Asia After Five: Experiences in Taiwan

About the event

The Asia New Zealand Foundation and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Wellington are hosting an evening of stories and insights from New Zealanders who have studied, worked and lived in Taiwan. Hear from the Foundation's Leadership Network members and Taiwan alumni as they share their experiences and reflect on future opportunities for Kiwis in Taiwan.

Our Asia After Five events are interactive. You will have a chance to ask questions, network with others and learn more about Asia.

Event details

Date:  Thursday 25 September 2025

Time:  5:30pm-7:00pm

Venue:  Asia New Zealand Foundation, Level 16, Fujitsu Tower, 141 The Terrace (access to building via Cable Car Lane before 6pm)

This event is free to attend, but please RSVP for catering purposes.

This event is a collaboration between the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New Zealand (TECO).

Our speakers

Ema Kato

Ema Kato is a recent graduate from Victoria University of Wellington with a degree in Communication, specialising in intercultural communication and Mandarin. Having lived in Japan, Taiwan and New Zealand, Ema is passionate about cross-cultural exchange and will return to Taiwan next year to pursue advanced language study and a master’s program at National Taiwan University with the Huayu and Taiwan Scholarships.

Tom Durkin

Tom is currently based in Auckland, working in Private Wealth at Craigs Investment Partners. Having studied Mandarin as a part of his degree at the University of Otago, he has long held an interest in Chinese language and culture. Tom spent two months travelling in Taiwan at the end of 2023. During this time, he joined parts of the Taipei Hui with the Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network, worked with a farmer in Chiayi and spent two weeks at Fo Guang Shan Buddhist monastery in Southern Taiwan. His participation in the recent Shanghai Hui with the Asia New Zealand Leadership Network sparked a desire to re-engage and immerse in Chinese culture. Tom has recently been accepted to study at the National Taiwan Normal University - Mandarin Training Center from later this year. He's looking forward to sharing his experiences and hearing more on others' perspectives of the New Zealand-Taiwan relationship.

Lauren Pattermore

Lauren Pattemore is an early-career journalist based in New Zealand, with contributions to Stuff, the Otago Daily Times, Crux and Radio New Zealand. She recently completed a media internship with the Asia New Zealand Foundation in Taipei, working with TaiwanPlus. In 2024, she was named runner-up for Best Up and Coming Journalist at the Voyager Media Awards. She holds a Bachelor of Communication from Massey University, where she specialised in expressive arts and journalism.

Rob Eland

Rob was the sole New Zealand recipient of the Taipei City Chinese Learning Scholarship in 2018, selected by Mayor Justin Lester. With the scholarship, he took a sabbatical from work and travelled to Taipei, where he lived from mid-2018 to early 2019. During this time, Rob studied full-immersion Chinese at NTNU's Mandarin Training Center (MTC) and took part in several New Zealand–Taiwan cross-cultural activities, including supporting then-Deputy Mayor Jill Day and a group of New Zealand performing arts students during their visit to Taiwan. Rob returned to New Zealand in 2019, but he looks forward to heading back to Taiwan again soon.