New Zealand Chinese Language Association   A recent Victoria University, Wellington, PhD thesis has brought a new idea to the acquisition of foreign languages by emphasising how important a knowledge of the sounds of a language are before any attempt is made to study the language.  For the Chinese language this can be done by means of the NZCLA’s bilingual Chinese reader  Legends and Tales from Ancient China, because each of the 25 stories is read aloud on the accompanying CD Rom in … [Read more...]

Hawkes Bay folk got a chance to experience a cultural extravaganza last week when 13 members of the Guilin Performing Group from China visited the region.  They were here to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of their Sister-City connection with Hastings (the first in New Zealand) as part of delegations from the Guilin Municipal Government.   The delegations, comprising Mr Huang Junhua, executive vice-mayor of Guilin and officials from the Guilin Foreign Affairs Office, Civil Servants Bureau, … [Read more...]

Following the Pike River gas explosion and the deaths of 29 miners there, the economic impact of the redundancies among the workforce and suppliers became a second tragedy.  The West Coast, hard hit by the recession already, needs all the help it can get.  I believe in practical solutions and so do my Chinese colleagues. It is one of the most enjoyable things about working in China. They knew about the accident, expressed their concern and when I suggested some win-win solutions for the Coast … [Read more...]

The following speech was delivered by Bill Willmott, Head of the NZCFS Delegation at the Friendship Forum, Nanchang - on the 11th September, 2010.Haere mai, Haere mai i te hui rata ne, Tena Koutou KatoaPengyoumen, Nushimen, Xianshengmen, Shangwu haoYour Royal Highess Princess Pilolevu Tuita,Vice-President of Youxie, Mme. Li Xiaolin,Our dear friends old and new in Youxie,Fellow delegates to the Fourth Friendship Forum,I bring you warm greetings from Eric Livingstone, … [Read more...]

The following speech was given by Bill Willmott, Head of the NZCFS Delegation at the China-Oceania & Canada Sister Cities Forum in Shanghai on the 9 September 2010.Haere mai, Haere mai,Ko Bill toku ingoa,Ko Kanata toku iwi,Ko Omei Shan toku maunga,Ko Jin Jiang toku awa.No reira, Tena Koutou Tena Koutou, Tena Koutou katouYour Royal Highness Princess Pilolevu Tuita,Dear friends and delegates from Oceania and … [Read more...]

Misa Tapu was a delegate on the recent Prominent Persons and Leaders Tour. Click on this link to see the Monday 27 September 2010 article (followed by comments) on NZ Herald's website: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10676266 … [Read more...]

John Key speaking at a ceremony in Beijing to mark the launch of a Rewi Alley documentary. Ministry for Culture & Heritage Press Release 7 July 2010: A television series celebrating the life of an extraordinary New Zealander premiered in China on 9 July to coincide with New Zealand Day at the Shanghai World Expo. The series on Rewi Alley aired on CCTV, which has an audience of 300 million viewers. The five part series is a co-production between China's state broadcaster, CCTV, Dunedin … [Read more...]

Download 'Tibet - Myth and Legend' by Foster Stockwell in pdf format. See Prof. Bill Willmott's comments and Society disclaimer at the end. … [Read more...]

Prof Bill Willmott, Past National President, was interviewed on 25 July on Sunday Morning with Chris Laidlaw. Bill told Ideas about the Gung Ho Cooperative Movement in the late 1930s, and recalled his first meeting with Rewi Alley back in 1936. You can listen to the audio if you: CLICK HERE then scroll down to "Ideas: The Co-operative Economy". Click on the title to start the programme. Note: the broadcast clip lasts 11.06 minutes. … [Read more...]

Understanding China is essential for the future of New Zealand, according to a businessman who has funded a new scholarship at Victoria University. "We want young New Zealanders to engage with China, to understand the culture and connect with the Chinese leaders of tomorrow,” says Rodney Jones, who established the James Bertram Scholarships through the Victoria University Foundation with his wife Sajini Jesudason.  An investment banker, he was a partner with the Soros Fund in Asia before … [Read more...]