The first country to give the vote to women, New Zealand presently has the distinction of having all three top public posts occupied by women: the governor general, the prime minister and the chief justice. This provides a clue as to why at times Wellington has played a role and exercised an influence in world affairs out of proportion to its size, as social and foreign policy exemplar.
Prime Minister Helen Clark was in Japan not long ago on her first official visit as head of government. Addressing a mixed audience of Japanese and New Zealanders during an evening reception, she remarked that New Zealand was affordable, hospitable, safe and sophisticated -- a good place for Japanese to visit or send children to be educated in. It is also beautiful, environmentally conscious and socially progressive.
New Zealand governments have been cultivating literacy in Asian affairs. The impetus for this is economic: Rising living standards in Asia will lift New Zealand's growth prospects in their wake. But engagement with Asia is broader than just trade. It includes such other measures as flows of investment and people and cultural exchanges.