THE diplomat walked into the conference room with a rather “larger than life” stance—physically and metaphorically—as he initially carried a serious demeanor, while he talked about the current state of affairs and developments between the Philippines and New Zealand.
Yet, after churning out updates and crunching numbers involving Manila-Wellington ties, Ambassador David Strachan was quick to the draw and added some mirthful spice into the conversation:
“When I [first] came here in 1989, people thought New Zealand was somewhere near Switzerland,” Strachan opened up, which elicited guffaws from the members of the Aliw Media Group press corps on hand. He added that, since then, things have changed, “and it’s great that we had your Anne Curtis marry in Queenstown. We’re lucky.”
(The Filipina-Australian actress tied the knot last year with her beau Erwan Heussaff, a French-Filipino chef-entrepreneur, in New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park, which is home to snow-capped mountains and fjords like the famed Milford Sound.)
Strachan (pronounced as “strohn”) said there are some 60,000 Filipinos residing in his country, most of whom are engaged in services, information technology, construction and farming.
“There are more than 3,000 Filipinos working in our agriculture sector. And you must know, they are highly regarded workers.”
Unshakeable faith
THE diplomat volunteered that, in May of this year, the Christchurch Cathedral, “made a point of saying how much they appreciate the contributions of the Filipinos to rebuild [the place of worship] after the recent devastating earthquakes where, sadly, some Filipinos died.”
(It was at 12.51 p.m. on February 22, 2011, when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch and Lyttelton, which killed 185 people—three of them Filipinos, injured several thousands and caused severe damages.)
Apart from extending his thanks to the Filipinos’s assistance in helping reconstruct his quake-damaged country, Strachan acknowledged “the dynamism of your youth, and of the fact that they’re so worldly, they know what’s going on—and they learn fast.”
He added: “The warmth of your people and the hospitality that pervades in your country has been quite remarkable.”
Strachan never evaded the barrage of questions from the rest of the reporters before him; his blue eyes never blinked to show any trace of displeasure—a mark of a Kiwi’s self-effacing manner. He is as honest as they come: blunt, with a touch of humor that disarms listeners.
He expressed his surprise that today, a New Zealand rugby team called “The Barbarians” would be playing against its Philippine counterpart. “That’s called diplomacy, New Zealand-style, and that wouldn’t have happened 10 years ago…or maybe 20 years back.”
“I think things have changed for the better, and that we understand each other better. We are [an] unassuming sort of people. Kiwis [the endearing term for New Zealand inhabitants] and Filipinos—we have a lot in common.”
‘Immigrants, all of us’
RECALLING the first time he arrived in Philippine shores as a tourist in 1989, Strachan had an immediate desire to reprise his visit. His persistence eventually worked in his good stead.
“I applied in our embassy many years ago. Several times I missed out, but I kept on applying. Eventually, they gave in and said, ‘OK!’”
Although populated by a scant number of people, New Zealand is also plagued by immigration concerns, as many of their citizens fear the influx of foreigners would exacerbate their housing woes.
But the New Zealand rep is not moved by such matters. “There are a lot of debates these days about immigration. In fact, if you think about it, we are all immigrants.”
Going back further, historical records show that New Zealand’s written history dates at least 700 years ago, when it was discovered and settled by Polynesians who developed a distinct Māori culture centered on kinship, linkages and their new land.
The first European explorer to set sight in what was then called Aotearoa—“the land of the long, white cloud”—was Dutch navigator Abel Tasman on December 13, 1642. James Cook, the British captain who dominated the story of the European discovery of New Zealand, later mapped the country.
Strachan admitted that, like Australia, aborigines also settled early in their history, although in the “Age of Exploration and Discovery,” immigrants from the United Kingdom came over.
“We had our own immigrants: The ships came in from the UK, but they were mainly from Scotland and England, [and] a lot less from Ireland. Australia always had a much bigger Irish contingent to New Zealand; but yeah, that’s where our immigrants came from.”
While promoting the wines in his region, he acknowledged that the industry in New Zealand “got off the ground by Yugoslavs, of what was then known as [the former country of] Yugoslavia.”
“They were the people that created our wine industry that is now thriving, New Zealand wine in [your local supermarkets] are pretty good.”
“So we have a lot to be grateful for what immigrants have done in our country.”
Expanding presence
QUERIED on how many Filipino tourists have visited his country, which lies further southeast than Australia, “The Land Down Under,” Strachan revealed that about 23,000 have applied for visas in April.
“And that’s been a huge increase, since direct flights started only in December [2017]. So now [we can fly] direct, nonstop to Auckland. I took that flight in May—15 hours away.”
“Actually,” he illustrated, “it’s pretty close. You sleep during the flight, and you wake up in Tokoroa. It’s overnight and a lot easier than having a stopover in other countries on the way.”
Albeit a tiny country, Strachan said that New Zealand now has presence in Cebu and Mindanao through its newly established consuls.
The diplomat revealed that they obtained the services of Vic Lao, president of the Mindanao Business Council and a really highly-regarded businessman in his own right; while in Cebu, it is Manuel Osmeña, who hails from a family of entrepreneurs and is the current group chairman of the Manny O. Group, with interests in tourism, airport and airline services and wine, as well as hotel businesses.
“The two gentlemen are really quite dynamic, and they’re going to make a difference.”
He added their two areas are the country’s fast-growing spots: “We have to do more on those [locales] and promote our interests.”
New Zealand buys bananas and pineapple from Cebu and Mindanao. In return, wood products are exported to them, utilized for “do-it-yourself” products in the export market.
Of bungee jumping, Hobbits, sheep
VEERING off from the subject of commerce and wanting to know more about their daily lives, this reporter inquired if bungee jumping was invented in New Zealand.
The ambassador let out a chuckle and replied: “It’s a bit like [asking] me if Kiwis originated from New Zealand,” then intimated that the extreme sport is as original as the kiwi, the flightless bird endemic to his country.
He explained that some innovative and enterprising compatriots got together “and created what has become a great tourist attraction, [and] a great money spinner.”
Records show that commercial bungee jumping began through a New Zealander, AJ Hackett, who made his first plunge from Auckland’s Greenhithe Bridge in 1986.
Before that, it was a traditional ritual jump or land diving called ngol or naghol, which originated from the Pentecost island of Vanuatu. A tall tower was erected made of branches collected from surrounding forests. Vines tied together the branches to form a tower taller than 100 feet, from where they jump and free-fall to a slim ground clearance arrested only by the vine.
“Would you rather do that, or see the Hobbits, or the scenes from Lord of the Rings?” the envoy shot back.
There seems to be no contest there, because the trilogy has been a great cinematic success. The movie was shot in Matamata, a small agricultural town in the heart of the Waikato region, nestled at the base of the Kaimai ranges—a two-hour drive from Auckland.
Strachan provided his own excuse for not engaging in the extreme sport, which elicited laughter from his audience: “I’m a bit scared to do bungee jumping because of my weight…that the whole thing might crash.”
On the other hand, he said he always knew whether a Filipino is 40 years old or older by their fondness for either jumping off bridges, or seeing the Hobbit instead.
“They always say: If someone is older than 40, they normally quip, ‘In New Zealand, there are 3 million people and 60 million sheep…’ which is not true anymore. We don’t have that many sheep.”
Extensive postings
A MAN of considerable diplomatic experience, Strachan came to New Zealand’s Foreign Service armed with a masters of arts degree in political studies (with distinction) from Otago University.
He had been posted to some of the most challenging assignments in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. Afterward, his tours-of-duty have brought him to South Korea, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, countries in Indo-China and, finally, to the Philippines.
It has been 18 months since Strachan came to know President Duterte, and perhaps longer with the country’s previous head of state, Benigno S. Aquino III.
“But you know, I have good access to Cabinet members, as well as senators, and I think people are really warm toward New Zealand. And I like [the fact that], every day, I meet someone with an aunt, cousin, sister or daughter who is working in Auckland, Wellington or somewhere in [my country].”
To cap off his interview, we ventured to query if there is any particular Filipino food he has grown fond of.
“I like lechon [roasted pig],” he replied as he let out a hearty chuckle. “The crispy kind, in particular.”
The Kiwi diplomat confessed, “I think, there are so many things that I’ll miss when I leave your country.”
Image credits: Jimbo Albano