The latest Asia:NZ Outlook report was launched by the Mayor of Wellington Kerry Prendergast on 1 September 2009 at the Michael Fowler Centre in the capital. She commended the report as a “fascinating snapshot of Wellington’s transformation into a truly international city”. Read Asians in Wellington: Changing the ethnic profile of the capital city

Make Asia come alive in your classroom by celebrating Diwali with us. Book students in for performance workshops with performing artists direct from India. Performers this year include the Gujarti dance group and Rajasthani puppets.The schools programme takes place on 12 and 13 October in Auckland and a few days later in Wellington on 15 and 16 October. Click here for booking forms and more information.

Asia:NZ is offering three journalism internships at Asia-based news media organisations, namely the Philippine Star in Manila, CNBC Asia in Singapore and the International Herald Tribune in Hong Kong. We've also launched a Kiwi Asian Journalism scholarship . The scholarship is aimed at encouraging greater numbers of Asian New Zealanders into journalism. Note that applications for the South Asia media travel grant close on Wednesday 15 September. 

A residency opportunity of two months in Beijing for an arts professional is being offered by the Asia:NZ with support from Creative New Zealand. It is hosted by Platform China and the closing date is 20 November. Theatre In Motion Beijing, a cross-disciplinary work space for artists, theorists and researchers host another residency, open to an artist or researcher linked to the performing arts. Applications close on the 25 September.

In the Newsroom section on our website, we analyse the latest issues and developments across Asia. In our latest article, Asia:NZ contributor Vaughan Yarwood assesses the landslide victory by the leftist Democratic Party of Japan in the August 2009 elections.He reports that, "in a notable departure from previous electioneering in Japan, the DPJ set out a clear — if ambitious — policy agenda. If translated into action, it will mark a distinct break from the country’s postwar politics."

With a combined GDP of over NZ$2.7 trillion, the recently signed ASEAN/Australia/New Zealand Free Trade Agreement has the potential to unlock significant economic benefit for all who are party to it. As Rebecca Needham explains in our latest article on doing business in Asia, the scenario for New Zealand is particularly compelling: ASEAN is our third largest trading partner and our fastest growing market, out-pacing trade growth even with China.