NZ Rugby and brand experience company Discovery Partners are planning to open an All Blacks Experience tourism attraction in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour by late 2017 in a 50:50 joint venture. The immersive, interactive tour will feature the rugby team and help promote New Zealand, said Discovery Partners regional director Chris Atkinson.

Last month, multi-national telecommunications company Huawei renewed its sponsorship of Wellington Phoenix. It is the largest sponsorship deal in the history of New Zealand football. Though the deal is vital for the club, it is also significant for Huawei. So significant that Huawei global CEO Guo Ping made the official announcement when Prime Minister John Key was at the company's Beijing headquarters as part of his latest China visit.

New Zealand researchers say a vast collection of Chinese art -- with items dating back 5,000 years -- is offering new insights into diplomatic links between the two countries since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. [...] The collection, came together with the approval of the People's Republic of China government, is a very early PRC exercise in the use of art for cultural diplomacy, said Bullen.

China’s actions in recent months have elicited growing concerns, not just from the US and Australia, but increasingly from across ASEAN. Singapore’s leaders have expressed disquiet about the deteriorating situation. Even Malaysia, which has historically preferred “quiet diplomacy” and been reluctant to criticise Chinese actions...

What happens when governments lack the resources to immediately respond to a natural disaster? [...] companies have been able to serve as a critical and effective stopgap in the aftermath of black swans in nations where the suffering is real but the vulnerability is underestimated or even obscured.

The book fair, organized by New York nonprofit Printed Matter and held at the Museum of Contemporary Art's Geffen space in Little Tokyo, will feature more than 250 exhibitors, and is expected to draw upwards of 30,000 visitors. This will include art book purveyors from all over the U.S., as well as locations as far away as Norway, Japan, Guatemala and New Zealand.

New Zealand has confirmed that the black, white and blue silver fern design won a referendum to become a possible new flag, after the final votes were counted […] The decision to choose a new flag has been backed by [Prime Minister John Key], who has said the current one is too similar to Australia's and that it is time to remove the Union Jack from the current flag.