Just 31 more sleeps.  Rugby fans the world over are counting down to when New Zealand hosts the sporting extravaganza that is the Rugby World Cup.
The tournament is big for New Zealand.  Twenty teams, 48 matches in just over six weeks, played from Whangarei in the north to Invercargill in the very south.  More than

New Zealand aquaculture had a boost this month thanks to links with the Philippines. 
New Zealand’s second-largest salmon processing company, Prime Foods New Zealand, has joined forces with the leading canned tuna producer in the Philippines, Alliance Select Foods International.  They’ve established a joint venture company called Big Glory Bay Salmon and Seafood.  It’s an impressive

There’s a lot of ocean around New Zealand.   The fourth-largest marine economic zone on the planet  in fact, so fishing is an important industry for the nation.  New Zealand’s world-renowned quota management system has been in place for 25 years to guard against overfishing, and the drive for sustainable management of the fishery is

Free trade agreements can make a real difference to ordinary people’s lives.  The negotiations and the multitude of final agreements are pretty complex stuff, but the end result — an FTA in the jargon — makes things better for businesses and consumers alike.
The dedicated folk in the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry are doing

I’m pleased to see more Filipinos going to study in New Zealand.  Spending part of your education in another country is a great experience, and an excellent way to gain new experiences and contacts that are important for later in life.
The number of Pinoys studying in New Zealand is increasing quite fast, though admittedly

New Zealand manufactures a lot of dairy products — that’s well known.   But we don’t dominate world production, as some might think.  In fact we are responsible for only about 2% of global dairy output. 
 But when you look at trade figures, the picture’s very different — New Zealand is the world’s biggest exporter of

How to feed the world, without destroying the planet?  I’ve blogged before about the challenges of feeding 9 billion people only 40 years from now, and doing that without causing massive environmental damage.
Agriculture is at the heart of food production.   It’s also vitally important in providing opportunities for sustainable economic development, and in reducing

Kiwis are flying again.  Short-term trips overseas by New Zealanders were up 10% in the year to May 2011.  As the economy has recovered, and thanks to a strong New Zealand dollar, Kiwis are spreading their wings once more.
Southeast Asia is an increasingly attractive destination for us.   Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore are pulling in

New Zealand and the Philippines started working together on geothermal energy decades ago.  I’ve blogged before about how this cooperation began in the 1970s, when New Zealand used its expertise to help the Philippines set up power geothermal stations.
Back then New Zealand scientists, engineers and other specialists worked at the Tongonan geothermal field on the

Happy birthday to this blog!  One year, 52 posts, and a lot of different topics covered.
 
As I said in my first post, I want this blog to portray what an ambassador does and the amazing diversity of this job.  Fun things like wine, food and tourism.  Difficult issues like the death penalty, overcrowded prisons and