Contacts may help business: report

New Zealand businesses could significantly improve their chances in Asia through contacts with migrants here and with expatriate Kiwis, a new report suggests.

The report is the first of several studies on New Zealanders living in various parts of Asia and Asians living here. Commissioned by the Asia New Zealand Foundation, the reports were done because neither migration pattern had been formally studied before, policy director Andrew Butcher said.

"New Zealand has one of the largest diaspora populations in the world and an increasing number of those people are and will be in Asia."

Dr Butcher said proportionately New Zealand had a higher Asian population than Australia, but Kiwis were often slow to recognise the value of their access to languages and people networks. "I think there's a reluctance, or at least a shyness, to engage with business people or business communities that we are not as familiar with. But ultimately making the effort to engage with Asian communities in New Zealand and in Asia pays dividends."

The first report focuses on south-east Asia, and includes interviews with Kiwis running a range of businesses from fish and chip franchises in Malaysia to public relations firms in Thailand.

About 8000 to 12,000 New Zealanders are thought to be living in south-east Asia and a much larger community of about 44,000 people of south-east Asian descent are thought to be living here.

Other reports will focus on India, south Asia, and China.

Recently 50 top New Zealand businesses signed a foundation-organised statement that pressed schools to increase Asian awareness, not only in languages, but in literature, geography and other areas of the curriculum.

- © Fairfax NZ News