Ria Shibata is a senior research fellow at the New Zealand Centre for Global Studies specialising in identity politics, conflict resolution, and historical memory in Northeast Asia. Her work also examines climate-induced migration, land loss, and cultural security in the Pacific, linking identity dynamics to regional stability. Kina Kunz is a teaching fellow at the University of Tübingen, Germany, and holds a PhD in Politics from the University of Otago, New Zealand. Her research focuses on international relations in Northeast Asia and state decision-making processes. She has taught courses on Northeast Asian politics, US foreign policy, IR theory, and New Zealand’s external relations. She has contributed articles to NK News, the Asia New Zealand Foundation, 9Dashline, and The Context.