Q&A: Anna Fifield, Beijing bureau chief for The Washington Post 

One of the bylines most associated with Asia is that of Kiwi journalist Anna Fifield. She spoke with the Asia Media Centre about her career as a foreign correspondent and her new book on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

READ MORE

Why the Mekong region matters to New Zealand

The Mekong River is the lifeline of the many millions of people that live along it. In May, the Asia New Zealand Foundation and Thailand’s Institute of Security and International Studies co-convened a Track II dialogue in Thailand to gain a first-hand understanding of the current issues impacting the Mekong region.

READ MORE

Kiwi Flavours: The Kiwi coffee chain taking over Asia

Craving a classic meat pie in Shanghai, or the perfect flat white in the Philippines? In this new Kiwi Flavours series, the Asia Media Centre speaks to Kiwis who are running successful food and beverage businesses in Asia.

READ MORE

What has media in New Zealand been reporting about Asia? Here's a roundup of stories from the past week. 

• Chinese-language media told to promote Govt initiatives
  NEWSROOM
     
• Caught between China and the US: The Kiwi place in a newly confrontational world
  STUFF
   
• New Zealand says it isn't pressuring Solomons to back Taiwan
  RADIO NZ
   
• China agency exhorts local formula makers to buy offshore
  NZ HERALD (PAYWALL)
   
• When your granddad makes history 
  NEWSROOM

• Kiwi J-Force veteran remembers his year in post-World War II Japan
  STUFF 
   

Claire Achmad, Barnardos NZ

Get to know Claire Achmad, a human rights legal and policy specialist with a particular focus on children's rights. Claire is based in Wellington and working as General Manager Advocacy at Barnardos.

What are you working on right now?

I'm currently collaborating with my former PhD supervisor on an article looking into children's rights in commercial surrogacy practices in Cambodia. This will be a nice continuation on from my PhD, which focused on children's rights in international commercial surrogacy, a practice which has developed over the last decade in many countries in the Asian region.

Tell us the most interesting thing that’s not on your CV:

I'm currently learning Bahasa Indonesia, the official language of Indonesia. This has been a work in progress for some years now, but I still have a long way to go! It's something I'm really committed to though, because my Dad is Indonesian, from Central Java. I didn't learn Bahasa Indonesia when I was a child, and as an adult, I've realised how important it is for me to do so, as an integral part of my own heritage and cultural identity.

What’s your favourite book about Asia?

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth is pretty epic. It's a long read, but is beautifully written, and captures the sounds, smells, colours and light and dark of India through a tale of family, love and longing. It takes me back to my travels in India with my husband Peter, and all the wonderful people we met, beautiful places we experienced, delicious Indian vegetarian food we savoured and also some of the challenging things we saw, too, such as the extreme inequality and poverty.

VIEW OUR VOICES DATABASE HERE

Japan: #KuToo movement takes on high heels

Japanese women are taking a stand against company dress codes that force many female workers to wear high heels in the office. The campaign is being called the #KuToo movement, a play on the Japanese word for shoes, kutsu. 

China: Xi and Putin reach BFF status

Chinese President Xi Jinping has described Russian President Vladimir Putin as his "best friend" during a three-day visit to Moscow. President Xi also presented a pair of pandas to Moscow Zoo in a display of China's famed panda diplomacy.

Hong Kong: One million take to the streets

Organisers said over a million people took to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday to protest a controversial bill that would allow for extradition to China. It was one of the city's largest demonstrations since the handover in 1997.