Mention New Zealand and automatically, Filipinos will think of Anchor brand of milk and butter. Obviously, it’s a brand many Filipinos love. How do you find this little cultural fact?
For decades, the Philippines has been a really vital market for New Zealand dairy products, and Anchor is an iconic brand from New Zealand, which has long been a household brand here. The Anchor brand represents clean and green – it represents freshness – which is what many believe is synonymous with New Zealand, its country of origin.

We assume you’d hope the New Zealand association would go beyond milk and butter, though there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Plus, of course, being the filming location of Peter Jackson’s world-famous Hobbit trilogy. What about New Zealand (in general) do you hope Filipinos would know more about and love just as much?
There are a number of things, quite apart from the dairy sector, where we have had a long engagement with the Philippines. The Philippines and New Zealand are both located along the Pacific Ring of Fire. As such, we are two of the largest sources of geothermal energy in the world – we are global leaders in geothermal technology. Every geothermal site in the Philippines has New Zealand technology in it. Dating back to the 1970’s many young Filipinos were trained, in fact, at the Geothermal Institute in Auckland. This is a very important feature of our long engagement. Actually, this year is the 50th year of bilateral relationships between our two countries.

In addition, New Zealand wine is taking the world with its award-winning Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Wine is our fastest growing export sector, and we are now seeing many New Zealand wine labels in the Philippines.

Another thing to say is that innovation is part of our DNA. Perhaps because of our geographic isolation from the rest of the world, we’ve had to develop creativeness and resourcefulness. In the Philippines, today, we have supplied innovation in mobile apps, aviation, renewable energy, and health IT.

Of course New Zealand is also synonymous to the kiwi bird. But in 2014, during the FIBA Asia game competitions, audiences worldwide got introduced to the haka war cry. It is strangely amusing to the uninitiated, and of course, we’ve since then associated that introduction to haka with New Zealand and its people, the Kiwis. Do you think we will be seeing more of that in the world stage?
The haka is, our war cry, historically emanated from our rugby team. Many people may not know much about rugby, but they know about the haka, and seem to be fascinated by it. The haka dates back to the 1880’s, and it is an integral part of our culture and identity.

New Zealanders are pioneers. We have a “can-do,” pioneering attitude. The first person to climb Mt. Everest, Sir Edmund Hilary, for instance, is a New Zealander. For a small country like New Zealand, it’s also pretty amazing that we managed to win the America’s Cup in yachting. Our design innovation for yachts has propelled us to the top-league in yachting. If you look at our system of government, too, we don’t have a written constitution- we’re one of three countries that don’t. We’re also keen on E-commerce, IT and technological development. This can-do spirit is what will continue to get us on that world stage.

We’ve read an article stating the Philippines has been New Zealand’s “13th largest export market and a major market for New Zealand’s dairy products” in 2011. Has our ranking risen since then?
The Philippines continues to be an important market for New Zealand exports. Service exports have also grown for both countries; the Philippines with its BPO capabilities, and New Zealand for its engineering and technical services offerings. There is also a steady increase in the number of Filipino tourists to New Zealand, and a rapid growth of Philippine New Zealanders, who now represent 1 percent of our population. This has probably been the most significant development. With the decision by PAL to establish a direct flight from Manila to Auckland, come December, we expect these numbers to continue to grow steadily. Filipinos are warmly welcomed in New Zealand.

Part of your job must be to strengthen the trading relationship between New Zealand and the Philippines. Would you like to tell us more about this?
Well, the framework has been created through the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, which is now enforced, and has been, for quite a few years. I was involved with that, to some extent, during my last posting in Indonesia. This has been a catalyst for strengthening and deepening the trade and economic relationship.

There is also a lot happening in the area of ministerial visits and trade missions.
A lot of small New Zealand businesses have their back offices here, and that’s a good development. We also have the ANZ Bank.

I’m very keen, as ambassador, to try and encourage links with young Filipino entrepreneurs, and in this regard, we have the Young Business Leaders Exchange Program with the ASEAN. In our aid program, we’ve changed the format to focus much more on scholarships. We have 24 slots, each year, and have received over 2,000 applications this year – in agro industries, the renewable energy sector, and disaster risk management. We are also working with Philippine authorities to enhance the viability of the dairy sector in the country. And of course this is all mutually beneficial; we’re not just for altruistic purposes. The people-to-people links, at the end of the day, do a lot more than ambassadors can to strengthen a bilateral relationship.

Which of these milestones would you consider the most significant under your watch, and why?
I started my post here on December 13, 2014. I would say the air transport achievements. I’m not taking credit for this, I have to give due recognition to my predecessor, and Filipino officials who were involved in establishing a more liberal framework for air services negotiations. For instance, PAL is running a direct service from Manila to Auckland and, at the end of this year, Air New Zealand will be flying non-stop, as well. This is very important, as it well, as it will dramatically enhance our people-to-people links.

I also look forward to continuing our excellent relationship with the Aquino administration, and I look forward to being the ambassador to establish early relationships with the new president, whoever he or she may be.

More Filipinos reportedly have settled in New Zealand than from any other country in Southeast Asia. How do you find the Filipino presence in New Zealand, assuming you had a chance to interact with them at close range?
The Filipino community is widely respected, greatly valued and well-integrated into our society. And it has been a real catalyst for real, genuine substance in our bilateral relationship.

Are there any citizens of Filipino descent there who’s making a dent in business, entertainment, or any other field?
Yes, very much so. I could give you some examples and could mention some Filipino New Zealanders who have made a big impression. One of them Leo Fernandez, who was the runner-up in our Master Chef competition in New Zealand. Then there is also Victor Cagayat from Paete, Laguna, who has represented New Zealand in international ice and snow carving competitions. Also, the winner of this year’s prestigious ANZ Bank Migrant Business Award is a Filipino: Lito Banal of Pampanga, for his Kiwi Roofing Company.

Let’s turn the tables. Is there a sizeable New Zealander community in the Philippines that we are not aware of? May we know what activities they hold, if any, to foster New Zealand-Philippine ties?
There is a considerable number of New Zealanders who have been here many years, and who have married Philippine locals. There could be up to 2,000; we’re not quite sure. But they are represented in a range of business activities. We’ve got the Philippines-New Zealand Business Council and the Australia-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, which are both active and do a lot to enhance trade and economic links.

The broad point is this has changed the demographic make-up of New Zealand. There has been a dramatic change in this, because of multi-racial marriages.

May we know how many more years are there left in your tenure?
I have two and a half more years, in my four year posting. I’m excited to be here for the change in administration. This presents its own set of challenges and rewards; these are exciting times. I’ve done that in Indonesia, as well as in Egypt.

What do you think is your most memorable experience as NZ’s ambassador to the Philippines, so far?
I think presenting my credentials to President Aquino at Malacañang in May last year was very memorable. We had a good chat for about 20 minutes. I also cherish my ability and the opportunity to rub shoulders with ordinary Filipinos. As ambassador, if you can break out of the cocktail circuit to get to know and be with real, ordinary people, that’s a real plus.

What’s a typical day like for an ambassador like you?
I get up at 6:30 AM, work out for an hour, and get ready for work. From 8 to 8:30 AM, I catch up on news, emails, write out notes, the like. At noon, I take my best friend out to lunch, everyday, and that lady’s name is the New York Times, and I enjoy that, as I need to make sure I know what’s happening globally. In the afternoon, I take care of administrative work and staff meetings, as well as other appointments. I might finish about 6 PM, after which I go to evening events.

What do you do to de-stress and relax?
Sometimes I like reading and this may sound a bit obsessive, but I only read books that are relative to my job. Weekends, I like to go out and have a few drinks with particular friends. I have an African Grey pet parrot named Oscar; he keeps me company, as well. I also have a pond of turtles, at my residence. I like watching rugby on TV. I do have a range of friends, but I don’t mind my own company; I quite like having peace and tranquillity

You must do a lot of traveling. Which places are your favorites?
I actually don’t do a lot of travel anymore; I’ve done a lot of travel in my career. I prefer to be with friends; I have a lot of friends in Bangkok, Thailand. I visit to enjoy their company, the food; [transport] there is also really good and it is easy to move around.

In particular, which spots in the Philippines would you recommend to your foreign guests who want to have an adventure?
I’ve sent some friends to Boracay. I admittedly have not had a chance to do much travelling here, still. I’ve been to Boracay, Cebu and Iloilo. I will be going to Cagayan de Oro, soon, to have a look at some aid projects there. I am really looking forward to going to Palawan someday, and I would like to get up to Ilocos Norte, which sounds very exotic, but it is difficult for me to get away. So far, I haven’t done as much local travelling as I’d like, but I will try to do that after the local elections, I think.

Which places in New Zealand would you recommend to travelers looking for some adventure?
Oh, I would have to say everywhere in New Zealand! The main cities, like Wellington, Queensland and Auckland. The vineyards of Nelson, Hawkesbay, Gisborne and Waiheke Island. Milford Sound. The South Island, where there’s rugged and spectacular beauty. The North Island, which is the heart of Maori culture. So many beautiful places.

If you were to introduce us to New Zealander cuisine, which top five dishes or food items would you like us to try first?
I would suggest dishes cooked the Maori way, which is called Hangi – usually meat, potatoes, corn, these are steam-cooked underground. Fish and chips, for sure! Seafood like King Salmon, lobster; our seafood is very fresh and top caliber. Meat pies. Fourth would be roasted leg of lamb, with carrots, peas and sweet potatoes. And lastly, Pavlova.

Do you still have places (in the Philippines, New Zealand, or abroad) you dream of visiting someday? What are those?
I don’t dream, I do. I’m pretty pragmatic, I like to have targets. I just want to enjoy the rest of my life, life’s too short to simply dream. After 33 years in the diplomacy, I’m lucky to come in at [this] time and ride the wave that is the relationship between our two countries, and I want to ride that wave as best I can.