Forget UK, North America -- Asia is most important to New Zealanders, poll finds

A large majority of New Zealanders see developing political, economic and social ties with Asia as critical and consider the region more important than Britain and North America, according to a survey conducted by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

The group, a non-profit organisation that is mostly funded by the New Zealand government, said in its latest annual "Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples" survey that New Zealanders perceived the region as "increasingly front and centre for their future", and this view had grown over the past 26 surveys.

Almost three-quarters of 2,323 respondents surveyed late last year said China was the most important country in Asia to New Zealand's future, though about 37 per cent also viewed China as a threat after Russia and North Korea.

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The foundation's executive director Simon Draper said the survey showed that New Zealanders, while cautious on China, understood there was a need to continue to invest time and energy into the Asian giant and it was this balance that underpinned Wellington's extensive engagement with Beijing.

Draper expected an extensive delegation to accompany New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on his visit to China at the end of this month.

"While [New Zealanders] are concerned about some aspects of the relationship, the general feeling is that we ought to continue to engage. As such, we expect the prime minister will be accompanied by a large but varied delegation as an effort to reconnect post-Covid and to explore the areas where we can work together," he told This Week In Asia.

"Our data suggests that New Zealanders feel we should work hard to manage our relations, to discuss the things that worry us, but also to engage on the opportunities and areas where we can and should work together, like climate change."

Opinions of New Zealanders tended to be elastic and based on experiences, and with borders closed during the pandemic, many New Zealanders were not able to travel and maintain the kind of people-to-people contacts that shape positive feelings, Draper said.

"Now that normal travel has resumed, I would hope to see 'friend/threat perceptions' to also slowly modify," he said.

Unlike neighbouring Australia, with whom it shares its closest diplomatic relationship, New Zealand was not hit by Chinese trade restrictions or a collapse of bilateral relations during the pandemic.

Australia saw its relationship with China, its biggest trading partner, deteriorate in early 2020 although ties began to improve under the new government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who came into office last year.

Alongside China, New Zealanders indicated that Japan, Singapore, India and South Korea were the top five most important Asian countries for their country's future, the survey showed.

Overall, New Zealanders "felt warmer" towards many Asian nations than they did in the year before and in particular, "the perceived friendliness of South Korea, the Philippines, and Indonesia" had risen, the survey found.

Draper said many New Zealanders were taking an increasing interest in South Korea as a result of its "soft power", particularly in culture and entertainment, as the South Pacific nation's South Korean diaspora grew.

The Philippine community has also been growing, particularly in the past two years, and Filipino-New Zealanders now make up more than 1 per cent of the country's population, Draper said.

"The values in the Philippines align with [New Zealand's] really nicely," one respondent said in the survey. "They are hardworking, as are most Kiwis. They've got a really good attitude to family; family is important to them, and within New Zealand, family is important. So their values and their cultural principles really align well with New Zealand's, I'd say."

Direct air services between Indonesia and New Zealand and a resulting uptick in Indonesian tourists might be driving a positive opinion of Indonesia among New Zealanders, Draper added.

In general, New Zealand's affinity with Asia could be explained by some similarities in cultures and values, Draper said.

Last month, a delegate of Maori business leaders and owners touring Asia told This Week in Asia in Singapore that the importance of "relationships" in Asian cultures was identical to that of New Zealand's indigenous culture, which helps shape the nation's foreign policy.

Previous research by the foundation supported this observation and had also shown that Maori connected with parts of Asia over cultural values such as the importance of family and sharing food, Draper said.

The survey also showed a majority support and optimism for not just more trade with Asia but more direct investment from Asia into New Zealand, as well as increased Asian tourism and migration to New Zealand.

While Australia and the United States remained important as defence and security partners, New Zealanders also saw Japan, Singapore and South Korea as key Asian relationships to nurture.

"If I was defence minister, I'd be trying to hook up training exercises with as many [Asian nations] as I could, and develop a relationship in that regard," one survey respondent said.

But New Zealanders were aware that while they valued Asia, their knowledge of the region was not as in-depth as that of North America, Europe and the Pacific.

Four out of five New Zealanders had voted for more Asian language courses in New Zealand's education system when asked what could deepen their knowledge of Asia during the survey.

New Zealanders also said deeper business ties, increased governmental dialogues and a long-term plan for Asia by the Beehive - a nickname for the country's parliament - were key to understanding Asia better.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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