New Zealand’s global relevance depends on becoming essential to offshore partners - Joanna Silver

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WhanganuiAll Manawatū - WhanganuiWhanganuiPalmerston NorthManawatūTararuaHorowhenuaWellingtonAll WellingtonKapitiWairarapaUpper HuttLower HuttNelson & TasmanAll Nelson & TasmanMotuekaNelsonTasmanMarlboroughWest CoastCanterburyAll CanterburyKaikōuraChristchurchAshburtonTimaruOtagoAll OtagoOamaruDunedinBalcluthaAlexandraQueenstownWanakaSouthlandAll SouthlandInvercargillGoreStewart IslandMediaVideoAll VideoNZ news videoHerald NOWBusiness news videoPolitics news videoSport videoWorld news videoLifestyle videoEntertainment videoTravel videoMarkets with MadisonKea Kids newsPodcastsAll PodcastsThe Front PageThe Economy of EverythingThe Prosperity ProjectA Moment in CrimeDesert PiratesNo Such Thing as NormalHeaven's HelplineAsk me AnythingThe Little ThingsCartoonsPhoto galleriesToday's Paper - E-editionsPhoto salesClassifiedsNZME NetworkAdvertise with NZMEOneRoofDriven Car GuideBusinessDeskNewstalk ZBSunliveZMThe HitsCoastRadio HaurakiThe Alternative Commentary CollectiveGoldFlavaiHeart RadioHokonuiRadio WanakaiHeartCountry New ZealandRestaurant HubNZME EventsOpinion byJoanna SilverNZ Herald·13 Nov, 2026 08:00 AM6 mins to readJoanna Silver is Head of Sustainable Economic Development at Westpac New Zealand.Joanna Silver is head of sustainable economic development at Westpac New Zealand.Joanna Silver is head of sustainable economic development at Westpac New Zealand. New Zealanders worry about distance, and rightly so, too. As a nation perched on the edge of the global map (and often excluded from it), we know all too well how far we are from our markets, how stretched our supply lines are, and how little we contribute to global