“The Prominent Persons & Leaders

Medical Delegation, 2015”

with Alyson Hobbs & Chris Gaul

Next meeting: Friday 27 November

The full pdf version of this newsletter is available at: NZCFSNelsonNovember2015v2.pdf

Nelson’s representatives on the October delegation, Alyson Hobbs and Chris Gaul, will report on their unique experiences. For the first time, this year’s Prominent Persons & Leaders Delegation was designed with a theme, and seven medical people were selected to be hosted by Youxie (the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries).

Alyson has a business specialising in combining diagnostic ultrasound imaging with natural therapies. Chris is the Year 1 Coordinator for the Bachelor of Nursing Programme at NMIT, and a volunteer at the Victory Community Health Centre. 

As in previous years, these PP&L members will give us a view of China through the eyes of a first-time visitor which is always fascinating, even for those of us who have been there often.

As usual, we will begin at 5.30 p.m. and then enjoy our buffet meal (cost $12), at 6 o’clock. Our speakers’ presentation will begin about 7 o’clock. Friends and visitors are most welcome but please notify Barbara when you contact her so that we have accurate numbers for the meal.

Friday 27 November  ..  Hearing House  ..  5:30 pm

To book please ring:

Barbara Markland   ph. 544 4712   by Tuesday 24 November

text: 021 447 180 or e-mail: [email protected]

LAST MEETING: With her superb photographs, Pam Frahm entertained the usual excellent turnout with some fascinating insights into Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (China) as we journeyed with her through the lands of Genghis Khan. The Naadam Festival in Ulaanbaatar was a particularly colourful highlight of what was obviously another successful NZCFS tour. Perhaps Pam can be persuaded to tell us more about the rest of the trip in North Central China next year?

NW CHINA HANDICRAFTS COOPERATIVES DELEGATION: Dave Bromwich, NZCFS National President, Liu Guozhong, Honorary Member of the NZCFS, and three embroiderers (Han Xioqin, Zhu Emu and Zou Huanrong) from cooperatives in NW China are being hosted in Nelson from the afternoon of Tuesday 17 November to the morning of Thursday 19 November. 

They will visit Marilyn and Colin Gibbs’ farm on their way into Nelson on Tuesday, and on Wednesday they will share their work and stories with local embroiderers and craftspeople, and then have a chance to see the Victorian embroidery at Broadgreen House. 

Afterwards, on the Wednesday evening, we look forward to seeing a good turnout of members as we share a potluck dinner with them and enjoy the opportunity to admire their craft.

A report on this short, but ground-breaking visit, will be in our next newsletter, in early February, 2016.

FAREWELL TO GINA: As noted in the last newsletter, Gina (Qianlan Zhou) has done an absolutely incredible job as a Mandarin Language Assistant (MLA) in Nelson schools this year and she will be returning to China on 19 December. Her contribution to Nelson children’s knowledge of Mandarin and Chinese culture cannot be underestimated and more and more schools are lining up for participation in this wonderful Confucius Institute programme for 2016.

We will be saying our thanks and goodbye to Gina with a Christmas-themed pot-luck BBQ at 4:30pm on Friday 18 December in the Tahunanui Beach BBQ area. 

More details will be emailed closer to the day.

CHINESE NEW YEAR BANQUET AND AGM – FEBRUARY, 2016: The Eastern Cuisine Restaurant in Richmond has been booked once again for this very popular occasion – on Sunday 14 February, 2016.

While Chinese New Year – the start of the Year of the Monkey – will officially fall on Monday 8 February, we are going to celebrate a little later so we avoid the long Waitangi Day weekend from 6 – 8 February. Please put Sunday 14 February in your diary now so you can come and join in the Chinese New Year fun.

As usual, the evening will include our brief AGM, including the election of officers for 2016. We are always keen to welcome more people on the committee so, if you would like to be more actively involved in the Nelson Branch, please contact Acting President, Ferry van Mansum (ph 546-6574, or [email protected]).

NZCFS NATIONAL EXECUTIVE MEETING, WELLINGTON, 14 November: NZCFS has an elected executive, consisting of the National President, National Secretary, National Treasurer, three Vice-Presidents (Northern, Central and South Island), and five elected committee members. Branch Presidents are also automatically members of the National Executive which meets four times a year, including at the National Conference and AGM.

Christine Ward attended the recent meeting in Wellington where the usual reports were received, and decisions were made on on-going projects such as assisting Tauranga Branch to run Conference 2016, establishing a partnership with the Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship, arranging a replacement teacher for Shandan Bailie School, constitutional requirements to retain our charity status, and reviewing the Action Plan Objectives developed after the 2014 Conference. 

HE MING QING SCHOLARSHIP FUND DONATION: Nelson Branch recently forwarded our usual annual donation of $500 to the He Ming Qing (Kathleen Hall) Scholarship Fund. Deborah Rhode, HMQ Committee Chair, sends her grateful thanks to Nelson Branch for our loyal support and generous donation.

SHANGHAI AUTHOR TAKES UP MICHAEL KING WRITER’S FELLOWSHIP: Shanghai writer, Xiao Bai, has become the second Rewi Alley Fellowship at The Michael King Writers’ Centre in Devonport, Auckland. The Rewi Alley Fellowship is sponsored by the NZCFS’s Simon Deng Li Fund as part of a reciprocal agreement with the Shanghai Writers’ Association, the NZCFS and the Michael King Writers’ Centre. The agreement allows for an exchange of writers between Shanghai and New Zealand. Last year, New Zealand novelist, Alison Wong, spent two months in Shanghai as part of the Shanghai International Writers’ Programme. 

Xiao Bai has written two novels, two anthologies of essays, and a novella. His most recent novel, “French Concession”, set in 1930s Shanghai, has just been published in English. He will spend two months in New Zealand working on his own writing projects, meeting the local literary community and getting a taste of life here.

REWI ALLEY FUND ALLOCATIONS – 2015: NZCFS was the recipient of a very generous donation from the Chinese Peoples’ Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (Youxie) at the time of our 60th anniversary in 2012. This amounts to approximately $40,000 annually for five years.

The funds are to be used for consolidating and deepening friendship between the peoples of China and New Zealand, and the projects need to fulfil one or more of these criteria:

• Commemorate the legacy of Rewi Alley, 
• Involve cultural and art exchange, educational exchange and youth exchange which aim to promote China-New Zealand friendship, or 
• Involve friendly exchange projects.

The following projects have received RAFE funding allocations for 2015:

• Bay of Plenty Independent Research Internship for Secondary Students: 

Students studying international business and trade to submit research proposals, four of which will be selected to further develop their proposals in Tauranga and China. 

Mentor: John Hodgson (Tauranga Branch). Amount allocated: $5000.

• NW China Women’s Handicraft Exchange: 

Bring up to eight Chinese people to New Zealand for 10-12 days. Visit 4-5 places with NZCFS branches, giving handicraft demonstrations, meeting Maori handicraft promoters, etc.

Mentor: Maurice Alley (Manawatu Branch). Amount allocated: $9,000.

• Revive Rewi Alley Legacy of Gong He: 

Visit five or six places where Rewi Alley worked and identify local farmer co-operative development situations and opportunities.

Mentor: Dave Bromwich (National President, NZCFS). Amount allocated: $14,000.

• An Independent Travellers’ Guide to Rewi Alley Locations in China:

Produce web-based information, in English, on places associated with Rewi Alley’s life and initiatives; i.e. their location, history, significance.

Mentor: Jane Furkert (Christchurch Branch). Amount allocated: $6,500.

• Memorials of the Past: 

Bring to life the story of Kathleen Hall (He Ming Qing). This is a two-year DVD production project.

Mentor: Miao Fan (Hamilton Branch). Amount allocated: $6,000.

The RAFE Fund committee congratulates the proposers of the selected projects on the quality of their presentations and also on the originality of the ideas behind them.

~ Dave Adamson (Chair RAFE Fund Committee)