We love the taste of the food - but New Zealanders appear to know very little else about Asia.
Many people surveyed expressed positive attitudes to Asian food but the survey results showed few knew much about the region. Photo: 123RF
The latest study from the Asia New Zealand Foundation found only one in six scored more than half of the questions right in a general knowledge quiz about the region.
It has been surveying New Zealanders' perceptions of Asia and its people for more than two decades.
In that time, this country's relationship with the region has changed dramatically.
It is now New Zealand's biggest trading partner, while Asian's make up about 15 percent of the population compared with 6 percent in 2001.
Many people surveyed expressed positive attitudes, particularly about the food.
"Everyone is going to be a shade of caramel in 40 years. We're becoming more global and there's no fighting it," one respondent said.
"I've got a few Asian friends and it's always better going out with them to try new Asian food. Because then there's someone friendly there with you and you laugh along together and experience it all much more socially," another said.
"I think Asian food culture is much more inclusive," was another comment.
But not all felt so welcoming, while others questioned the motivation of some countries.
"The thing that has got to me is seeing Chinese writing in Auckland - shops, restaurants, offices - with no English, I don't feel welcome there. It makes me feel like an outsider in my own country," a respondent said.
"The Chinese government can be a bit impenetrable. They keep their opinions private and do what they need to do," another said.
For the first time, the survey contained a general knowledge section, including on trade, politics, geography and religion.
Asia New Zealand Foundation executive director Simon Draper said the results showed most knew little about the region, or New Zealand's relationship with it.
"The standout was that the average mark for a New Zealander was two out of six ... which is not great ... and what is most worrying for us is that young people ... or those people under 30 - they scored even lower," he said.
While three-quarters knew China was New Zealand's biggest trade partner, less than half realised Indonesia had Asia's largest Muslim population, while only one in six knew Indonesia had a democratically elected government.
Mr Draper said there were a lot of myths to debunk - including where most of New Zealand's foreign investment comes from.
"I think 56 percent of New Zealanders think Asia is the biggest investor ... Asian investment is really small ... the biggest investors are Australians, Canadians and Europeans," he said.
China expert and lecturer at Victoria University Jason Young said the result was a wake up call.
He said learning about Asia must start at primary school.
"You haven't seen the increase in the numbers enrolling in those courses (at university) that we would expect," he said.
Fellow university professor Robert Ayson said the fast growing Asia region would have a growing influence in the years to come - and New Zealand needed to know a lot more.
"Anywhere around us, the participation of Asian countries is going to increase and so we are going to find ourselves struggling to make sense of our world if we don't understand significant parts of Asia as a region," he said.
Simon Draper said the best way to know more about the region was to meet more Asian people - at work, school, and in the community, or travel there and experience the culture.
