July 21st, 2021
Consulate General of New Zealand 🇳🇿
Location: Room 6501, 18 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai
Kia Ora everyone (A greeting in Maori), welcome to our first interview with a Consul General!
As soon as we departed the elevators, we were pleasantly surprised to be met with some characteristics of New Zealand that were displayed proudly in and around the consulate. The interior was adorned with traditional Maori carvings, a map of New Zealand in blue, and held a comfortable seating area opposite the gorgeous view of the Hong Kong skyline. Sitting down, we admired the remarkably modern interior that still felt homely. After waiting for a couple of moments, we were introduced to Mr. Riley, the Consul General of New Zealand in Hong Kong. As we began to chat, we were also given two crisp and refreshing ice-cold glasses of water, dripping with condensation, which we heavily appreciated in the thick Hong Kong heat. Surprisingly, we found that Mr. Riley spoke fluent Korean from his time posted in the country, and was even cast in the Korean reality show “Where is my friend's home?”. Another thing to note about Mr. Riley’s background was his emphasis on his Maori heritage, (the Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand) and showed us some phrases in the language.
Following the introduction, we were given an in-depth look into New Zealand - Hong Kong relations. We learned that while the New Zealand Consulate still performs the regular duties of most other consulates (visas, advocating for the country), there was a large emphasis placed on the economic relationship between Hong Kong and New Zealand. Hong Kong and New Zealand share a lot in common, with a similar legal structure, strong rule of law, and a principle of free trade inherent in the cultures of both regions. In fact, New Zealand and Hong Kong both are two of the world's most open economies, with little to no tariffs. This, Mr. Riley told us, provided a strong foundation for the relations between the two countries. With these commonalities, both governments were able to negotiate a free trade agreement in 2010, the first between Hong Kong and a sovereign state. A good example of the New Zealand business presence in Hong Kong would be the company Furnware, who provides the distinctive furnishings of HKIS classrooms. Such trade has also led to lots of cultural exchange, with Hong Kong being New Zealand’s second-largest source of investment, the eighth-largest export destination, large amounts of tourism, and approximately 4 to 6 thousand New Zealanders (many of Chinese heritage) living in Hong Kong.
Given that Mr. Riley was also a trade negotiator, we also learned more about the process of trade negotiation, some strategies, and the certain regulations companies have to follow to export to Hong Kong. He told us that in terms of strategy, he thought “the opening offer” was most crucial, with the complexity often varying based on the type of deal. Surprisingly, agreements can often start off from simple exchanges, with a mutual lowering of tariffs. Funnily enough, Mr. Riley told us that New Zealand’s tariffs are already so low that often they find it difficult to do this, as they have little more to give. Therefore, New Zealand often resorts to strategies like leveraging previous deals with other countries to try to get a better deal. In terms of Hong Kong, Mr. Riley noted that this city has been easy to deal with compared with other countries.
Concluding the interview, Mr. Riley heavily encouraged all young people to consider representing their country as civil servants in the future. While the pay isn’t much, he said the pride in representing your country has given him a successful career path. Given Mr. Riley and his staff’s hospitality, we’d like to thank the New Zealand consulate for dedicating an hour of their time to this project, and we’d encourage you to visit New Zealand in the future.