. What's it like navigating identity as someone with a multicultural, international background, or to represent New Zealand in Wushu: the Chinese martial art, and how does political science blend into guidance counselling...?? Asia Unfiltered is an exploration of the stories and experiences of young Kiwis abroad in Asia. Each episode features conversations between members of the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono’s Leadership Network, and one of our two fellow Leadership Network hosts: Kii Small and Arina Aizal. The Leadership Network is a global professional network equipping the next generation of New Zealand leaders with the know-how to strengthen the New Zealand-Asia relationship. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !
In this episode of Asia Unfiltered, our host Kii Small chats to Marcus Coll about his many experiences living in Japan over the years. Digressions include the power of learning a second language, how strange twists of fate can completely alter the course of your life, and how he uncovered a hidden hub of nuclear disarmament activism in Christchurch, New Zealand. Asia Unfiltered is an exploration of the stories and experiences of young Kiwis abroad in Asia. Each episode will feature conversations between members of the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono’s Leadership Network, and one of our two fellow Leadership Network hosts: Kii Small and Arina Aizal. The Leadership Network is a global professional network equipping the next generation of New Zealand leaders with the know-how to strengthen the New Zealand-Asia relationship. Website asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nz Whakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !