Winston Peters is great at forging personal relationships — but has that advanced New Zealand's national interest? And will they endure after he’s no longer foreign minister? My first magazine-style reported piece exclusively on Substack (free to read) annafifieldnz.substack.com/p/the-winsto...

The Winston Peters Paradox

He’s a nationalist internationalist, a xenophobic diplomat, a charming antagonist. What kind of legacy does Peters leave after three terms as foreign minister?

annafifieldnz.substack.com

Kim Jong Un has ruled North Korea with an iron fist since taking power in 2011. But if the dictator died tomorrow, what would happen? @annafifield.bsky.social joins @seththevoz.bsky.social to discuss succession scenarios and where the country – and world – might stand. ➡️ linktr.ee/bunker_pod

SCOOP: US ‘Secretary of War’ Pete Hegseth says New Zealand isn’t spending enough on defence, that 3.5 percent of GDP is "the new global norm." Here’s his answer to my question at the Shangri-La Dialogue: substack.com/home/post/p-...

At her Between Giants newsletter, @annafifield.bsky.social shares photos from a memorable trip to North Korea and reflects on what a pro wrestling exhibition, and other cultural exchanges, can do in undermining authoritarianism.

That time I went to North Korea with a bunch of pro-wrestlers

A photographic journey down memory lane, and thoughts on engagement vs isolation.

annafifieldnz.substack.com

In just under an hour, I’ll be going live with @edwardluce.bsky.social of the Financial Times to talk about Trump’s strategy (a generous word) on Iran, his mental fitness for office, and how small countries like ours should be approaching the capricious president. open.substack.com/live-stream/...

I talked with @annafifield.bsky.social about her new substack, Between Giants, about China's Iran links, about Winston's chat with Marco Rubio, & how NZ is tiptoeing between giants, rather than speaking up on humanitarian issues & the rules-based world order. #nzpol open.substack.com/pub/thekaka/...

Mini-Hoon with Bernard Hickey and Anna Fifield

I talked with Anna Fifield about her new substack, Between Giants, about China's links with Iran, about Winston Peters' chat with Marco Rubio, and how NZ is sadly tiptoeing between these giants

open.substack.com

Thanks everyone who signed up to Between Giants, my Substack newsletter about New Zealand's place in the world, this past week. You helped me earn this shiny badge (with my name on it not once but twice!) annafifieldnz.substack.com

I'm thrilled to be joining @csis.org as a non-resident fellow in the Australia team. I will add to the excellent work they're doing on New Zealand geopolitics and the U.S.–New Zealand partnership. www.csis.org/news/csis-au...

It's a phrase we're hearing all the time: The rules-based order. Here's why it's criticised, and why a little country like New Zealand relies on it.

What is the international rules-based order anyway?

And why is it so important for a little country like ours.

open.substack.com

Hey Hastings! I'm coming home for this cool-sounding event

Andrew Frame@napierinframe.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Hawke’s Bay peeps - come listen to @annafifield.bsky.social in May at the next Profit Unleashed with @yvonnelorkin.bsky.social!

China - which views the Iran conflict as another example of US-caused chaos, as the Global Times cartoon shows - is stepping in to broker an end to the debacle. Oh, and to bolster its diplomatic credentials and its push for a multipolar world order. My latest: open.substack.com/pub/annafifi...

Can China broker an end to the Iran conflict?

And why this would be good for New Zealand — but also complicated.

open.substack.com

Today I'm launching Between Giants, a newsletter exploring the global forces shaping New Zealand’s future and what we can - and should - do about it. I hope you'll consider signing up. annafifieldnz.substack.com/p/welcome-to...

I'm creating an independent, post-Post life as a New Zealand journalist writing about the world with a New Zealand lens. First up: I'll be writing the World Bulletin for the wonderful, plucky @thespinoff.bsky.social thespinoff.co.nz/media/24-03-...

Anna Fifield joins The Spinoff to take the reins of the World Bulletin

thespinoff.co.nz

The lustrous “akoya” pearl, coveted around the world for their timeless beauty, originated in the calm waters and sheltered inlets of Japan's Ago Bay. But after 130 years, Ago Bay's pearl industry is facing an existential crisis.

Climate change, aging farmers endanger Japan’s ‘Rolls-Royce of pearls’

Japan’s famous akoya pearls have never been more in demand but, as seas warm and younger generations move to the city, the industry’s future is uncertain.

washingtonpost.com