Home/About
About Eastern Bridge · 东桥国际
Relationships first. Kanohi ki te kanohi.
Eastern Bridge is a boutique New Zealand consultancy. We help councils, communities and schools build real relationships with China and Asia, and look after them over years, not months.
Our story
Eastern Bay of Plenty mayors and New Zealand embassy staff with Jiangxi partners in Nanchang, 2019.
Kia ora. I’m Simon Appleton (方志杰). I founded Eastern Bridge in 2014 because councils kept asking me the same question: a city overseas has written to us, so what do we do now?
Our track record with China goes back to 2013, and Eastern Bridge grew from there. We opened an office in Wuxi in 2017, and by 2019 we were helping councils across New Zealand with sister cities, delegations and protocol, including the Eastern Bay of Plenty’s friendship agreements with Jiangxi.
When borders closed in 2020, I put my energy into training and education. That work became Eastern Bridge Education, a separate company. In 2024 we opened our Beijing office and sent our first volunteers on a cultural exchange in Jiangxi.
Today Eastern Bridge is a boutique consultancy. We stay small on purpose, so you deal with people who know your relationship and your community. I’m putting our council and community work back at the centre, because that is where we can do the most good. Our office is in Napier, Eastern Bridge representatives are on the ground in China, and I will be spending considerable time in China myself.
Kind regards, Simon
Our story so far
Thirteen years of building bridges between New Zealand communities and East Asia.
Foundations
2013–2016Where it all began
We start helping Hauraki District attract investment into Kerepehi.
Eastern Bridge is born
Eastern Bridge Limited formally launches, and the Eastern Bay of Plenty councils come on board as our first clients.
Mayors head to China
We help LGNZ run the first New Zealand–China Mayoral Forum, and join Prime Minister John Key’s trade mission to South Korea for the free trade agreement signing, supporting participating councils.
A service built for councils
We launch our international relations service, and 10 councils sign up in the first year. With INZ and MBIE, we write a migrant engagement plan that feeds into Welcoming Communities.
Growth
2017–2019Listening to migrants
Our national migrant survey hears from more than 2,000 people. Councils back our Jiangxi–Bay of Plenty sister-province proposal, and with LGNZ we train councils ahead of the second Mayoral Forum. We open our office in Wuxi, Jiangsu.
20+ councils on board
More than 20 local government clients now trust us with their international relationships.
Signed in Nanchang
We reach 23 council clients, our peak. The Bay of Plenty–Jiangxi relationship is formalised in Nanchang, and the Eastern Bay councils sign friendship agreements with Jiangxi cities. We open the first Bay of Plenty promotion centre in Jiangxi, and a business-matching event leads to $20 million of investment into the region.
Adapting
2020–2023Borders close, we keep talking
Exchanges move online. Our third migrant survey shows how much important information wasn’t reaching migrant communities, so we launch a multilingual migrant news service.
Language technology at work
We invest in translation technology, helping our news service reach 40,000 readers a week in nine languages. Online exchanges between New Zealand and China keep going.
Laying the groundwork
We start preparing Eastern Bridge Education, a new training arm with a strong focus on migrants and the trades.
Education launches, 12,000 voices
After three and a half years away, we’re back in China. Eastern Bridge Education launches, and our migrant survey passes 12,000 responses – a clear sign councils need to do more to help newcomers settle.
Back on the ground
2024–2026Rebuilding after COVID
We open our Beijing office, and our first eight volunteers head to Jiangxi schools. Council delegations, investors and buyers start visiting again, and international students return to our client towns and schools.
Jiangxi students arrive
A large group of Jiangxi students visit the Bay of Plenty through the sister-province relationship, bringing a tourism boost with them. It’s now a model other districts want to copy. We also join the third New Zealand–China Mayoral Forum in Chengdu. We also wind down our migrant news service to focus on exchanges.
Momentum on both sides
Eastern Bridge Education becomes a signatory to the Code of Practice for international learners. More volunteer, student and tourism exchanges than ever, with about 25 volunteers heading to Jiangxi in September – more than 60 so far.
What’s next
2027Next stop: Jiangxi
In March 2027 we take a business delegation to Jiangxi, and our next volunteer intake heads over at the same time.
Our values
Value
Relationships first
Meeting kanohi ki te kanohi, keeping in touch and looking after people over years, not months.
Value
Community benefit
Work that local people, rangatahi and iwi can see and share in.
Value
Reputation
We do what we say, and we only say what we can stand behind.
Value
Straight talking
We tell you plainly what we think, including when an opportunity is not right for you.
About Simon
I studied law in Beijing, worked inside local government in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, and have 18 years’ experience helping councils, schools and businesses with their partners in China, Korea and across Asia.
Simon Appleton (方志杰), founder
Background
Qualifications
Master of Law in International Relations, Renmin University of China (2010). BA in International Relations and Asian Studies, Victoria University of Wellington (2005)
Languages
English, Chinese and Korean, with professional working proficiency in Chinese
Local government
Economic Development Manager, Toi Economic Development Agency and Ōpōtiki District Council (2011–2014)
Eastern Bridge
Founder, since 2014
Business councils
Executive Director, Korea New Zealand Business Council (2018–2024)
Consular role
Honorary Consul for the Republic of Korea in Hawke’s Bay, since 2022.
In China
Studied and worked in Beijing, 2008–2010. Spending considerable time in China
Certifications
Trinity College London TESOL
Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our work
We acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the foundation of the relationship between Māori and the Crown in Aotearoa New Zealand.
In our work, that means iwi and hapū decide their own international relationships. Our role is to support, not to lead. We work with tikanga at the centre, and we make sure the benefits come back to the people.
Who we work with
We work with organisations that want relationships that last, and that their communities can see.
We work with
Councils
Mayors, councillors and staff managing sister cities, delegations, overseas approaches and international strategy.
We work with
Iwi and hapū
Iwi organisations building cultural, education and economic links with partners in China and Asia.
We work with
Schools and education providers
Sister schools, study tours and student exchanges, with the right people on both sides.
We work with
Businesses
New Zealand businesses looking for trusted introductions, market advice and partners in China.
We work with
Community organisations
Community and cultural groups running exchanges, events and youth programmes.
We work with
Partners in China
Local governments, schools and organisations in China looking for genuine New Zealand partners.
Relationships that deliver
For more than a decade, councils across New Zealand have trusted us to build their partnerships in China – and to turn them into real investment, visits and exchanges.
Search our directory of New Zealand–China sister-city and friendship relationships – who’s partnered with whom, since when, and what they work on.
How we work: filter, connector and platform
We hold the relationships and the trust. When there is work to do, we connect you with the right partner, and we stay involved. That keeps the quality high and keeps us honest about what we do ourselves.
Role 1
Filter
We help you work out which approaches and opportunities are worth your time, and which are not. We check who is on the other side before you commit.
Role 2
Connector
We hold the relationships and the trust. When there is work to do, we introduce you to the right people and partners, in New Zealand and in China.
Role 3
Platform
We bring councils, schools, iwi and businesses together, so opportunities are shared and one relationship can benefit many communities.
Some partners pay us a referral fee or commission. We tell you in writing when they do.
Our partners
Related company in China
Beijing New Bridge
Eastern Bridge holds a 30% share in Beijing New Bridge, a separate company in China. It handles arrangements and contracting in China. It is never paid by, or engaged for, an overseas party we are checking for a council, and we’ll always tell you when it’s involved.
Partners we’re building
Licensed partners
Licensed travel agencies, NZ operators and iwi for tourism; trade partners later. Listed here once agreements are signed.
Partner · separate company
Eastern Bridge Education
Eastern Bridge Education Ltd is a separate company and an NZQA-registered training provider. It delivers its own courses, including training for our volunteers and teaching for study groups. Its registration belongs to it, not to Eastern Bridge Limited.
Partner with us
We are always keen to hear from organisations that share our values.
In New Zealand
Councils, iwi, schools and businesses
If you have an international relationship, or want one, we can help you look after it and make it count for your community.
In China
Local governments, schools and organisations
If you are looking for a genuine New Zealand partner, we can make the right introduction and stay involved.
Want to talk about a relationship?
A 30-minute Zoom call is the easiest place to start.