Who Are We
Asia New Zealand Foundation (Asia:NZ) is a non-partisan and non-profit organisation dedicated to building New Zealanders’ knowledge and understanding of Asia.
Established in 1994, the foundation is a partnership between the public and the private sector.
As the leading non-government organisation on Asia-New Zealand relations we work in five main areas – business, culture, education, media and research. In addition, we run a Young Leaders Network and take a lead role in Track II bilateral and multilateral dialogues in the Asia-Pacific.
Our programmes enable scholarships, seminars, internships, educational support, special events and exchanges, Track II diplomacy, in-house and commissioned research - all designed to equip New Zealanders with first-hand experience of Asia and to forge valuable links to the region.
Asia:NZ and Taiwan’s Industrial Research Technology Institute (ITRI)
Asia:NZ is partnering with Taiwan’s Industrial Research Technology Institute (ITRI) to offer science and engineering graduates an internship opportunity at its research campus in Hsinchu in Taiwan.
ITRI is a national research organization, with a mission of conducting technological research, promoting industrial development, creating economic value and improving social welfare for Taiwan. ITRI is not only Taiwan's largest applied technology research and development institution, but also a pioneer in creating Taiwan's high tech industry.
The aim of the internship programme is to provide New Zealand university graduates with an opportunity to work in a research and development environment in Asia.
For information about ITRI Click Here
To find out more about the application process Click Here
What Our Past Interns Have To Say
Allen Lee - Asia NZ's 2010 ITRI Intern
Friendship and business go hand in hand in Taiwan
Near the end of Allen Lee’s engineering study in late 2009 he applied and was selected for an Asia:NZ internship opportunity at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
For Allen it was opportunity chance to experience in depth the day-to-day culture of Taiwan and learn from the exciting research happening at this renowned Taiwanese organisation.
ITRI is a 37-year-old institute that aims to expedite economic growth and improve the well-being of our society through new technology developments in various areas.
It has well-established research groups in optoelectronics, communication, material and chemical, green energy, biomedical sciences and many others.
The institute has won international awards for innovation and has started off many companies that are giants in their fields today.
In 2010 a record-breaking number of 45 interns took part in ITRI’s annual international internship programme. The interns came from 11 different countries, USA, India, Canada, Kazakhstan, Spain and New Zealand among others.
Many are studying at well-known universities such as the Indian Institute of Technology, University of British Columbia, Georgia Institute of Technology, Berkeley, Harvard and Carnegie Mellon.
The interns were from at undergraduate and postgraduate level of study and represented a wide range of disciplines, such as engineering, biomedical sciences, law and international business relations.
At ITRI I worked at the Photovoltaic Technology Centre where I spent the 10-week-long internship doing research on a photovoltaic application. The internship helped me develop a deeper understanding of the technology and also an understanding of the industry, government regulations and programmes, and current technology developments.
I gained a wider perspective of what engineering design encompasses and relates to. Managers and co-workers at the department were all very supportive and willing to take time off and share their professional experience and knowledge.
The majority of the interns arrived after my third week into the internship. All interns were unique in their own way. It was interesting to listen to their different experience and backgrounds,and get a grasp of their different cultures: from the landscape and weather in Finland to the sports and food in India to the education system in Taiwan.
Life after work was definitely far from boring in Taipei once the interns got to know each other more. There were many activities to do after work, for example exercising at the campus sport centre, visiting Hsinchu city or going to the weekly night market.
Visiting local landmarks was a great way to get to know Taiwan better: the magnificent night views from the Taipei 101 building, the culture of the Thao native people at the Nantou Sun Moon Lake, the crowded night markets that can be found anywhere in Taiwan full of regional and common Taiwanese food and the beauty of Kenting, the most Southern region of Taiwan.
The internship has been a great opportunity to broaden my understanding of the relevant technical knowledge and the industry, to develop further research skills, and becomeaware of different cultures and technology research in Taiwan. It was also a chance to make lifelong friends and business connections.