New Zealand Ambassador to China Clare Fearnley Photo: Courtesy of the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing

China and New Zealand have been close partners not only on the government level, but also in people-to-people relations.

The New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and ministers of Foreign Affairs, Climate Change and Education have all visited China this year and the Prime Minister is expected to come later this year. Meanwhile, there are over 450,000 Chinese tourists visiting New Zealand each year and 40,000 Chinese students went to study in New Zealand last year. New Zealand is also a popular country for international migrants. In the midst of the growing expectation for greater interaction and exchanges between the two countries, the Global Times (GT) sat with the New Zealand Ambassador to China, Clare Fearnley, whose knowledge and experience in China make her the perfect candidate for bilateral relations.

GT: In recent years, there are a growing number of Chinese people who are looking forward to emigrating to New Zealand. What is the reason behind that?

Clare: New Zealand is a very diverse country. Auckland is the 3rd most diverse city in the world. Our country is built on a partnership between the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Maori, and other nationalities. That's how we define ourselves. Some interesting analysis came out in August around our population patterns - New Zealand's population has grown by 10 percent in the last five years. While our birthrate is high, much of the growth was through immigration. Immigration is part of our DNA. The reason why many people migrate to New Zealand  is that we offer what migrants are looking for: an open economy, stable society, quality of life, good governance, a great education system, and an open, transparent and inclusive society. These assertions are supported by international assessments - we are consistently rated as the least corrupt country in the world. The last two years the World Bank has named New Zealand Number One for ease of doing business in the world. The quality of our regulation, legislation and administrative system are also assessed as world leading.

GT: New Zealand has recently announced policy changes to post-study work rights for international students. Can you tell us more about it?

Clare: The policy changes have been widely welcomed, including in China. There has been some significant strengthening of post-study visa opportunities for students at degree level. That means New Zealand is one of the most generous countries in the world for post-study work opportunities. In practice, the changes have been the following: For all bachelor degree graduates or above, a three-year post-student open work visa is available. For students studying Level 4 to Level 6 qualifications, and non-degree Level 7 qualifications a one-year post-study open work visa has been made available. And for students at this level outside of Auckland, an additional year is available, provided study is completed by December 2021. Secondly, it removes employer-assisted post-study work visas at all levels.

GT: Currently, a shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry is making it difficult to build the houses and infrastructure that New Zealand needs. What changes will take place to tackle this problem?

Clare: The growth in our population I mentioned - 10 percent in the last five years - has been  concentrated in large cities. Growth at this pace would pose infrastructural challenges for any country experiencing it. There were assessments late last year that New Zealand was short of 30,000  construction workers. That's something that no government could ignore. A mix of policies have been adopted to address it. One is related to the growth of our own indigenous capability through training. But then, because the need is immediate and it takes time to grow capability, technically capable people from overseas are going to be part of the solution as well. In the short term, and perhaps longer term too, we need some help from overseas. So a program called the Kiwi Build Skilled Shortage List has been adopted and that includes a wide variety of technical construction work. It makes the process a lot faster for New Zealand businesses to bring in the required skilled workers from overseas. We don't see that as a permanent solution but it's important help for us right now, we value their contribution.

GT: What changes do you wish to make as the New Zealand Ambassador to China during your tenure?

Clare: I'd like to see people-to-people links grow further. This is central to the relations between our two countries. Right now, there are 40,000 Chinese students studying in New Zealand and I see these young people that are being entrusted to New Zealand by their parents as informal ambassadors for the relationship out into the future. I am confident that they will have a very positive experience in New Zealand, and that they will come back with affection for the country. The over 1,000 New Zealand students who are studying in China each year will help deepen New Zealand's understanding of China. In a similar way, the exchange of tourists benefit our understanding to each other too. There are some new areas where our two countries can work together on the global stage - climate change and the multilateral trading system. Both of our countries are committed to strengthening the multilateral trading system - both sides advocate for a rules-based international order. New Zealand has been a very active member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) for years. We have a shared interest with China in maintaining the health of the WTO. Also, there is a lot we can do together to support the Paris climate change outcomes and to share experiences from our own domestic climate change programs. New Zealand is committed to achieving a zero carbon economy by 2050. In some areas, China would be central to New Zealand in achieving its own objectives. For example, although over 85 percent of our electricity is produced sustainably, to reach the 2050 target, we will need to shift to electric vehicles. China is the largest producer of electronic vehicles in the world. We're keen to start the conversation early about New Zealand's e-vehicle needs. Another area where I'll be working to further develop links is science and R&D. We have a very well-established and growing framework of exchanges, currently focused on human health and well-being, bio-chemical research and advanced agriculture. But there's a lot more that I hope to see our two countries do together in these fields.