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NZCFS Wellington Branch July 2016 Newsletter

Next Branch Meeting

Wednesday, 20 July 2016 at 5.45pm

Chris Lipscombe

Will speak on

Ten years, fifty cities, and enough banquets, meetings, exhibitions, interviews, tours and toasts to last a lifetime

Chris LipscombeChris Lipscombe talks about his work presenting and representing Wellington businesses in the People’s Republic of China, over a decade that has seen the establishment of the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement, the doubling of exports to China, and Chinese tourism now worth over $1 billion to New Zealand. The futures of New Zealand and China now seem to be inextricably linked. What that future holds will surprise us all.

Chris Lipscombe is a strategist, marketer and business development manager, with previous careers in graphic design, publishing, marketing, IT, and local government. Chris set up his company Ground Zero in 2000, providing strategic planning, research, market development, and capital-raising services to Wellington-based clients. Chris has been leading or taking part in business and trade delegations to the People’s Republic of China since 2004, often as a local government representative. His previous positions include President of the Wellington Xiamen Association and Co-chair of the China and New Zealand Business Council.                                                                    

An optional Chinese buffet meal, supplied by the Fujiyama Café, will follow the meeting at 7pm. Orders for the $12 meal (please pay at the door) will be taken up till 6pm.  If you think you may be arriving late, please let the Secretary know in advance.

map of Connolly HallConnolly Hall
Guildford Terrace, off Hill Street, Thorndon, Wellington (see map)
   (Car park up Guildford Tce beside Hall)

(A full PDF of this newsletter is available at NZCFS Newsletter July 2016 )

ALSO COMING UP THIS MONTH

16 July          Wellington Multicultural Community and Mayoral Forum, 9am, Johnsonville Community Centre Hall, Johnsonville.

30 July          Mandarin Corner, Seminar Room, 20 Kelburn Parade, Victoria University of Wellington

Until 7 Oct     Feng Bin & Lee Ka-sing Exhibition, Level 3 Library, Victoria University of Wellington

MEETING DATES FOR 2016

The dates Connolly Hall has been booked for monthly meetings this year are 31 August, 21 September, 19 October and 16 November.

SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL REMINDER

Please remember that 2016 membership subscriptions renewals are now due. Please renew if you have not already done so – download form here. 

2016 NZCFS NATIONAL CONFERENCE: JUNE BRANCH MEETING REPORT

The NZCFS Wellington Branch June meeting focused on the 2016 National Conference and Annual General Meeting that was held in Tauranga. Kirk McDowall, a member of the National Executive and Wellington Branch, gave an overview of the weekend, sharing the activities, presentations and topics of the conference, along with the updated members of the National Executive.

Weight of HistoryThe theme of the Conference was “Good things take time!” (好事多磨 – Hǎo shì duō mó), and focused on three main areas; building relationships with China – what are they worth, sustaining relationships between New Zealand and China and the value of cultural understanding, and finally the importance of youth involvement and engagement within the Society. A number of challenges for the NZCFS came out of these sessions.

Firstly, youth involvement and long-term engagement was a challenge for all branches, and having more opportunities for youth available within branches could help improve involvement. It was also suggested that branches continue to organize local events, such as cooking classes, sport events and showing Chinese films to engage with the wider community, but branches often need to rely on individual members to organise and run regular events.

Along with organising events and creating opportunities, such as volunteering opportunities, it is also important to advertise these events through social media and our websites. One area that NZCFS branches could focus on is through sharing Chinese culture and language within communities. This could involve providing greater support for teachers and students, such as creating resources for Mandarin Language Assistants or local Mandarin Corners, while focusing on presentations and events that promote Chinese culture. In addition, next year it will be the anniversary for Rewi Alley – 120 years since he was born, 90 years since he first went to Shanghai, and 30 years since his death. As a result, celebrating Rewi Alley and sharing his story will be a key priority for the Society next year.

BranchFollowing the discussion on the conference, the Wellington Branch also hosted a similar workshop to the one at the National Conference with those in attendance, in order to gain a better understanding of the member’s thoughts on the Branch, the way we do things, and areas we should focus on. The key findings that were discussed by the audience focused on the type of speakers for our Branch meetings – continue to invite people who have lived and worked in China, and can share their experiences, along with members helping to promote the meetings. It was also noted that there was a shared belief of helping out the Society – from helping to set up the meeting to working on the committee – members felt they had a shared commitment with others and were happy to help out wherever possible, which creates greater connection with the Society.

Another idea is to open the floor to members to speak for five to ten minutes of some of their experiences in China, as a number of members have lived, studied and worked in both New Zealand and China. Continuing to build and maintain that connection with relevant cultural and business groups was also seen as important, and this is a key focus for the Branch going forward. We would like to thank those who contributed to the discussion that allows us to provide better future direction for the Branch.

NEW WELLINGTON COMMITTEE MEMBER

The NZCFS Wellington Branch is happy to note that we have co-opted Vera Xu onto the Local Committee. Vera has previously worked for Settlement Support New Zealand and currently working for the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. She has been an active member within the Chinese community in Wellington, and will assist the Branch with translations and promotion in Chinese media.

Wellington Multicultural Community and Mayoral Forum

Saturday 16 July 2016, 9:00am–3:00pm. Johnsonville Community Centre Hall, 3 Frankmoore Ave, Johnsonville, Wellington.

Multicultural Community and Mayoral ForumThis Multicultural Council of Wellington Forum will address the question, Can the increasingly diverse population of Wellington add real value to the city’s social and economic success? The Mayoral candidates will briefly present their understanding and aspirations for enabling Wellington’s multicultural population to fulfill their potential and fully contribute to the economic and social future well-being of the city. They will then participate in a question and answers session with attendees.

There will be presentations by Robert Didham (Statistics NZ), Rahul Govindan (NZ Trade and Enterprise) and David Pannett (Creative New Zealand). Presentations by the Singapore High Commissioner, HE Mr. Bernard Baker, and the Philippines Ambassador, HE Mr. Jesus S. Domingo will give us an international perspective on the benefits of an increasingly diverse capital city. Lunch and morning and afternoon tea will be provided. Entry is free, but only by registering online with Eventfinder: http://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2016/wellingtons-multicultural-community-and-mayoral-forum/wellington.

MANDARIN CORNER 汉语角 Saturdays 3.15-5pm
Seminar Room, 20 Kelburn Parade, Victoria University of Wellington.

Mandarin cornerMandarin Corner (Wellington), established in 1995 by NZCFS, is a weekly event where students learning Chinese meet with native speakers of Chinese for conversation and cultural activities in a friendly, relaxed setting. Mandarin Corner is currently run by a core team of Mandarin Language Assistants and is open to all level. Come along if you are interested, and attendance is free. Mandarin corner does not run during school holidays. For more information contact Yinghui Li at [email protected].

NZCFS August Branch meeting

Carl-WorkerThe Branch is happy to announce that Carl Worker, New Zealand’s Ambassador in China from 2009-2015 and one of our leading China expert, will speak at our August Branch meeting (31 August) on ‘Ten Years in Beijing’. A fluent Mandarin speaker, Carl had earlier postings at the Beijing Embassy in the 1980’s and 1990’s, and was New Zealand Consul-General in Hong Kong from 1994-98 spanning Hong Kong’s return to China. Also a fluent Spanish speaker, Carl was Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay from 2001-2006. We look forward to this presentation, and hope that you can attend. More information on his speech will be included in our next newsletter.

Grant on offer for Kiwis engaging with China

Winston-ChurchillNZCFS has recently joined with the prestigious Winston Churchill Memorial Trust in awarding an annual Fellowship for Kiwis who wish to add and build value to their vocation, pastime, etc. — New Zealanders from all walks of life. This Fellowship is for travel to China to gain knowledge, understanding and experience of Chinese culture and values, and sharing of New Zealand culture and values in China.

The fellowship is offered to applicants who are actively involved in an occupation or sphere of activity which would benefit from time spent in China, or where building of knowledge and understanding would be of benefit through the deepening or extension of New Zealand-China relationships.

This will be the first year of the WCMT/NZCFS Fellowship, the successful applicant travelling to China in 2017. Applications must be submitted by July 31 2016. Recipients are required to self- fund 20% of their research and travel costs. For further information, go to http://www.communitymatters.govt.nz/Funding-and-grants—Trust-and-fellowship-grants—New-Zealand-Winston-Churchill-Memorial-Trust%23China.  

Gerald StricklandGERALD STRICKLAND

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Gerald Strickland last month. Gerald and his wife Christine have been long term members of the Society. Gerald made a number of contributions to the Nelson Branch, as well as being involved in the Wellington Branch when they moved to the capital. We extend our deepest sympathy to Christine and the family.

Project Middle China – Work and Experience in Henan

The NZCFS will select up to 500 NZ graduates over 3 years to be Cultural Ambassadors working with education providers in Zhengzhou to teach Chinese students at all levels. While helping improve the students’ communication capabilities and their knowledge of New Zealand culture, at the same time they will have first-hand experience of China and its rich culture. 

Project-Middle-China-image-lion-While these Cultural Ambassadors are in Henan, they will spend some of their time teaching Western culture and English language to the Chinese students, and the rest of the time they will experience the rich culture and life in Henan. The organisers are the NZCFS, Zhengzhou Youxie (Zhengzhou People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries) and New Zealand Chinese Youth Federation.

Details:
Duration
: 12 months (including summer and winter school breaks). Base City: Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China.
Activities: Teaching English. Learning about Chinese food culture, history, tea culture, Mandarin, Tai Chi, with trips to other cities in Henan, etc. Teaching Work: Maximum 20 hours per week.
Prerequisite: Native or near-native English speaker holding a Bachelor’s degree in any subject.  If your degree is not related to language education, you will need to have a TESOL certificate (contact us – see below- if you need to know more about this). Salary: RMB 6000 – 12000 / month, depending on your work experience.
Free accommodation: Quality accommodation will be provided free of charge, arranged by receiving schools.
Flight ticket reimbursement:  One-way international flight ticket to or from China (Conditions apply).
To apply, please send your CV and a digital passport style photo to Ken Liu, our project manager, his email address is [email protected], please put “Project Middle China Application” in the Subject of your email. For more information, please visit: https://nzchinasociety.org.nz/24569/project-middle-china-work-and-experience-in-henan-where-chinese-civilization-began/.

Air New Zealand Award for Nelson’s Art-Exchange Project

Welcome-Huangshi-Performing-Arts-to-Nelson-China-Week-2015-1-350x258As part of the Sister Cities NZ Conference this year (May, 2016), held in Nelson, at the Sister City Awards Dinner, NZCFS Nelson Branch’s Immediate Past President, Christine Ward, received a well-deserved award from the sponsor, Air New Zealand, for the “Best Youth Education or School Project”. 

For the Sister Cities NZ Conference each year, Sister Cities NZ invites submissions on Sister City projects from around the country and, in Guache-paintings-oof-No-3-School-Huangshi-1-350x258conjunction with the Nelson City Council, the NZCFS Nelson Branch entered their 2015 Huangshi-Nelson Art Exchange Project.

Great news indeed for Christine and all the people from Nelson Branch who lent a hand with making the exhibition such a success during China Week last year (2015). To see more information on the projects as well as images, please visit https://nzchinasociety.org.nz/25190/air-new-zealand-award-for-nelsons-art-exchange-project/.

Feng Bin & Lee Ka-sing Exhibition: Landscape | mindscape

Hutong-websiteThis exhibition juxtaposes two suites of photographic works: Feng Bin’s Hutong at Night (2005), large brooding nightscapes of the vanishing old neighbourhoods of Beijing, and Lee Ka-sing’s Z FICTION (2008), intricate mindscapes based on the fictions and legends of the past, yet each with a narrative arc towards the future.

Feng Bin studied photography at Beijing Film Academy and has exhibited work in China, Germany, Poland, New Zealand and the USA. He lives and works in Shenzhen, China. Lee Ka-sing is one of the foremost photo-based artists in the Hong Kong art scene during the 1990s. He moved to Toronto in 1997 and set up Lee Ka-sing Gallery in 2000 and INDEXG in 2006.  Landscape | mindscape runs from 12 May to 7 October, 2016 on Level 3 in Kelburn Library. For more information about this exhibition contact the Confucius Institute at Victoria University at [email protected].

Auckland poet heading for Shanghai

Heidi-North-BaileyAuckland poet Heidi North-Bailey has been selected as the second New Zealand writer to join the Shanghai Writers’ Association’s Writing Programme.  Her residency is part of an exchange initiated through the New Zealand China Friendship Society’s Simon Deng Li Fund in partnership with the Michael King Writers Centre.

Heidi will join writers from Argentina, Spain, Israel, Russia, USA, and Poland for two months in Shanghai in September and October 2016.  She will be following the footsteps of celebrated Auckland poet Ron (R.A.K.) Mason, the inaugural NZCFS President, who led the Society’s first tour to the New China in 1957. For more information, please visit: https://nzchinasociety.org.nz/25308/auckland-poet-heading-for-shanghai/.

NZCFS Explore China: The Northwest/Silk Road Tour – October 2017, 21 Days in China

NZCFS-Northwest-Silk-Road-Tour-2017-Building-250x195The latest NZCFS educational tour in the “Explore China” series is a first to travel deep into Xinjiang, skirt around then cross the Taklamakan desert to explore the ancient civilisations as well as the dynamic cultures in this area. Follow the silk road west through Gansu to enjoy the legacies left by diverse travellers on the road, ending with NZCFS’ own connection to Bailie schools and cooperative through Rewi Alley.

Xi’an to Kashgar: Explore the ancient historical civilisations and buried cities in the vast Xinjiang Province. Enjoy the culture of the Uighur and other peoples, and travel through dramatic landscapes as we journey east by train and coach along the Old Silk Road into Gansu. Follow the legacy of Rewi Alley and the Bailie school he founded.