Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Paul Spoonley: Massey University Sociologist on the Perceptions of Asia report, Kiwis connection with Asia

Transcript

Paul Spoonley: Massey University Sociologist on the Perceptions of Asia report, Kiwis connection with Asia · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: New Zealanders are viewing Asia more favorably than ever. This
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: is according to a big new report from the Asian
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: New Zealand Foundation. They're so favorable towards Asian countries that
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: for the first time in a decade, we see China
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: as more of a friend than the United States. Talk
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: about this, I'm joined by Massi University sociologist Professor Paul Spoonley.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Always love you to talk to you, Paul, Good morning,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Good morning. Why are key we is happy with China
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: than the US at the moment? Or is the question actually,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: are we more fond of China because we're potentially less
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: fond of the US?
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: Yes, yes, it's probably the latter. What's happening is that
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: China is increasingly seen as a friend rather than a foe.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: But the real story here is the collapse of confidence
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: in the USA. So China is seen by forty three
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: percent of New Zealand as a friend compared with thirty
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: nine percent who see the USA as a friend. The
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: USA end number has dropped by twenty two percent. So
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: I think it's got a lot to do with the
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: incumbent in the White House.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: I know we're talking right, Okay, we're talking about Asia.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: But I was wondering if we know why that is
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: and that's the main reason.
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think we can. I think we're fairly confident
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: that it is the main reason. Yes, Indeed, why do.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: New Zealanders see the relationship with Asia is more important?
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: Well, for a long time. These surveys, by the way,
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: have been going since nineteen ninety seven, so they provide
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: a really good indication of how we've changed over the
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: last thirty odd years. And of course trade and particularly
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: defense and security are the two top reasons. But increasing
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: we're seeing a lot of soft air is what I've
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: called soft areas, things like sport, food, media, tourism as
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: being really important in terms of our engagement with Asia.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: So we're seeing Asia. One of the interesting things Franjessica
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: is that you know, we're still we're still all.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: Go in this.
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: This is from the survey. We're still are indicating that
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: we're going to Europe for our oe, but increasingly Asia
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: is catching up and it's not far behind.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: It's interesting, isn't it. Trips to Asia are up fourteen
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: percent on last year. Why has it become such a
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: go to a destination for New Zealand. I would suggest
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: our dollar.
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: Yes, cost as part of it, but also because we're
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: seeing it all positively. And I think what's happening is
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: that Asia draws as a destination. We like the food.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: If you look at the word map in the document,
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: it's really interesting. Food is the largest word that in
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: that food map, in that map that in terms of
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: how we see Asia. But we're attracted by the food,
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: by the culture, by the climate, by the cost. You're
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: absolutely right. And I think the other thing which has
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: changed is that we've got much larger Asian communities here
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: in New Zealand, and so a lot of the survey
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: shows that we're becoming more positive about our life here
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: in New Zealand and about the role of Asian and
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: Asian culture and food here. And we see it here
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: in this country.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: And we see that especially in younger people, don't we.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: Yes, Yeah, I mean, I mean, you know, I'm an
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: older New Zealander, so I did grow up with sushi.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: Sushi's a sushi is something that's come along since. I
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: love it, but it's come along since. But definitely when
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: you look at the younger New Zealander, you know, Asian culture,
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: whether it's sport or media. K pop for example, really
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: interesting to see the way in which New Zealanders are
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: interested in Korean films and music. That's a young person's
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: thing in New Zealand and so K pop's just really
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: big here now.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: Professor pal Spoonley, thank you so much for talking us
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: through that. Appreciate your time this morning. Japan has it's
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: still our bestie, it's our number one favorite place in Asia.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Now more trusted than the UK for the first time ever.
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: So here we go for more from early edition with
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: Ryan Bridge.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Listen live to news Talks it be from five am weekdays,
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.