Asia Insight

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Episodes

Latest episode

Jul 2026

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EN-NZ

About the show

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.

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60 recent

July 9, 202625 min

Asia Insight : Shenny Tang

In this episode Lingy Au talks to Shenny Tang, and 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.Tweet us at @AsiaMediaCentreWebsite asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nzWhakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !

July 8, 202624 min

Asia Insight : Prof James Laurenceson

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. Tweet us at @AsiaMediaCentreWebsite asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nzWhakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !

May 21, 202639 min

Asia Insight : Akiko Fukushima & Cheng Chwee Kuik

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.Tweet us at @AsiaMediaCentreWebsite asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nzWhakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !

April 23, 202638 min

Asia Insight : Prof Mohd Faiz Abdullah

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. Tweet us at @AsiaMediaCentreWebsite asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nzWhakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !

March 31, 202632 min

Asia Insight : Charlotte Glennie

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.Tweet us at @AsiaMediaCentreWebsite asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nzWhakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !

February 27, 202622 min

Starting Up With Asia : Adi Nugroho

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. Tweet us at @AsiaMediaCentreWebsite asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nzWhakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !

December 12, 202541 min

Asia Insight : Dr Samir Saran

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 2026Tweet us at @AsiaMediaCentreWebsite asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nzWhakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !

November 28, 202538 min

Asia Insight : Professor Joseph Liow

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. Tweet us at @AsiaMediaCentreWebsite asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nzWhakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !

July 3, 202529 min

Perceptions of Asia 2025 : Jason Young & Raf Manji

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.Tweet us at @AsiaMediaCentreWebsite asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nzWhakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !

June 27, 202533 min

Asia Experience : Claire George

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.Tweet us at @AsiaMediaCentreWebsite asiamediacentre.org.nz Email us at media@asianz.org.nzWhakawhetai mo te whakarongo .. thanks for listening !