New Zealand signed a Free Trade Agreement with China back in 2008, and that's been followed up with a world-first Television Co-Production Agreement that's starting to gain momentum. Leading the way is a relatively small production house in New Zealand's South Island that's already made a big splash in the Chinese market.
Watched over by a statue of Scottish poet Robbie Burns, New Zealand's fourth largest city has a rich colonial heritage that's preserved in many 19th century buildings. But there's something of a cultural revolution taking place in Dunedin.
Created in Dunedin by NHNZ now broadcast in 20 countries, ZooMoo Animal Friends was an instant hit in China when it first screened on CCTV during February's Spring Festival, with 250 million viewers tuning in for the weekly half-hour show.
"What ZooMoo provides is a sense of nature and the natural world and stories about the world around us and connecting kids with the environment. And I think that that's a real connector, with Kiwi kids, with Chinese kids, with kids from all over the world," said Kyle Murdoch, NHNZ chief executive.
Capturing the natural world is what NHNZ does best. The N-H in the logo stands for 'Natural History', and the production house has developed a global reputation with material screened in 180 countries - including China.
"We bring expertise in film-making and also our relationships with major western broadcasters, and Chinese partners bring incredible stories," he said.
Another recent success story is 'China from Above' which was co-produced with Chinese production house, CITC, and National Geographic.
When it first aired last September, 130 million Chinese viewers and 50 million American viewers tuned in to watch rare aerial footage of China's landscape.
And more joint venture productions with China are in the pipeline now that there's an official - world-first - co-production agreement with New Zealand.
The co-production agreement provides Government funding for selected projects. But it also fast-tracks immigration procedures so that film crews and their equipment can enter China and New Zealand more easily.
Under the reciprocal arrangement, CCTV is producing a new series called 'Glamorous New Zealand' to highlight the amazing landscapes and natural products that New Zealand has to offer.
