Japan's Vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific
HE Mr Osawa Makoto, Ambassador of Japan to New Zealand
Thursday, 27 August 2026 5:00pm for 5:30pm start
Christchurch
At Bentleys in Haere Roa, 90 Ilam Road, Christchurch
We are pleased to announce our next event, a conversation with the Japanese Ambassador to New Zealand, H.E Mr Osawa Makoto, on Japan's Vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
The event will be opened with an address by NZIIA National Chair, Dr Serena Kelly.
The Ambassador's address will be followed by discussion, moderated by IIPA Principal Research Fellow Raf Manji.
His Excellency Ambassador Osawa, Ambassador of Japan to New Zealand
Ambassador Osawa was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to New Zealand in February 2024. He is committed to further strengthening the Strategic Cooperative Partnership between Japan and New Zealand and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law. To this end, he is working closely with relevant stakeholders to promote cooperation in areas including Pacific Islands, climate change, maritime security, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
He entered the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries after graduating from the University of Tokyo. And he has played a pivotal role in the Ministry especially in trade negotiations and agricultural policy reform. During this period, he pursued his further studies at the École Nationale d'Administration (ENA) in France and worked in Tokyo as well as in Paris and Geneva. Notably, he was deeply involved in negotiations with New Zealand during the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks.
Raf Manji
Raf Manji is a Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Principal Consultant at Sustento Advisory Services. Raf spent eleven years trading global currency and bond markets at investment banks in London, as well as providing macro-economic advice to major fund managers. He subsequently joined Trucost as an early team-member, helping build one of the first companies to measure and account for the environmental costs of business.
In New Zealand, he served two terms as a Christchurch City Councillor and chaired the Finance Committee through the city's post-earthquake recovery, overseeing complex insurance settlements, the city’s infrastructure program and the financial architecture of the rebuild. In 2025, he was appointed as the inaugural non-resident Senior Fellow at the AsiaNZ Foundation. His current research focuses on Indo-Pacific economic integration, the shift towards a new global financial architecture, digital finance and the governance structures that enable sustainable capital markets. He has a BA in Economics from the University of Manchester and a Masters in International Law and Politics from the University of Canterbury with first-class Honours.
We are pleased to announce our next event, a conversation with the Japanese Ambassador to New Zealand, H.E Mr Osawa Makoto, on Japan's Vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
The event will be opened with an address by NZIIA National Chair, Dr Serena Kelly.
The Ambassador's address will be followed by discussion, moderated by IIPA Principal Research Fellow Raf Manji.
His Excellency Ambassador Osawa, Ambassador of Japan to New Zealand
Ambassador Osawa was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to New Zealand in February 2024. He is committed to further strengthening the Strategic Cooperative Partnership between Japan and New Zealand and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law. To this end, he is working closely with relevant stakeholders to promote cooperation in areas including Pacific Islands, climate change, maritime security, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
He entered the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries after graduating from the University of Tokyo. And he has played a pivotal role in the Ministry especially in trade negotiations and agricultural policy reform. During this period, he pursued his further studies at the École Nationale d'Administration (ENA) in France and worked in Tokyo as well as in Paris and Geneva. Notably, he was deeply involved in negotiations with New Zealand during the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks.
Raf Manji
Raf Manji is a Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Principal Consultant at Sustento Advisory Services. Raf spent eleven years trading global currency and bond markets at investment banks in London, as well as providing macro-economic advice to major fund managers. He subsequently joined Trucost as an early team-member, helping build one of the first companies to measure and account for the environmental costs of business.
In New Zealand, he served two terms as a Christchurch City Councillor and chaired the Finance Committee through the city's post-earthquake recovery, overseeing complex insurance settlements, the city’s infrastructure program and the financial architecture of the rebuild. In 2025, he was appointed as the inaugural non-resident Senior Fellow at the AsiaNZ Foundation. His current research focuses on Indo-Pacific economic integration, the shift towards a new global financial architecture, digital finance and the governance structures that enable sustainable capital markets. He has a BA in Economics from the University of Manchester and a Masters in International Law and Politics from the University of Canterbury with first-class Honours.
Membership
NZIIA membership is open to anyone interested in understanding the importance of global affairs to the political and economic well-being of New Zealand.