A glimpse into the future of the NZ China relationship

On 2 November 2017, 25 young professionals and students from around the country converged on the iSpace Building at the University of Auckland for a full day of brainstorming and creative thinking. The purpose of the event was to bring together some of the country’s most aspiring minds and to dream of what the NZ-China relationship could look like in 10, 20 or 30 years’ time and what practical steps the Council could take in order to help these dreams become reality.

In the first segment of the day, delegates heard from a range of different speakers who touched on a selection of topics including China’s history with New Zealand, information on education between the two countries as well as up-to-date insight of China’s thriving tech and innovation space. Speakers also included The Right Honourable Sir John Key who addressed delegates over lunch for a keynote presentation. Following these presentations towards the end of the day, delegates spent considerable time discussing in groups what priority areas the council should take to ensure a thriving bilateral relationship in the future.