Now is the time to mark the New Zealand China Friendship Society’s National Conference and AGM in your diaries.
The theme of the Conference is “Good things take time!”.
The Conference and the AGM will take place in the Village Hall of Tauranga’s Historic Village, on May 27 to 29, 2016.
We hope that you will make it, and will also be able to enjoy the delights of Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty!
With the establishing of the NZ Free Trade Agreement with China in April 2007 a new phase started with many new initiatives from New Zealanders keen to establish commercial relationships with China.
The NZCFS Conference in Tauranga is providing a superb opportunity to recognise value of different approaches in maintaining positive relationships with China.
Each year, the New Zealand China Friendship Society creates a theme for the following year that unites the members in their future efforts. Last year, Rewi Alley’s comment, ‘You Banfa’, was our watchword – ‘There is a Way’.
This year, the watchword is ‘Hao shi duo mo’, meaning ‘Good things take time’. This was inspired partly by our own New Zealand flax, which to the Maori is a symbol of close family unity. The leaves of the flax always remain in one cluster so caring for all its offspring.
This year (2016), the conference emphasises this thought knowing that we have goals and that we must find ways to achieve them (see Programme, below). All this takes time and future development means a lot of purposeful work, but all is feasible. The theme is also about developing the Society for the future and building on past work. In particular, we must encourage more young people to join the Society as well as recognising the efforts of our own young members. In other words ‘Hao shi duo mo – Good things take a lot of work’.
NZCFS CONFERENCE and AGM 2016
27 to 29 May 2016
The Village Hall, Tauranga HISTORIC VILLAGE, 17th Avenue, TAURANGA
THE PROGRAMME:
FRIDAY 27 May
1.00 – 5.00 National Executive Meeting
4.30 Registrations ongoing
5.30 Powhiri [Welcome] by Tauranga Intermediate School Kapa Haka Group,
5.50 Official Opening by Tauranga Mayor, Stuart Crosby
6.10 Musical event: Guzheng/Waiata [Maori song]/Jazz: Chen Xiyao [Yao] and Carol Storey
6.30 Commentary by Mr Rob Jeffrey: ‘ The highs and lows of four decades of trading in China.’
6.45 Catching up with Lǎo péngyǒu [old friends].
7.30 Dinner at local restaurant MACAU, on The Strand, CBD – a suggested option.
SATURDAY 28 May
8.00 Ongoing Registrations, collection of goodie bags, etc.
9.00 OPENING SESSION:
Setting The Theme: Good things take time Hǎo shì duō mó 好事多
Looking at history, the background, the experience, what has been learnt
9.00 Welcome. Introduction by NZCFS President – Dave Bromwich
9.15 HE Wang Lutong, PRC Ambassador to New Zealand
9.25 Simon Appleton, Consultant – Founder of Eastern Bridge: “The importance of building positive relationships in China“.
9.45
10.05
10.30 MORNING TEA
11.00 Second session: Sustainable relationships, the value of cultural understanding
11.00 Richard Fyers (NZCTA Committee Member)
11.20 Wang Xiao (COMVITA)
11.40 Simon Limmer, CEO of ZESPRI Group Ltd
12.00 Panel Discussion Q & A, Chaired by Gwenda Merriman (Deputy Mayor, Western Bay of Plenty District Council)
12.30 LUNCH
1.30 Third session: Youth perspectives – Experiences, opportunities, challenges
1.30 NZCFS Tauranga YOUTH Presentations on International Business and Trade – THE FUTURE [4 x 15 minutes, adjudicated]
2.30 Karen Ye (Beijing Youxie ), “A personal perspective on the theme.”
2.50 Alena Woo (Youth Friendship Ambassador 2016), Discusses a resource on “Chinese food, dining and meeting etiquette/protocols.”
3.10 AFTERNOON TEA
3.30 Fourth Session: Youth sub-committee programme arranged by Ken Liu
5.00 Day-Session finishes
8.00 BANQUET Venue: Tauranga Art Gallery, Cnr Wharf and Willow Streets, Downtown Tauranga.
SUNDAY 29 May
Annual General Meeting:
8.30 – 1200 Annual General Meeting, including the election of a new National Executive
12.30 LUNCH
1.30 Meeting of the new National Executive – Looking to the future: Good things take time – Hǎo shì duō mó 好事多磨
4.30 Close of meeting CONFERENCE ENDS
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To download this provisional programme, please click here.
To register please click here to download the registration form.
For a choice of accommodation and taxis, please refer to the details in image below, or, for your convenience, download a pdf of the list.