By Simon Collins
5:30 AM Saturday Apr 9, 2011
In some ways, Chinese influence in New Zealand has grown faster and more strongly than anywhere else in the world.
In a special Herald series over the next week we look at what that means for this country.
Today, Simon Collins gives an overview of the impact of China on New Zealand's economic and cultural landscape.
Some time in the late 1990s, Tina Peters looked out of her car at an intersection and realised that almost all the other faces she could see were Asian.
Tina, a nurse, moved with her family from Papatoetoe to the fast-growing Botany area 12 years ago. Suddenly their ethnic landscape switched from the traditional Kiwi mix of European and Polynesian to include a surprising number of Chinese.
"With our children there has been that period of confusion, of bewilderment, for a little while of absolute fear thinking, 'I don't understand this'," she said at a pot-luck dinner at a Chinese neighbour's home on Neighbours Day last month.
"I didn't know how to communicate. You are missing the communication, and then there's that fear of, 'Oh my God, is my country disappearing?"'
New Zealand's ethnic Chinese population jumped more than seven-fold in the 20 years to the 2006 census, from 19,600 to 147,600.
In Auckland it rose almost 10-fold, from 10,500 to 97,400. Parts of Botany, Epsom and New Lynn are now more than 30 per cent Chinese.
Sociologist Paul Spoonley says the scale of this ethnic transformation, like the scale of New Zealand economic reforms in the same period, was unparalleled globally.
"The mix in Canada and Australia is almost identical, but they had much larger Chinese populations to start with," he says.
And of course this local ethnic change came just as the Chinese homeland burst on to the world stage. Two decades ago, even including Hong Kong, China produced only 2 per cent of global output and ranked 11th in the world. Last year, with 9 per cent of world output, it passed Japan to become the second-biggest economy on Earth.
Three years this week after signing a landmark free trade deal, China has already surpassed the US as New Zealand's biggest trading partner outside Australasia for both exports and imports, our leading source of international students, our second-biggest source of immigrants after Britain, and our fourth-biggest source of tourists.
Over the next week the Herald will report on how these dramatic shifts are transforming our economy and our society. In some respects Chinese influence has grown more strongly here than in any other country outside Asia.
Economically, our exports to China have leapt ahead through the past three years from just under $2 billion to $5 billion a year, when even Australia's exports to China only just more than doubled and China's overall imports stuttered through the global recession.
Dairy exports have quadrupled from $450 million to $1.9 billion. China is now by far our biggest dairy customer and the main driver behind recent record dairy prices.
Fonterra China managing director Philip Turner says this is only partly because of the scandal with melamine-contaminated Chinese-made milk which killed at least six babies in 2008, turning more sophisticated consumers towards imported milk.
"To a large extent this is simply demand exceeding supply," he says. Although Chinese milk production has grown exponentially from 6000 tonnes to 35,000 in the past decade, demand has grown even faster. Fonterra now supplies 5 per cent of the Chinese market.
Wood exports have quadrupled too, from $240 million to $1 billion a year since 2007. Timber Industry Federation head Brent Coffey says most of this is raw logs to feed China's property boom.
Our imports from China have grown rather less quickly because of our recession, from $5.6 billion to $6.9 billion. But the longer-term shift from costly local production to cheap Chinese imports, played out in extreme form here since import protection was largely abolished in the 1980s, has seen dramatic falls in the prices of clothing, footwear, toys and homeware.
Arguably, despite the loss of jobs in formerly protected industries, these cheap Chinese imports have made us all better off - at least in the short term.
"For 15 years up to 2007-08, the world enjoyed very stable prices and abundant capital with resulting cheap interest rates, and both of those things were very largely China's doing," says economist Srikanta Chatterjee.
"The Chinese effectively said: we'll lend you the money to buy these goods; therefore we had low interest rates. That is the very great advantage that we enjoyed."
This may not last. As China's own wages and living standards rise, its massive surpluses may diminish and it may have less surplus capital to lend.
The rest of the world will then need to either cut spending or raise output to live within our means.
China's abundant capital helped whiteware giant Haier buy a 20 per cent stake in Fisher & Paykel Appliances two years ago. Another Chinese company, Agria, is bidding for 50.01 per cent of our leading farm service firm, PGG Wrightson.
Overall Chinese investment is still minuscule at $5.6 billion or less than 2 per cent of total foreign investment. But the Chinese company Natural Dairy's failed bid for the 16 Crafar family dairy farms shows that Chinese investors are looking for opportunities in food and other natural resources.
Still a highly controlled society, China was slow to open up overseas travel. New Zealand and Australia became the first countries outside Asia to get "approved destination status"; this was only in 1999.
Total outbound travellers from China more than quintupled worldwide in the past decade to 56 million last year. The numbers going to both Australia and New Zealand almost quadrupled to 454,000 for Australia and 123,000 for New Zealand, propelling China into fourth place for visitors to both countries, behind each other, Britain and the US.
Today's launch of three weekly China Southern Airlines flights between Guangzhou (Canton) and Auckland adds capacity for an extra 25,000 visitors.
The airline already flies to Sydney and Melbourne, added Brisbane last November and plans 50 flights a week to six Australian cities by 2013.
There has also been an explosion in the numbers of Chinese students abroad. Visas for new Chinese fee-paying students here leapt from just 46 in 1998-99 to almost 20,000 in 2001-02, lifting the numbers here to a peak of 56,000 in 2003.
Anatole Bogatski, who was the Auckland Chamber of Commerce's international manager at the time and later established his own language school, says New Zealand was the first country to abandon quotas on Chinese students.
"We had a very low bar to cross and relatively easy immigration rules on converting their student visa into permanent residence," he says.
The boom collapsed almost as quickly as it occurred, when Education Minister Trevor Mallard made students prove that they could pay their future course fees and living costs.
Two language schools, Carich and Modern Age, closed in 2004 leaving students stranded.
New Chinese student visas plunged to under 2500 in 2005-06 before climbing back to a modest 4700 last year. Total Chinese fee-paying students have stabilised at around 21,000, or 22 per cent of all international students.
This reversal is purely a New Zealand story, as Chinese students studying overseas kept rising worldwide from under 300,000 in 2003 to almost 1.3 million last year. In Australia they increased from 48,000 in 2002 to 168,000 last year.
More broadly, like India, Europe and more recently New Zealand, China has long had a sizeable diaspora of citizens who have left to seek better lives elsewhere.
Apart from a handful of 19th century gold miners, New Zealand barred its doors to those migrants by denying permits to non-British citizens with few exceptions right up to 1987, when the policy changed to seek skilled people and rich "business investors" from anywhere.
The change came just as Britain was preparing to hand Hong Kong back to China in 1997. Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong's elite sought refuge abroad - 380,000 went to Canada alone between 1980 and 2001, and 25,400 arrived in New Zealand as permanent or long-term migrants in the decade up to 1997.
A similar exodus from Taiwan brought almost 20,000 migrants to New Zealand in the same period. And then, just as many of the Hong Kong and Taiwanese migrants actually started going home again from all countries, China's 1999 relaxation of travel restrictions sparked a new outflow from China itself. Chinese permanent and long-term arrivals here jumped from 3500 in 1999 to 16,000 in 2002.
This new influx was dominated by students and their families, and fell away again as the student boom collapsed. By last year China, including Hong Kong, was back down to only our third-biggest net source of immigrants behind India and Britain.
But the net effect of the two waves of immigrants was to lift the total ethnic Chinese share of New Zealand's population to 3.7 per cent by the 2006 census, the second-highest in the OECD behind Canada (3.9 per cent) and ahead of Australia (3.2 per cent). The 1.9 per cent of our population born in mainland China is higher than for any other OECD country.
Like all modern migrants, the Chinese are mobile. A fifth of all the Chinese approved for residence in the six years to 2009, and 40 per cent of the Taiwanese, had been absent for at least six months as at last June, compared with 14 per cent of migrants from Britain.
A 2007-09 study by Asian studies professor Manying Ip found that two-thirds of ethnic Chinese NZ citizens or permanent residents still identified only with their home country, and most of the rest identified with both countries. Only four out of 78 identified solely with New Zealand.
She found that many families alternated between their homelands and New Zealand or Australia, often getting educated here, returning to China or Hong Kong to work or to care for ageing parents, then coming back to New Zealand for their own children's education.
"The new Chinese migrants are astute and wish to keep all options open," she says.
Joe and Marianne Noma, an older Chinese couple at the Neighbours Day gathering in Botany, originally migrated to Melbourne in 1985 and still have a home there as well as in Auckland. Their son works with them in their property development business here, but their daughter is in Melbourne and they may go back there.
But Lisa Chu, who came here with her parents when she was 6 in 1986, may stay here with her Malay/European/Maori fiance, engineer Shariman Saad. She wants her future children to learn Chinese, but regards herself as a "Kiwi".
Their Neighbours Day host, Pastor Samuel Chong, who brought his family here from Malaysia eight years ago, says he has committed his life to New Zealand but is also proudly Chinese. "When I received the citizenship certificate they said, in a letter, you don't have to put down your own culture," he says. "It's so kind."
Chong says their Botany street has five Chinese families, four from Korea, two from India, a Filipino and about 20 Europeans.
Twelve years on, Tina Peters has become used to the changes.
"When we moved from where we were and came up here we started being that little bit more integrated and talking to everyone and having a bit more courage - well, this is how it is, we'd better start talking to people," she says.
Her husband John, who works with Chinese colleagues as a scientist at Middlemore Hospital, says the change "has not been negative at all".
"We have learned about the food and different cultures," he says.
When their daughter graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree at Auckland University about eight years ago, almost all her fellow graduates were Chinese. She and her husband now live in Singapore and plan to teach their children both Chinese and Japanese to equip them for the modern world.
Gradually our culture is changing. Saad and Chu buy takeaways from a variety of countries and enjoy Saturday night markets at the Pakuranga shopping centre. "It's Chinatown," Saad says.
Chinese businesses have sprung up in growing suburbs such as Botany and Albany, and have revitalised older parts of Auckland such as Dominion Rd and Northcote.
Tina Peters says Hong Kong and Taiwanese investors drove up local house prices in the 1990s.
"Every time we went to buy a house we were vying with five or six Chinese families," she says.
"We would put in an offer and they would just go over the top. Then you find out they had bought three of them. Of course house prices just went whoosh."
But the migrant investors were less noticeable by the time Saad and Chu bought their house four years ago. Indeed as a developer, Joe Noma believes Chinese builders are holding down new housing costs.
"We sell [building sites] to builders. In the last two years virtually 80 to 90 per cent are bought by Chinese builders," he says.
"They work hard. They work on Sunday, they work late in the evening. There's no such thing as 9 to 5."
But Dave Brown, who represents Auckland on the Certified Builders Association board, believes Chinese builders predominate only in the Botany/Dannemora area where many of the developers are also Chinese.
"They are prepared to work hard and are pretty competitive," he says. "But I'll stick my neck out and say I don't think they are taking work off New Zealand guys."
Hard-working Chinese students are changing the culture in our schools too. In 2009, 8.7 per cent of Asians who passed level 3 NCEA achieved with excellence, compared to 5.3 per cent of Europeans, 1.5 per cent of Maori and 0.5 per cent of Pacific students.
The Rev Stuart Vogel of the Auckland Chinese Presbyterian Church recalls resentment in the early years when Chinese students started "sweeping all the prizes" at his children's school, Mt Roskill Grammar. "Then people came to realise that they do the work for it. If you want the prize you have to do the work," he says.
At Auckland University, Ip says her students now work much harder than when she started teaching there in 1982 - due to course fees and a tougher job market as well as Chinese rivals.
"It was much more relaxed at that time, students negotiated about deadlines," she says. "That would not be allowed now."
In much the same way, Chinese preferences for apartment living and for large houses on small sections have contributed, along with rising land prices, to the shrinkage of the Kiwi quarter-acre section.
"Most of us are from the city and we don't know gardening," explains Pastor Chong.
The immigrants have helped expand public transport. Asians accounted for 82 per cent of the increased use of buses and trains by Aucklanders commuting to work between the 1991 and 2006 censuses. The census does not count journeys for study, but a glance into almost any term-time bus into central Auckland shows the effect of Asian students.
Of course Asian migrants have added to road traffic too, accounting for 38 per cent of Auckland's increased commuting to work by car between 1991 and 2006. Nationally, Transport Ministry figures show Asian drivers were involved in 9 per cent of all crashes in 2009, exactly equal to their share of the population.
Although many migrants are still not working in the fields where they qualified, some are breaking into the professions. Just over 5 per cent of our medical doctors are Chinese.
Local-born Chinese writers such as 2010 NZ Post Book Awards winner Alison Wong and film-maker Roseanne Liang have won recognition in mainstream Kiwi culture, and Chinese faces are now taken for granted on the TV news and in popular shows such as Masterchef.
It has been harder going in politics, with Labour's list MP Raymond Huo the sole Chinese MP since Pansy Wong resigned last year. There are no Chinese on the new Auckland Council and only three out of 149 people on local boards: Peter Chan in Henderson-Massey, Lily Ho in Whau and Wayne Huang in Howick.
Arguably Pacific people were only really accepted as New Zealanders when rugby stars such as Michael Jones and Tana Umaga started playing for the All Blacks. The Chinese may never make the All Blacks but sport can still provide links into mainstream society, as Huang found in February when he got the Howick Local Board to sponsor a visiting Chinese martial arts group.
On the other hand, he could not get the board to write an invitation letter to an 800-strong group from a major Chinese steelmaker who wanted to visit here after a reward trip to Australia. They didn't come.
"We lose a lot of opportunities like that," he says. "They need respect. They need to feel welcome."
In Botany, Pastor Chong believes cross-cultural interaction will increase gradually.
"If we organise more lantern festivals and Chinese New Year celebrations, more Kiwis will come and join us and slowly the Kiwis will understand us," he says.
"But one thing they need to know is that the world is like a village. You can't stay by yourself - you need to accept anybody who comes to your doorstep."
By Simon Collins | Email Simon
Monday, January 02, 2012
Winning over our hearts, and stomachs
n part 2 of the Herald series 'China and us', Lincoln Tan looks at how China has influenced the eating habits of New Zealanders.
Simon Verbiest says having a Chinese fiancee has spurred his interest in Chinese culture. Photo / Greg Bowker
This Kiwi has been interested in all things Chinese for the last half a century - long before the meteoric rise of China to a global economic powerhouse or even before large numbers of people from the Middle Kingdom migrated to Middle Earth.
For 78-year-old Allan Hughes, his love for everything Chinese began more than half a century ago when a Chinese girl - the only one at the school he studied at - dropped him a note on the last day of school saying she liked him.
"I envisioned we will be spending our lives together, and began taking an interest in the Chinese culture and learned a few words so I could converse with her family," said Mr Hughes, a retired Immigration New Zealand compliance manager.
But their love was not to be, and although the pair went their separate ways after finishing Palmerston North Technical, Mr Hughes started a new love affair - with the Chinese culture - which has carried on until today.
"There is a certain depth, richness and a sense of mystery in the culture and language that just intrigues you," he said.
Some of Mr Hughes' friends call him the "Kiwi Chinaman".
He's the only Pakeha member of the Chinese band Bai Hua (100 Flowers) and his hobbies include watching Chinese DVDs and playing Chinese tunes on his ukulele.
Two large gold-framed Chinese calligraphy sets adorn the living room wall at his Lisnoe Ave home, where the flags of both China and Taiwan are also prominently displayed.
Last year, he participated in and won a Chinese radio singing contest crooning what's regarded as the most famous Chinese love song The Moon Represents My Heart by Teresa Teng.
Mr Hughes says he loves how the Dominion Rd area, close to where he lives, has been transformed into a "mini Chinatown", where Mandarin and Cantonese fill the air and the smell of roast duck and barbecue pork curls out of the many Chinese restaurants and cafes.
Like many Kiwis, not too long ago getting a takeaway dinner meant fish and chips or roast, but Mr Hughes says now it's more likely yang chow fried rice or roast duck noodle at a local Chinese cafe.
Although Mr Hughes is likely to be the exception rather than the norm, sociologist Paul Spoonley says China's growing influence will continue to touch the lives of Kiwis in many ways - but the biggest influence will be in food and how we eat.
"New Zealanders will eat less roast and potatoes and more rice and soya chicken. In fact, it's already happening," said Professor Spoonley, of Massey University.
"Our habits have changed, and instead of heading out for Sunday roast, many more Kiwis are going to Chinese restaurants for yum char."
Professor Spoonley, who heads the Integration of Immigrants Programme, said food and retail were the two most popular "business choices" for Chinese immigrants.
In 2006, 20.8 per cent of China-born migrants were involved in food and accommodation services, while 15.8 per cent were in the retail trade.
Between 2001 and 2006, the number of migrants from China doubled to 53,694, which now makes up more than half of the ethnic Chinese population of Auckland.
"Of the retail businesses they start, most also involve food or consumption, such as a grocery shop or a Chinese supermarket selling Asian food and ingredients," he said.
Chinese food retailers and restaurants have been part of New Zealand since the 1920s, but gained a foothold in the 1960s.
Since the 1990s, Chinese food and restaurants have become an "omnipresent and obvious part" of most major cities in New Zealand, especially Auckland.
Professor Spoonley said food is the "most obvious manifestation" of diversity and Chinese presence in New Zealand.
He said many of the fish and chip takeaways and coffee shops that had been taken over by Chinese operators were imbued with a "Chinese touch" - offering a Chinese menu or selling Chinese pastries on the side, and many also no longer alter the dishes "to suit Kiwi tastes".
Asian food guru Connie Clarkson says Chinese food is attractive to New Zealanders because it is "affordable and easily accessible" - and it will become even more so in these tough economic times.
"Dining at a European restaurant can burn a hole in your pocket, but you can get a decent feed for around $10 at some Chinese ones," Ms Clarkson said.
She said the Chinese influence in food also extends into meat cuts and ingredients used at Western restaurants, and even some cooking programmes on television.
"Pork belly, a Chinese favourite, is now widely used even at top end Kiwi-European restaurants, where Asian fusion dishes are becoming common," said Ms Clarkson, an ethnic Chinese originally from Singapore.
Chinese ingredients are now used in shows like MasterChef New Zealand, she said.
Most Chinese restaurants approached by the Herald said they have experienced a growth of between 20 to 50 per cent of non-Chinese customers in the last five years.
Dynasty Chinese Restaurant on Wakefield St said its non-Chinese patronage has grown from 10 per cent when it opened about 15 years ago to making up more than 50 per cent now.
"Pakeha customers used to order just things like sweet sour pork and fried rice, but now they are more adventurous and some are even asking for dishes that they have discovered during their travels in Asia," said Mui Seng Lee, who co-owns the restaurant.
Simon Verbiest, a business consultant, says eating Chinese meals has gone from "just a novelty" to becoming "a regular staple" for him.
The 24-year-old described himself as "semi-adventurous" who would eat anything except red beans, but finds eating things with bones - like chicken feet - hard work.
Mr Verbiest said having a Chinese fiancee also played a part in his interest in Chinese food and culture.
Retail assistant Janine Lawson, 26, who grew up on a Waikato farm said she started "falling in love" with Chinese food when she moved to Auckland to further her studies five years ago.
Until then, she had been eating mainly porridge and scrambled eggs for breakfast and roast meals for dinner, but now prefers eating "char shao bao" (barbecue pork bun), which she has ready stocked up in her freezer, and fried rice and chow mien for tea.
Auckland-born Chinese lawyer Arthur Loo recalls how his father had to import Chinese ingredients from Hong Kong "just so that we can have an authentic Chinese meal" 40 years ago.
"Now, we can get everything just five minutes away."
By Lincoln Tan | Email Lincoln By Lincoln Tan
5:30 AM Monday Apr 11, 2011
Simon Verbiest says having a Chinese fiancee has spurred his interest in Chinese culture. Photo / Greg Bowker
This Kiwi has been interested in all things Chinese for the last half a century - long before the meteoric rise of China to a global economic powerhouse or even before large numbers of people from the Middle Kingdom migrated to Middle Earth.
For 78-year-old Allan Hughes, his love for everything Chinese began more than half a century ago when a Chinese girl - the only one at the school he studied at - dropped him a note on the last day of school saying she liked him.
"I envisioned we will be spending our lives together, and began taking an interest in the Chinese culture and learned a few words so I could converse with her family," said Mr Hughes, a retired Immigration New Zealand compliance manager.
But their love was not to be, and although the pair went their separate ways after finishing Palmerston North Technical, Mr Hughes started a new love affair - with the Chinese culture - which has carried on until today.
"There is a certain depth, richness and a sense of mystery in the culture and language that just intrigues you," he said.
Some of Mr Hughes' friends call him the "Kiwi Chinaman".
He's the only Pakeha member of the Chinese band Bai Hua (100 Flowers) and his hobbies include watching Chinese DVDs and playing Chinese tunes on his ukulele.
Two large gold-framed Chinese calligraphy sets adorn the living room wall at his Lisnoe Ave home, where the flags of both China and Taiwan are also prominently displayed.
Last year, he participated in and won a Chinese radio singing contest crooning what's regarded as the most famous Chinese love song The Moon Represents My Heart by Teresa Teng.
Mr Hughes says he loves how the Dominion Rd area, close to where he lives, has been transformed into a "mini Chinatown", where Mandarin and Cantonese fill the air and the smell of roast duck and barbecue pork curls out of the many Chinese restaurants and cafes.
Like many Kiwis, not too long ago getting a takeaway dinner meant fish and chips or roast, but Mr Hughes says now it's more likely yang chow fried rice or roast duck noodle at a local Chinese cafe.
Although Mr Hughes is likely to be the exception rather than the norm, sociologist Paul Spoonley says China's growing influence will continue to touch the lives of Kiwis in many ways - but the biggest influence will be in food and how we eat.
"New Zealanders will eat less roast and potatoes and more rice and soya chicken. In fact, it's already happening," said Professor Spoonley, of Massey University.
"Our habits have changed, and instead of heading out for Sunday roast, many more Kiwis are going to Chinese restaurants for yum char."
Professor Spoonley, who heads the Integration of Immigrants Programme, said food and retail were the two most popular "business choices" for Chinese immigrants.
In 2006, 20.8 per cent of China-born migrants were involved in food and accommodation services, while 15.8 per cent were in the retail trade.
Between 2001 and 2006, the number of migrants from China doubled to 53,694, which now makes up more than half of the ethnic Chinese population of Auckland.
"Of the retail businesses they start, most also involve food or consumption, such as a grocery shop or a Chinese supermarket selling Asian food and ingredients," he said.
Chinese food retailers and restaurants have been part of New Zealand since the 1920s, but gained a foothold in the 1960s.
Since the 1990s, Chinese food and restaurants have become an "omnipresent and obvious part" of most major cities in New Zealand, especially Auckland.
Professor Spoonley said food is the "most obvious manifestation" of diversity and Chinese presence in New Zealand.
He said many of the fish and chip takeaways and coffee shops that had been taken over by Chinese operators were imbued with a "Chinese touch" - offering a Chinese menu or selling Chinese pastries on the side, and many also no longer alter the dishes "to suit Kiwi tastes".
Asian food guru Connie Clarkson says Chinese food is attractive to New Zealanders because it is "affordable and easily accessible" - and it will become even more so in these tough economic times.
"Dining at a European restaurant can burn a hole in your pocket, but you can get a decent feed for around $10 at some Chinese ones," Ms Clarkson said.
She said the Chinese influence in food also extends into meat cuts and ingredients used at Western restaurants, and even some cooking programmes on television.
"Pork belly, a Chinese favourite, is now widely used even at top end Kiwi-European restaurants, where Asian fusion dishes are becoming common," said Ms Clarkson, an ethnic Chinese originally from Singapore.
Chinese ingredients are now used in shows like MasterChef New Zealand, she said.
Most Chinese restaurants approached by the Herald said they have experienced a growth of between 20 to 50 per cent of non-Chinese customers in the last five years.
Dynasty Chinese Restaurant on Wakefield St said its non-Chinese patronage has grown from 10 per cent when it opened about 15 years ago to making up more than 50 per cent now.
"Pakeha customers used to order just things like sweet sour pork and fried rice, but now they are more adventurous and some are even asking for dishes that they have discovered during their travels in Asia," said Mui Seng Lee, who co-owns the restaurant.
Simon Verbiest, a business consultant, says eating Chinese meals has gone from "just a novelty" to becoming "a regular staple" for him.
The 24-year-old described himself as "semi-adventurous" who would eat anything except red beans, but finds eating things with bones - like chicken feet - hard work.
Mr Verbiest said having a Chinese fiancee also played a part in his interest in Chinese food and culture.
Retail assistant Janine Lawson, 26, who grew up on a Waikato farm said she started "falling in love" with Chinese food when she moved to Auckland to further her studies five years ago.
Until then, she had been eating mainly porridge and scrambled eggs for breakfast and roast meals for dinner, but now prefers eating "char shao bao" (barbecue pork bun), which she has ready stocked up in her freezer, and fried rice and chow mien for tea.
Auckland-born Chinese lawyer Arthur Loo recalls how his father had to import Chinese ingredients from Hong Kong "just so that we can have an authentic Chinese meal" 40 years ago.
"Now, we can get everything just five minutes away."
By Lincoln Tan | Email Lincoln By Lincoln Tan
5:30 AM Monday Apr 11, 2011
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Endless rain bad news for strawberry lovers
Strawberry fields forever? Forget it: right now they're a sodden mass of mud and rotting fruit.
The relentless rain of recent days has drowned strawberries across the country. Some growers and suppliers are losing more than 65 per cent of their crops.
Anyone thinking about serving up strawberries and champagne at the tennis in Auckland next week may have to think again. Ready- picked prices were around $9 per kg recently but had spiked to $12 last week.
At Auckland's Mangere Strawberry Farm, co-owner Grant Young pointed across his fields. "Everything should be dry out there and you should see a sea of beautiful strawberries. But what do you get? A lot of green leaves and not much fruit," he said.
The family-owned strawberry farm was losing more than half its crop each day to the rain.
The fruit needs sun to ripen, said Young. On a beautiful day they ordinarily sold 300kg; on Friday, when the Herald on Sunday visited during a downpour, they had sent their pickers home by lunchtime and were not expecting to sell more than 100kg.
That's a far cry from the week before, when customers were queuing to get in the carpark in search of strawberries.
In the wet, in Kumeu, Phil Greig was also counting his losses. "We were all geared up for a big weekend, but now it won't happen," said Greig, who sells to buyers from Whangarei to Invercargill. The rain, combined with warm weather, caused strawberries to rot, he explained.
At the gate, punnets were two for $4 and despite probable rises at supermarkets, Greig said retailers had been paying him just $1 a chip - "we're not even covering our costs on that".
By Geraldine Johns
5:30 AM Sunday Jan 1, 2012
Grant Young is concerned about how the bad weather and particularly rain damage will affect his strawberries. Photo / Janna Dixon
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10776117
The relentless rain of recent days has drowned strawberries across the country. Some growers and suppliers are losing more than 65 per cent of their crops.
Anyone thinking about serving up strawberries and champagne at the tennis in Auckland next week may have to think again. Ready- picked prices were around $9 per kg recently but had spiked to $12 last week.
At Auckland's Mangere Strawberry Farm, co-owner Grant Young pointed across his fields. "Everything should be dry out there and you should see a sea of beautiful strawberries. But what do you get? A lot of green leaves and not much fruit," he said.
The family-owned strawberry farm was losing more than half its crop each day to the rain.
The fruit needs sun to ripen, said Young. On a beautiful day they ordinarily sold 300kg; on Friday, when the Herald on Sunday visited during a downpour, they had sent their pickers home by lunchtime and were not expecting to sell more than 100kg.
That's a far cry from the week before, when customers were queuing to get in the carpark in search of strawberries.
In the wet, in Kumeu, Phil Greig was also counting his losses. "We were all geared up for a big weekend, but now it won't happen," said Greig, who sells to buyers from Whangarei to Invercargill. The rain, combined with warm weather, caused strawberries to rot, he explained.
At the gate, punnets were two for $4 and despite probable rises at supermarkets, Greig said retailers had been paying him just $1 a chip - "we're not even covering our costs on that".
By Geraldine Johns
5:30 AM Sunday Jan 1, 2012
Grant Young is concerned about how the bad weather and particularly rain damage will affect his strawberries. Photo / Janna Dixon
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10776117
Looking back to 1911 ...
The Ohakune Town Board was first elected on August 11, 1908, and had its first meeting a week later.
However, by 1911 Ohakune was growing rapidly and as such a joint committee comprising the Town Board and Chamber of Commerce worked toward the town's constitution as a borough.
Ohakune was proclaimed a borough on November 2, 1911 with the inaugural election of Ohakune's first mayor and council taking place on November 30, two days after the last meeting of the Town Board. Newspapers recount that there was a large turn-out for the elections.
Ohakune Township began as a small settlement alongside the through road from Raetihi to Taumarunui at the junction of the Mangawhero and Mangateitei streams.
The area has been settled since around the 1600s, first by the Ngati Rangi (Sky People) and Ngati Uenuku (Rainbow People) sub-tribes.
In the late 19th century, railway surveyors arrived looking for a route for the Main Trunk Line. Once the area was opened up, saw-millers arrived to take advantage of the abundance of forestry and the availability of rail transport.
Soon after, Chinese market gardeners established the first market gardens in 1925, and later farmers settled to work with the rich volcanic soil in the area. After the war years, land was converted to rehabilitation farms for returning servicemen. In 1984 the Big Carrot was unveiled, in recognition of the importance of market gardening to the local economy.
- Central District Times Last updated 12:25 26/10/2011
However, by 1911 Ohakune was growing rapidly and as such a joint committee comprising the Town Board and Chamber of Commerce worked toward the town's constitution as a borough.
Ohakune was proclaimed a borough on November 2, 1911 with the inaugural election of Ohakune's first mayor and council taking place on November 30, two days after the last meeting of the Town Board. Newspapers recount that there was a large turn-out for the elections.
Ohakune Township began as a small settlement alongside the through road from Raetihi to Taumarunui at the junction of the Mangawhero and Mangateitei streams.
The area has been settled since around the 1600s, first by the Ngati Rangi (Sky People) and Ngati Uenuku (Rainbow People) sub-tribes.
In the late 19th century, railway surveyors arrived looking for a route for the Main Trunk Line. Once the area was opened up, saw-millers arrived to take advantage of the abundance of forestry and the availability of rail transport.
Soon after, Chinese market gardeners established the first market gardens in 1925, and later farmers settled to work with the rich volcanic soil in the area. After the war years, land was converted to rehabilitation farms for returning servicemen. In 1984 the Big Carrot was unveiled, in recognition of the importance of market gardening to the local economy.
- Central District Times Last updated 12:25 26/10/2011
A proud heritage behind the 'last man weeding'
William Young is the beneficiary of a legacy created by the uncomplaining hard work of the generations before him.
His grandfather, Young Jong Loo, came to New Zealand from China in 1919 and grew vegetables on leased land in Horowhenua and Hawke's Bay before settling in Palmerston North.
Later he brought his two sons out from China and Mun Hor (he was told to choose an English name at school and picked Arthur) inherited the small business.
William is the third generation and "last man weeding" on the land. His brother, Gerald, is a doctor in Auckland, elder sister Sandy runs a company supplying shop fittings in Auckland and younger sister Jenny is head of marketing for Telstra Australia in Sydney.
For the grower of cabbages, leeks, celery, broccoflowers and maize on 28 hectares, life could have taken a similar direction. He had high marks at school and earned an accredited university entrance pass, but his love of the land won out.
In his late 40s, but looking 10 years younger, he could still be mistaken for an upwardly mobile young professional.
He is smartly dressed, even in the field, his hair is in a fashionable cut and he sports designer spectacles. He talks animatedly and a smile as wide as his 20-disc harrow is never far away.
His mother, Chue King, who came out from China in 1955 to marry his father, is a living reminder of the debt his generation owes.
At 75, bent as a staple and with fingers askew with arthritis, she refuses to stay in the warmth of her home. She joins her son in the fields, weeding, picking and sowing, hunched over on her heels, as she has always done.
Arthur, now 80, his balance robbed by a stroke, is, to evident frustration, forced to stay close to home.
William lives with his parents and marvels at what they and his grandfather had to endure. "Each generation worked for the next, to give them a better future.
The payback is that you carry on the legacy, provide a platform for the next to spring off. The torch gets passed on and you can't let them down."
It wasn't just the backbreaking hard work; they were the victims of racist policies that financially penalised them.
It was a hidden shame of New Zealand history that was recognised only in 2002 with an apology by prime minister Helen Clark.
Jong Loo had to find [PndStlg]100 (almost $10,000 today) for a poll tax at a time when the average yearly wage was [PndStlg]3 17s before he was allowed into the country.
Ad Feedback
He could not bring his wife, could not become a citizen and was barred from owning land.
The last of these restrictions was not lifted till the 1950s, but racial prejudice remained. William remembers being told of Chinese who were stopped from sitting upstairs at the movies and were refused a haircut by some barbers.
A regime of long hours of hard work permeated his childhood. "We would come home from school and go straight into the field.
Then, after tea, we would be back out there, weeding and planting, picking and packing. We worked all weekend.
There was no time off for sports and we still had to do our homework."
His brother, Gerald, was the only one brave enough to rebel and insist on playing rugby for a school team. "He was a smart cookie," William says wistfully.
In 1978, he made the decision to not go to university but stay on the farm with his parents. "I had - still have - a love for the soil and in those days, vegetable growing was a promising career. Returns were good and so was the lifestyle."
Weekly auctions could be relied on to accurately reflect the market dynamics of supply and demand and their dependability allowed him to savour the rare treat of leisure time.
Thirty years on, a lot has changed. The auctions are no longer held and he deals with wholesalers who sell to supermarket chains and independent retailers.
He has to meet a fluctuating demand seven days a week.
He misses the auctions and their ability to be a "visual barometer".
"We didn't mind a kick in the pants when there was a sea of one vegetable to be sold because on another day we would be the only one who had the celery or cabbage everyone wanted to buy. But now, who sets those prices? No-one knows."
An option is to sell at farmers' markets but it would be too restrictive.
"One year, celery was in so much demand I sold 1500 crates in one week. You can't do that at a farmers' market."
He has also seen a big rise in working expenses - fuel, fertiliser, fungicides and pesticides and local government compliance costs.
"I've got no-one to pass those on to. I'm still passionate about growing, but it would be nice to make some money along the way."
And, ironically, better fertiliser, sprays and vegetable varieties and cell transplant technology have contributed to a bigger problem - that of over-supply.
This autumn the weather has made things worse.
"It's been too nice," he says with a grin. "It's been fine and warm and yields have been high, too high, and the market has been flooded with vegetables. Added to that, when it's warm people don't eat so much."
Usually, May can be relied on for regular frosts, nature's weeder, but they didn't arrive. He shrugs his shoulders.
"It's part of farming. When you plant, you don't know what the weather will be like at harvest."
He describes the small farm as "the old one-man-band scenario", but then is quick to acknowledge the work his mother still contributes.
"She's a good team player, truly awe-inspiring. She doesn't get the recognition she deserves, but then she doesn't ask for it. She's humble - that's the Chinese way."
He could expand, use some or all of the 18ha planted in maize, but that would mean he would have to employ extra workers.
"I'm not sure I want the added hassle," he says. "I manage because the maize operation is so mechanised. I sign a contract with the chicken factory and I know what return I'm going to get."
Another option is to form a co- operative. "They seem to be making it work up north with kumara, and if we get the numbers right, it could be quite profitable," he muses.
"There's been talk, it's been bandied about, but people are hesitant." His grin returns. "So far, it's all hui and no doey."
He has not been afraid to get involved in industry politics and is chairman of Horticulture New Zealand's brassica crop advisory group.
He says it is his way of giving something back to the industry. "It's a chance to learn and participate. You get to know people, a lot of people, and they get to know you.
You are close to where the action is and where big decisions are being made. And, hopefully, you are in a place to really make a difference."
On the worst days, when it's pouring with rain and he's out in the mud battling wind and the cold, he wonders if he did the right thing all those years ago. "I do think about it, I do, but it passes. The sun comes out and I'm glad I'm not stuck in an office in a big city. We all have our niches and this is mine."
The small Chinese family vegetable businesses are disappearing as younger generations move away.
There's a tinge of regret that when his time comes, he won't have anyone to pass the farm on to. He doubts his nieces or nephews will be interested.
"The biggest shortcoming of the Chinese community is that they educate their kids too well. No-one wants to be a grower. They want to work out of the weather, have their weekends off and go on overseas trips. I don't see anyone saying, 'I don't want to be a doctor, I'll go back to growing.' " He grins again. "Like that's going to happen - yeah, right."
However, there's a pride, also, in knowing that from these many small businesses have come so many highly educated, successful professionals who make a positive contribution to New Zealand society.
But hanging over this is a dark shadow.
He is disgusted that the hard-won high reputation of the early Chinese immigrants is being undone by more recent arrivals.
"Our forefathers came here and worked in the soil on their hands and knees through all the daylight hours, seven days a week. They didn't want a handout when times got tough and were scrupulously law-abiding. They just wanted to make a better life for their children.
"Modern Asian criminals are making a mockery of that. They're giving us a bad name and European New Zealanders can't differentiate between us. It is difficult to take."
- © Fairfax NZ News
BY JON MORGAN
Last updated 20:20 10/06/2010
Growing pains: William Young in his celery field.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/farming/3794107/A-proud-heritage-behind-the-last-man-weeding
His grandfather, Young Jong Loo, came to New Zealand from China in 1919 and grew vegetables on leased land in Horowhenua and Hawke's Bay before settling in Palmerston North.
Later he brought his two sons out from China and Mun Hor (he was told to choose an English name at school and picked Arthur) inherited the small business.
William is the third generation and "last man weeding" on the land. His brother, Gerald, is a doctor in Auckland, elder sister Sandy runs a company supplying shop fittings in Auckland and younger sister Jenny is head of marketing for Telstra Australia in Sydney.
For the grower of cabbages, leeks, celery, broccoflowers and maize on 28 hectares, life could have taken a similar direction. He had high marks at school and earned an accredited university entrance pass, but his love of the land won out.
In his late 40s, but looking 10 years younger, he could still be mistaken for an upwardly mobile young professional.
He is smartly dressed, even in the field, his hair is in a fashionable cut and he sports designer spectacles. He talks animatedly and a smile as wide as his 20-disc harrow is never far away.
His mother, Chue King, who came out from China in 1955 to marry his father, is a living reminder of the debt his generation owes.
At 75, bent as a staple and with fingers askew with arthritis, she refuses to stay in the warmth of her home. She joins her son in the fields, weeding, picking and sowing, hunched over on her heels, as she has always done.
Arthur, now 80, his balance robbed by a stroke, is, to evident frustration, forced to stay close to home.
William lives with his parents and marvels at what they and his grandfather had to endure. "Each generation worked for the next, to give them a better future.
The payback is that you carry on the legacy, provide a platform for the next to spring off. The torch gets passed on and you can't let them down."
It wasn't just the backbreaking hard work; they were the victims of racist policies that financially penalised them.
It was a hidden shame of New Zealand history that was recognised only in 2002 with an apology by prime minister Helen Clark.
Jong Loo had to find [PndStlg]100 (almost $10,000 today) for a poll tax at a time when the average yearly wage was [PndStlg]3 17s before he was allowed into the country.
Ad Feedback
He could not bring his wife, could not become a citizen and was barred from owning land.
The last of these restrictions was not lifted till the 1950s, but racial prejudice remained. William remembers being told of Chinese who were stopped from sitting upstairs at the movies and were refused a haircut by some barbers.
A regime of long hours of hard work permeated his childhood. "We would come home from school and go straight into the field.
Then, after tea, we would be back out there, weeding and planting, picking and packing. We worked all weekend.
There was no time off for sports and we still had to do our homework."
His brother, Gerald, was the only one brave enough to rebel and insist on playing rugby for a school team. "He was a smart cookie," William says wistfully.
In 1978, he made the decision to not go to university but stay on the farm with his parents. "I had - still have - a love for the soil and in those days, vegetable growing was a promising career. Returns were good and so was the lifestyle."
Weekly auctions could be relied on to accurately reflect the market dynamics of supply and demand and their dependability allowed him to savour the rare treat of leisure time.
Thirty years on, a lot has changed. The auctions are no longer held and he deals with wholesalers who sell to supermarket chains and independent retailers.
He has to meet a fluctuating demand seven days a week.
He misses the auctions and their ability to be a "visual barometer".
"We didn't mind a kick in the pants when there was a sea of one vegetable to be sold because on another day we would be the only one who had the celery or cabbage everyone wanted to buy. But now, who sets those prices? No-one knows."
An option is to sell at farmers' markets but it would be too restrictive.
"One year, celery was in so much demand I sold 1500 crates in one week. You can't do that at a farmers' market."
He has also seen a big rise in working expenses - fuel, fertiliser, fungicides and pesticides and local government compliance costs.
"I've got no-one to pass those on to. I'm still passionate about growing, but it would be nice to make some money along the way."
And, ironically, better fertiliser, sprays and vegetable varieties and cell transplant technology have contributed to a bigger problem - that of over-supply.
This autumn the weather has made things worse.
"It's been too nice," he says with a grin. "It's been fine and warm and yields have been high, too high, and the market has been flooded with vegetables. Added to that, when it's warm people don't eat so much."
Usually, May can be relied on for regular frosts, nature's weeder, but they didn't arrive. He shrugs his shoulders.
"It's part of farming. When you plant, you don't know what the weather will be like at harvest."
He describes the small farm as "the old one-man-band scenario", but then is quick to acknowledge the work his mother still contributes.
"She's a good team player, truly awe-inspiring. She doesn't get the recognition she deserves, but then she doesn't ask for it. She's humble - that's the Chinese way."
He could expand, use some or all of the 18ha planted in maize, but that would mean he would have to employ extra workers.
"I'm not sure I want the added hassle," he says. "I manage because the maize operation is so mechanised. I sign a contract with the chicken factory and I know what return I'm going to get."
Another option is to form a co- operative. "They seem to be making it work up north with kumara, and if we get the numbers right, it could be quite profitable," he muses.
"There's been talk, it's been bandied about, but people are hesitant." His grin returns. "So far, it's all hui and no doey."
He has not been afraid to get involved in industry politics and is chairman of Horticulture New Zealand's brassica crop advisory group.
He says it is his way of giving something back to the industry. "It's a chance to learn and participate. You get to know people, a lot of people, and they get to know you.
You are close to where the action is and where big decisions are being made. And, hopefully, you are in a place to really make a difference."
On the worst days, when it's pouring with rain and he's out in the mud battling wind and the cold, he wonders if he did the right thing all those years ago. "I do think about it, I do, but it passes. The sun comes out and I'm glad I'm not stuck in an office in a big city. We all have our niches and this is mine."
The small Chinese family vegetable businesses are disappearing as younger generations move away.
There's a tinge of regret that when his time comes, he won't have anyone to pass the farm on to. He doubts his nieces or nephews will be interested.
"The biggest shortcoming of the Chinese community is that they educate their kids too well. No-one wants to be a grower. They want to work out of the weather, have their weekends off and go on overseas trips. I don't see anyone saying, 'I don't want to be a doctor, I'll go back to growing.' " He grins again. "Like that's going to happen - yeah, right."
However, there's a pride, also, in knowing that from these many small businesses have come so many highly educated, successful professionals who make a positive contribution to New Zealand society.
But hanging over this is a dark shadow.
He is disgusted that the hard-won high reputation of the early Chinese immigrants is being undone by more recent arrivals.
"Our forefathers came here and worked in the soil on their hands and knees through all the daylight hours, seven days a week. They didn't want a handout when times got tough and were scrupulously law-abiding. They just wanted to make a better life for their children.
"Modern Asian criminals are making a mockery of that. They're giving us a bad name and European New Zealanders can't differentiate between us. It is difficult to take."
- © Fairfax NZ News
BY JON MORGAN
Last updated 20:20 10/06/2010
Growing pains: William Young in his celery field.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/farming/3794107/A-proud-heritage-behind-the-last-man-weeding
Saturday, December 31, 2011
THE QUEEN'S SERVICES MEDAL (QSM) 2011
Audrey Bing Shum Chan, services to the community, Auckland. THE QUEEN'S SERVICES MEDAL (QSM) 2011
Kitty Shui Fung Chiu, JP, services to the community, Auckland. THE QUEEN'S SERVICES MEDAL (QSM) 2011
Arthur Loo, services to the Chinese community, Auckland. THE QUEEN'S SERVICES MEDAL (QSM) 2011
Robert Joseph Ting, services to the Chinese community, Wellington. THE QUEEN'S SERVICES MEDAL (QSM) 2011
Kitty Shui Fung Chiu, JP, services to the community, Auckland. THE QUEEN'S SERVICES MEDAL (QSM) 2011
Arthur Loo, services to the Chinese community, Auckland. THE QUEEN'S SERVICES MEDAL (QSM) 2011
Robert Joseph Ting, services to the Chinese community, Wellington. THE QUEEN'S SERVICES MEDAL (QSM) 2011
Robert Ting
New Zealand honors pillar of Chinese community
WELLINGTON, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government has honored a stalwart of the country's ethnic Chinese community in its annual New Year honors list for his services to maintaining a strong Chinese culture.
Robert Ting, 71, received the Queen's Service Medal on Saturday for his 50 years of work with many of the country's leading Chinese organizations.
Ting, whose grandparents emigrated from south China's Guangdong province in the early 1900s, told Xinhua the award symbolized the growing recognition of the contributions the Chinese community had made to New Zealand.
The Wellington resident was for 17 years treasurer of the Wellington Chinese Sports and Cultural Centre and for three years treasurer of the New Zealand Chinese Association, and for the last 10 years has been treasurer of the Tung Jung Association, which was founded in 1926 by Chinese who emigrated from the Tung Qwoon ( Dongguan) and Jungsen (Zengcheng) districts of Guangdong.
"I come from a family that was quite heavily involved in the Chinese community from the early 1900s. My grandfather was the founding president of the Tung Jung Association," Ting said in a phone interview.
Originally set up to maintain kinship ties and to help fellow Chinese in trying times, the association became a focus for many of New Zealand's early Chinese immigrants and has since evolved into an education and research institution to support Chinese language and culture and to help with research into family histories.
"The Tung Jung Association maintains all the Chinese cultural occasions and we always hold dinners to celebrate Qingming and the Chinese New Year as well as other traditional festivals," said the retired accountant.
"Unfortunately I don't speak Chinese myself my mother spoke English to us all the time at home, so I never learned."
Recent immigration from China had seen a growth in the use of the Mandarin dialect in New Zealand's burgeoning Chinese community and distinctions between the established Chinese and new arrivals, he said.
"My heritage is Cantonese and it has become increasingly difficult to keep the prevalence of Cantonese."
However, interest in New Zealand's early Chinese immigrants has grown since the previous Labour Party-led government under Prime Minister Helen Clark apologized in 2002 for historic injustices against the Chinese population, in particular the infamous poll tax.
The Chinese Immigrants Act of 1881 imposed a poll tax of 10 pounds a sizeable sum at the time -- on every Chinese entering the country, and this was raised to 100 pounds in 1896.
The discriminatory levy meant many Chinese men could not afford to bring their wives and families with them to New Zealand and it left many in long-term debt.
After petitions to the government, the poll tax was waived from 1934, but it was only officially repealed 10 years after that.
In a gesture of reconciliation in 2005, the New Zealand government established the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust with a grant of 5 million NZ dollars (3.88 million U.S. dollars) to promote the preservation of Chinese New Zealand history and to support Chinese New Zealand history, language and culture, particularly that of the early Chinese community.
The establishment of the fund marked a long awaited formal acknowledgement of the Chinese community's contribution to New Zealand, said Ting.
"The interest from the trust fund has been distributed to many worthy Chinese projects, such as books and other research."
Asked whether he considers himself predominantly a Chinese or a New Zealander, Ting replied: "A mixture of both I still like to keep my ties to the Chinese."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2011-12/31/c_131337207.htm
WELLINGTON, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government has honored a stalwart of the country's ethnic Chinese community in its annual New Year honors list for his services to maintaining a strong Chinese culture.
Robert Ting, 71, received the Queen's Service Medal on Saturday for his 50 years of work with many of the country's leading Chinese organizations.
Ting, whose grandparents emigrated from south China's Guangdong province in the early 1900s, told Xinhua the award symbolized the growing recognition of the contributions the Chinese community had made to New Zealand.
The Wellington resident was for 17 years treasurer of the Wellington Chinese Sports and Cultural Centre and for three years treasurer of the New Zealand Chinese Association, and for the last 10 years has been treasurer of the Tung Jung Association, which was founded in 1926 by Chinese who emigrated from the Tung Qwoon ( Dongguan) and Jungsen (Zengcheng) districts of Guangdong.
"I come from a family that was quite heavily involved in the Chinese community from the early 1900s. My grandfather was the founding president of the Tung Jung Association," Ting said in a phone interview.
Originally set up to maintain kinship ties and to help fellow Chinese in trying times, the association became a focus for many of New Zealand's early Chinese immigrants and has since evolved into an education and research institution to support Chinese language and culture and to help with research into family histories.
"The Tung Jung Association maintains all the Chinese cultural occasions and we always hold dinners to celebrate Qingming and the Chinese New Year as well as other traditional festivals," said the retired accountant.
"Unfortunately I don't speak Chinese myself my mother spoke English to us all the time at home, so I never learned."
Recent immigration from China had seen a growth in the use of the Mandarin dialect in New Zealand's burgeoning Chinese community and distinctions between the established Chinese and new arrivals, he said.
"My heritage is Cantonese and it has become increasingly difficult to keep the prevalence of Cantonese."
However, interest in New Zealand's early Chinese immigrants has grown since the previous Labour Party-led government under Prime Minister Helen Clark apologized in 2002 for historic injustices against the Chinese population, in particular the infamous poll tax.
The Chinese Immigrants Act of 1881 imposed a poll tax of 10 pounds a sizeable sum at the time -- on every Chinese entering the country, and this was raised to 100 pounds in 1896.
The discriminatory levy meant many Chinese men could not afford to bring their wives and families with them to New Zealand and it left many in long-term debt.
After petitions to the government, the poll tax was waived from 1934, but it was only officially repealed 10 years after that.
In a gesture of reconciliation in 2005, the New Zealand government established the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust with a grant of 5 million NZ dollars (3.88 million U.S. dollars) to promote the preservation of Chinese New Zealand history and to support Chinese New Zealand history, language and culture, particularly that of the early Chinese community.
The establishment of the fund marked a long awaited formal acknowledgement of the Chinese community's contribution to New Zealand, said Ting.
"The interest from the trust fund has been distributed to many worthy Chinese projects, such as books and other research."
Asked whether he considers himself predominantly a Chinese or a New Zealander, Ting replied: "A mixture of both I still like to keep my ties to the Chinese."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2011-12/31/c_131337207.htm
Chinese street name suggestions to be sought
George St, Princes St and Moray Pl, in Dunedin, could be joined by Sew Hoy Lane or Guangdong Rise.
The Dunedin City Council is to seek suggestions from the city's Chinese community on names for the city's new roads.
The move came after councillors this week voted to adopt the council's new road naming policy, which spelt out rules for new names and the aim of better reflecting the area's identity.
The draft policy was first released for consultation earlier this year, prompting three submissions from members of the public.
One, from Chinese historian and retired general practitioner Dr James Ng, of Dunedin, argued the Chinese contribution to Dunedin and Otago should be recognised in road and place names.
The Chinese had played a significant role in the region's history, from the goldfields of Central Otago to commerce and employment in Dunedin.
That included Sew Hoy and Sons, which employed "300 or more" workers in their clothing manufacturing business for more than 30 years, and the more recent arrival of the Chinese Garden, built for the city by workers from China, he said.
The city even boasted a Chinese former mayor in Peter Chin, he said.
Despite that, the city had yet to recognise its Chinese heritage in a place or street name, and that needed to change, he said.
He suggested Sew Hoy or Guangdong as examples of road or place names that could be used.
The suggestion won support from Cr Richard Thomson at this week's infrastructure services committee meeting. He asked for the suggestion to be given weight in the council's new road naming policy.
Cr Kate Wilson - one of the councillors appointed to review submissions - said the idea had been considered, but cautioned pronunciation and spelling might create problems for emergency services.
Despite that, councillors voted to create a register of approved road names available for use when new roads were created, and to ask the Chinese community for possible road names to be considered for inclusion.
A process for approving names for the register would also be prepared for a later infrastructure services committee meeting.
The new policy also confirmed existing names would only be changed if there was a "clear benefit" for the community, and council staff confirmed at Tuesday's meeting there were no plans for a clean-up of existing names.
The policy prohibited new road names that were the same or similar to existing names, and said names should reference the area in which they were located.
The policy also allowed the use of macrons when spelling new Maori road names, and allowed changes when the use of macrons was of "demonstrable importance" to mana whenua.
When a road name using macrons was approved, the spelling of it without macrons would be "discouraged, but permitted", the policy said.
Councillors would continue to have the final say on recommended road names.
chris.morris@odt.co.nz
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/188878/chinese-street-name-suggestions-be-sought
The Dunedin City Council is to seek suggestions from the city's Chinese community on names for the city's new roads.
The move came after councillors this week voted to adopt the council's new road naming policy, which spelt out rules for new names and the aim of better reflecting the area's identity.
The draft policy was first released for consultation earlier this year, prompting three submissions from members of the public.
One, from Chinese historian and retired general practitioner Dr James Ng, of Dunedin, argued the Chinese contribution to Dunedin and Otago should be recognised in road and place names.
The Chinese had played a significant role in the region's history, from the goldfields of Central Otago to commerce and employment in Dunedin.
That included Sew Hoy and Sons, which employed "300 or more" workers in their clothing manufacturing business for more than 30 years, and the more recent arrival of the Chinese Garden, built for the city by workers from China, he said.
The city even boasted a Chinese former mayor in Peter Chin, he said.
Despite that, the city had yet to recognise its Chinese heritage in a place or street name, and that needed to change, he said.
He suggested Sew Hoy or Guangdong as examples of road or place names that could be used.
The suggestion won support from Cr Richard Thomson at this week's infrastructure services committee meeting. He asked for the suggestion to be given weight in the council's new road naming policy.
Cr Kate Wilson - one of the councillors appointed to review submissions - said the idea had been considered, but cautioned pronunciation and spelling might create problems for emergency services.
Despite that, councillors voted to create a register of approved road names available for use when new roads were created, and to ask the Chinese community for possible road names to be considered for inclusion.
A process for approving names for the register would also be prepared for a later infrastructure services committee meeting.
The new policy also confirmed existing names would only be changed if there was a "clear benefit" for the community, and council staff confirmed at Tuesday's meeting there were no plans for a clean-up of existing names.
The policy prohibited new road names that were the same or similar to existing names, and said names should reference the area in which they were located.
The policy also allowed the use of macrons when spelling new Maori road names, and allowed changes when the use of macrons was of "demonstrable importance" to mana whenua.
When a road name using macrons was approved, the spelling of it without macrons would be "discouraged, but permitted", the policy said.
Councillors would continue to have the final say on recommended road names.
chris.morris@odt.co.nz
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/188878/chinese-street-name-suggestions-be-sought
Chinese community feels left out of constitutional review
A Chinese community leader and commentator says the local Chinese community feels left out of the current Constitutional review debate, and continued sidelining of the group will disadvantage New Zealand in the future.
Steven Young, the immediate past-President of the New Zealand Chinese Association, said there was a lack of response from the government to engage the Chinese in the debate which has so far been confined only to the politicians, academics and others with vested interests.
Chinese Kiwis feel under-represented on treaty issues, according to the Wellington-based consulting engineer.
While the government has advanced on treaty issues in the last 30 years it has had little time to think about the country’s relationship with those who are not directly party to the treaty – the ethnic communities, said Young, who came to New Zealand from China at a very young age.
“Visibly-different migrants usually have stronger cultural needs and aspirations which they would like to maintain, express and develop, while learning to also be loyal New Zealanders. However, they feel left out of the Constitutional debate – which is what the development of the treaty relationship is. The official view that such migrants are represented by the Crown in the treaty debate is a kind official deafness to the needs of the multicultural sector and the Chinese who make up a large proportion of that sector. This lack of an official response could disadvantage New Zealand in the longer term.”
Ethnic communities form a significant part of a multicultural New Zealand. There are close to 150,000 Chinese living here.
In the light of the coming general election, Young hopes the new government will do something and actively encourage and facilitate participation from the Chinese.
“This would include explaining and defining the current Constitutional situation and exploring alternatives. The debate should be brought down to street level. Full participation will help define what kind of society New Zealand should be in the 21st century and beyond,” said Young.
When asked to comment on the difference in approach between old Chinese politicians such as former Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin and Gisborne Mayor Meng Foon, and new Chinese immigrants standing for election, Young said Chin and Foon had been around long enough to understand local issues and to resolve local problems; they had earned the confidence of the locals.
On the other hand, Young noted Chinese immigrants entering politics were usually “shoulder-tapped by political parties looking for a token Chinese to ‘represent’ a potential constituency”.
With barely 10 years of residency in New Zealand and lacking a track record of working with the minorities, “they are parachuted into list seats without a great deal of political experience or a power base of their own.
“At best they can only act as salesmen for their parties to an ethnic sector. We would expect that such candidates once elected will advocate ethnic ‘motherhood and apple-pie’ positions for their communities,” said Young, adding that he expected the pattern to continue in future elections until such time when the Chinese community “is able to fully participate in mainstream parties over a period of years and in sufficient numbers to influence the development of policies”.
Young does not see any political party gaining a majority of Chinese votes on Nov 26.
He said the Chinese had in the past supported Labour because of “its history of looking after the underdog by word and by deed... However for both old and new migrants, their cultural history, personal drive and economic positioning has increasingly placed them somewhat more to the right on the political spectrum.
“If people vote in accordance with their beliefs and interests, then no party can expect a majority of Chinese support”.
Interview by Yuanyong Yang
Written by Kwan Kwan Lim
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/your-news/187570/chinese-community-feels-left-out-constitutional-review
A Chinese community leader and commentator says the local Chinese community feels left out of the current Constitutional review debate, and continued sidelining of the group will disadvantage New Zealand in the future.
Steven Young, the immediate past-President of the New Zealand Chinese Association, said there was a lack of response from the government to engage the Chinese in the debate which has so far been confined only to the politicians, academics and others with vested interests.
Chinese Kiwis feel under-represented on treaty issues, according to the Wellington-based consulting engineer.
While the government has advanced on treaty issues in the last 30 years it has had little time to think about the country’s relationship with those who are not directly party to the treaty – the ethnic communities, said Young, who came to New Zealand from China at a very young age.
“Visibly-different migrants usually have stronger cultural needs and aspirations which they would like to maintain, express and develop, while learning to also be loyal New Zealanders. However, they feel left out of the Constitutional debate – which is what the development of the treaty relationship is. The official view that such migrants are represented by the Crown in the treaty debate is a kind official deafness to the needs of the multicultural sector and the Chinese who make up a large proportion of that sector. This lack of an official response could disadvantage New Zealand in the longer term.”
Ethnic communities form a significant part of a multicultural New Zealand. There are close to 150,000 Chinese living here.
In the light of the coming general election, Young hopes the new government will do something and actively encourage and facilitate participation from the Chinese.
“This would include explaining and defining the current Constitutional situation and exploring alternatives. The debate should be brought down to street level. Full participation will help define what kind of society New Zealand should be in the 21st century and beyond,” said Young.
When asked to comment on the difference in approach between old Chinese politicians such as former Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin and Gisborne Mayor Meng Foon, and new Chinese immigrants standing for election, Young said Chin and Foon had been around long enough to understand local issues and to resolve local problems; they had earned the confidence of the locals.
On the other hand, Young noted Chinese immigrants entering politics were usually “shoulder-tapped by political parties looking for a token Chinese to ‘represent’ a potential constituency”.
With barely 10 years of residency in New Zealand and lacking a track record of working with the minorities, “they are parachuted into list seats without a great deal of political experience or a power base of their own.
“At best they can only act as salesmen for their parties to an ethnic sector. We would expect that such candidates once elected will advocate ethnic ‘motherhood and apple-pie’ positions for their communities,” said Young, adding that he expected the pattern to continue in future elections until such time when the Chinese community “is able to fully participate in mainstream parties over a period of years and in sufficient numbers to influence the development of policies”.
Young does not see any political party gaining a majority of Chinese votes on Nov 26.
He said the Chinese had in the past supported Labour because of “its history of looking after the underdog by word and by deed... However for both old and new migrants, their cultural history, personal drive and economic positioning has increasingly placed them somewhat more to the right on the political spectrum.
“If people vote in accordance with their beliefs and interests, then no party can expect a majority of Chinese support”.
Interview by Yuanyong Yang
Written by Kwan Kwan Lim
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/your-news/187570/chinese-community-feels-left-out-constitutional-review
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Diary from Chinese youth leaders' camp
Carolyn Ding, student | Thursday, December 22, 2011 8:29
Carolyn Ding is in Year 11, at Saint Kentigerns College. She attended the New Zealand Chinese Association (NZCA) first ever Youth Leadership Camp at Camp Adair in December 2011.
Winston Gee
Chinese students earmarked as future leaders have taken part in the first youth leadership camp run by the NZ Chinese Association. One of those chosen Carolyn Ding, is Year 11 at St Kentigerns. She kept a diary of the experience for the Aucklander. The 43 students - aged 14 to 17 - were exploring what it means to be young and Chinese in New Zealand. They were chosen because they have been earmarked as future leaders. Albert King, a personal development coach from Singapore ran the weekend which featured speeches from high-profile Kiwis of Chinese descent including film director Roseanne Liang (My Wedding and Other Secrets), Andrew Young (ex-CEO, Starship Foundation) and Meng Foon (Mayor of Gisborne).
The Aucklander asked one of future leaders who took part to keep a diary. Carolyn Ding is in Year 11, at Saint Kentigerns. This is her account.
DAY ONE
Today I caught a lift with Jess, meeting Maisy and Alice, and drove an hour to Hunua's Camp Adair. The only other camps I have attended were in primary school and last year's choir camp.
We were allocated our cabins and I soon realised others were in the same position as me - quite nervous about meeting others. The committee, including Richard Leung and David Wong, met us an introduced us to our new coach and mentor, Albert King, who had flown in from Singapore!
I was nervous this morning knowing that I would be surrounded by a new environment, strangers and tasks that may be mentally and physically challenging.
We played a few'meet and greet' activities and acknowledged what we wanted to get out of the camp. I really like the way Albert explained that the more we put into it, the more we'd get out of it. I know I've heard that so many times but just the way he challenged us, really made me think and want to give it a go. I hope I can give 110 per cent.
He also explained our comfort zone and how we have a stretch zone and also a danger zone, the stretch zone being the extension and putting ourselves to the test and the danger zone being stretching ourselves way too far and endangering ourselves such as a panic attack etc. (I don't think that'll be too likely though).
I haven't thought about this before. I hope I can actually gain a better idea of who I am by the end of the camp.
We did activities aimed at getting to know each other. There are a couple of St Kentigern College students (Meghan Koh and Nick King) who I have seen around school but haven't had the chance to talk to before. There are also a number of Diocesan girls, some from Wellington, Levin and one all the way from Queensland!
Later, we were fortunate enough to hear from the the director of My Wedding and Other Secrets, Roseanne Liang! I love that movie and have watched it so many times, so I feel as if I kind of already know her. It was an excellent talk in which she spoke about her films, endeavours and hard work getting there. It was very inspiring the way she spoke from the heart about finding herself and her Chinese identity. It's also really interesting that her Chinese ancestry has actually helped her in her success, and she knows who she is despite the confusion of her mixed culture. I wish I could be that decisive. She also shared her childhood and her parents' Chinese influence. It's funny how so much has changed and where most of us accept ourselves as Chinese New Zealanders and may not even know our Chinese roots or the language. Are we still Chinese if we can't speak the language, don't share the culture, but simply look the part?
I guess I see myself as a New Zealander even though I am Chinese. I now feel as if my culture of Chinese enhances the New Zealand. I do know how to speak a bit of Cantonese and yes, I do know the Chinese culture to a point, but my roots and ancestry are still a bit hazy. Something to research.
Roseanne accepts that life is full of learning curves and we should put in the hard yards to strive to'not be a bad person' but instead a good, moral person. When put like that, I see life in a different perspective. I just wish we could sometimes take a simpler route to our ideal image instead of going through the hard yards.
Afterwards, we watched the lion dance performed by kids aged 4-19. I've seen this previously so it was no biggie for me. We were also given the chance to give it a go.
Chill time. At dinner, I sat with some Diocesan girls. Had some classic Chinese noodles (stirfry and chicken). Yum.
Group activities were next. Got into our groups - Davina, Sian, Cammy, Wei Luok, Nick, Braden, Nathan and I. Our facilitators were Alice Chan and Winson Fong.
Made a name: Panda Power! Made a logo. Made a chant.
'We are black, we are white, we are mighty dynamite!
Was really fun working in the group, Sian is the leader of our group and Davina is the messenger.
Burma trail
It was alright, not too adrenaline rushing as we could see in the dark and everyone was talking but it was fun spending time with the group anyway whether we could see them or not.
Supper, then played cards, tin the other dorm. Also played a few truth and dares.
It's now midnight and everyone is asleep except me. I am so tired and still have to wake up at 7.30am tomorrow. Not looking forward to that part.
DAY TWO
Woke up to my friend, Jess, tapping me on the shoulder for a 6.30am wake up call. No not 7.30am. It's a Saturday and usually I'm used to waking up around 10.30am.
Today: It was the outdoor high ropes designed to push us to our limits or'stretch zone'. I am not so keen on heights. Once at the top of each course, about 10m from the ground, and faced with the task of leaping into mid air, I was far from my comfort zone.
The sight of even Winson jumping scared me. He jumped and spread out his arms and legs out like a starfish. Each bump and swing of the rope made him jerk from side to side like a rag doll. I'm pretty sure I would never do that in a million years. How on earth does anyone do that?
It was the first obstacle and I'd have to say the scariest although many others said they had loved it.
The second obstacle was fine. It was the Cargo Net where you simply had to climb up a 10m cargo net which wasn't attached to the ground. It was much, much easier for me as I'd much rather endure a small workout than facing heights!
This was also great for the team bonding because we had to work together to guide a blindfolded member of our group over the course. Also we were forced to bond by guiding the ropes attached to the climber through a mechanism, ensuring their safety. It was great fun.
The final obstacle was the Multi Vine in which we had to climb up the tree and scuttle across a tightrope wire, holding on to suspended vertical ropes every 2m. This really tested our balance, trust in ourselves as well as the trust we had in our team mates. I found this activity challenging as the further I travelled, the more it shook according to my nerves, and the more it shook, the more nervous I became. Let's just say it was very shaky up there. I was insanely scared.
As we had restricted time, we were only able to complete 3 out of the 5 courses. To be honest, I was very relieved - the next one involved heights.
Taichi was next, all about finding your inner chi and balance to your life: ying and yang. Once explained I could understand the fascination of it, although it isn't my cup of tea. Gold medallist and two time silver medallist David Wong taught us! His control and balance was amazing. When I tried it, it was surprisingly quite relaxing.
Guest speaker two: Andrew Young, Past CEO of Starship Foundation and present Global Marketing Director of Les Mills.
Andrew was also very inspiring to me, hearing about his difficulties and challenges growing up in the Chinese culture and having to work in his parents' fruit shop as a teenager instead of being able to hang out with his mates. He really rebelled against his parents. I couldn't really believe it that someone like him, now so successful, could've had so much difficulty as a teenager. He really spoke from the heart and it was an amazing talk.
We then moved on to a Chinese dance. A lot of people were put out of their immediate comfort zone but once we got going, we were fine. We have to wear cultural costumes tomorrow at the performance for the parents. Bright pink with a mandarin collar and the works. Great. I am also not a great dancer.
Then we went to calligraphy. It was surprisingly hard to write nicely. I didn't expect that. It was handy that I had attended Chinese school previously when I was young so I was familiar with most words. The calligraphy Chinese teacher was so funny!
Dinner then another speaker.
Meng Foon spoke to us. It had been a very long, full on day so we were already very tired. He spoke about his experiences working within a political setting and how if we should always use our full potential in everything we do so that we don't live with regrets. I really respect his skills and being fluent in Maori. He also sung us a Maori song. He is actually a good singer!
After supper was our group presentations answering our given question. Ours was'If you were a super hero, what super ability would you pick to have'. We chose shape shifting which ties in with our'panda' group name and created a short story based on how communication is key. Being able to shape shift into different animals and characters, we would also be able communicate with different life forms and see situations from their perspectives.
Then we sat in our groups in a dark setting to hear classical music, sharing our thoughts. It was great to see how we'd all grown a bit, and we all felt a bit wiser after only a day and a half of camp. That was one of my favourite parts of camp. Sitting around in groups by candlelight, having a deep and meaningful conversation.
It's now 2.30am and I am exhausted after chatting etc.
LAST DAY
Team building activities, everyone grouping in a circle. All I could think about the whole time while we were interacting with one another was how we were strangers only two days ago and now, we were familiar and had built strong relationships in such a short time frame. It is like Albert said,'we are all connected now'.
We went to the hall that and listened to NZCA National President, Virginia Chong, speak. She spoke about our futures and what lies ahead of us within the NZCA community. I think it was a good conclusion, focusing on the future opportunities.
Following other presentations, we had a discussion about whether we see ourselves as New Zealand Chinese or Chinese New Zealand and whether there is a difference between the two or not. It really triggered my own thoughts.
We had a small ceremony presenting envelopes from our facilitators (Alice and Winson) in which comments from our camp members had been written. I loved the atmosphere, everyone was silent and music was put on. Not one word was said yet the message was still conveyed.
We were then able to hug and whisper our acknowledgements, ending with everyone in a circle, swaying from side to the'Vitamin C Friends Forever Graduation Song'. Although it was a bit cheesy, I think it touched each one of us.
The very last thing on the agenda was the parent concert in which we had to perform our Chinese dance we had learnt in an hour yesterday. I was anxious about performing in front of the parents and especially the Chinese dance routine as it was something I had never tried before. I don't think anyone of us were too pleased about our costumes, yet alone the dance, but it was the last challenge and we all did our best.
Certificates were handed out and a slide show played showed us how much we had done in such a small space of time. Then it was an afternoon tea with all our leftover treats and Chinese dumplings.
I now have a new set of friends, a support group and many new thoughts. Despite all the nerves, fears and early wakeups, it was a great experience, and I have a lot to take away from it.
- Carolyn Ding, year 11 in 2011, Saint Kentigern College
http://www.theaucklander.co.nz/news/carolyn-ding-chinese-leadership-camp/1217276/
Carolyn Ding is in Year 11, at Saint Kentigerns College. She attended the New Zealand Chinese Association (NZCA) first ever Youth Leadership Camp at Camp Adair in December 2011.
Winston Gee
Chinese students earmarked as future leaders have taken part in the first youth leadership camp run by the NZ Chinese Association. One of those chosen Carolyn Ding, is Year 11 at St Kentigerns. She kept a diary of the experience for the Aucklander. The 43 students - aged 14 to 17 - were exploring what it means to be young and Chinese in New Zealand. They were chosen because they have been earmarked as future leaders. Albert King, a personal development coach from Singapore ran the weekend which featured speeches from high-profile Kiwis of Chinese descent including film director Roseanne Liang (My Wedding and Other Secrets), Andrew Young (ex-CEO, Starship Foundation) and Meng Foon (Mayor of Gisborne).
The Aucklander asked one of future leaders who took part to keep a diary. Carolyn Ding is in Year 11, at Saint Kentigerns. This is her account.
DAY ONE
Today I caught a lift with Jess, meeting Maisy and Alice, and drove an hour to Hunua's Camp Adair. The only other camps I have attended were in primary school and last year's choir camp.
We were allocated our cabins and I soon realised others were in the same position as me - quite nervous about meeting others. The committee, including Richard Leung and David Wong, met us an introduced us to our new coach and mentor, Albert King, who had flown in from Singapore!
I was nervous this morning knowing that I would be surrounded by a new environment, strangers and tasks that may be mentally and physically challenging.
We played a few'meet and greet' activities and acknowledged what we wanted to get out of the camp. I really like the way Albert explained that the more we put into it, the more we'd get out of it. I know I've heard that so many times but just the way he challenged us, really made me think and want to give it a go. I hope I can give 110 per cent.
He also explained our comfort zone and how we have a stretch zone and also a danger zone, the stretch zone being the extension and putting ourselves to the test and the danger zone being stretching ourselves way too far and endangering ourselves such as a panic attack etc. (I don't think that'll be too likely though).
I haven't thought about this before. I hope I can actually gain a better idea of who I am by the end of the camp.
We did activities aimed at getting to know each other. There are a couple of St Kentigern College students (Meghan Koh and Nick King) who I have seen around school but haven't had the chance to talk to before. There are also a number of Diocesan girls, some from Wellington, Levin and one all the way from Queensland!
Later, we were fortunate enough to hear from the the director of My Wedding and Other Secrets, Roseanne Liang! I love that movie and have watched it so many times, so I feel as if I kind of already know her. It was an excellent talk in which she spoke about her films, endeavours and hard work getting there. It was very inspiring the way she spoke from the heart about finding herself and her Chinese identity. It's also really interesting that her Chinese ancestry has actually helped her in her success, and she knows who she is despite the confusion of her mixed culture. I wish I could be that decisive. She also shared her childhood and her parents' Chinese influence. It's funny how so much has changed and where most of us accept ourselves as Chinese New Zealanders and may not even know our Chinese roots or the language. Are we still Chinese if we can't speak the language, don't share the culture, but simply look the part?
I guess I see myself as a New Zealander even though I am Chinese. I now feel as if my culture of Chinese enhances the New Zealand. I do know how to speak a bit of Cantonese and yes, I do know the Chinese culture to a point, but my roots and ancestry are still a bit hazy. Something to research.
Roseanne accepts that life is full of learning curves and we should put in the hard yards to strive to'not be a bad person' but instead a good, moral person. When put like that, I see life in a different perspective. I just wish we could sometimes take a simpler route to our ideal image instead of going through the hard yards.
Afterwards, we watched the lion dance performed by kids aged 4-19. I've seen this previously so it was no biggie for me. We were also given the chance to give it a go.
Chill time. At dinner, I sat with some Diocesan girls. Had some classic Chinese noodles (stirfry and chicken). Yum.
Group activities were next. Got into our groups - Davina, Sian, Cammy, Wei Luok, Nick, Braden, Nathan and I. Our facilitators were Alice Chan and Winson Fong.
Made a name: Panda Power! Made a logo. Made a chant.
'We are black, we are white, we are mighty dynamite!
Was really fun working in the group, Sian is the leader of our group and Davina is the messenger.
Burma trail
It was alright, not too adrenaline rushing as we could see in the dark and everyone was talking but it was fun spending time with the group anyway whether we could see them or not.
Supper, then played cards, tin the other dorm. Also played a few truth and dares.
It's now midnight and everyone is asleep except me. I am so tired and still have to wake up at 7.30am tomorrow. Not looking forward to that part.
DAY TWO
Woke up to my friend, Jess, tapping me on the shoulder for a 6.30am wake up call. No not 7.30am. It's a Saturday and usually I'm used to waking up around 10.30am.
Today: It was the outdoor high ropes designed to push us to our limits or'stretch zone'. I am not so keen on heights. Once at the top of each course, about 10m from the ground, and faced with the task of leaping into mid air, I was far from my comfort zone.
The sight of even Winson jumping scared me. He jumped and spread out his arms and legs out like a starfish. Each bump and swing of the rope made him jerk from side to side like a rag doll. I'm pretty sure I would never do that in a million years. How on earth does anyone do that?
It was the first obstacle and I'd have to say the scariest although many others said they had loved it.
The second obstacle was fine. It was the Cargo Net where you simply had to climb up a 10m cargo net which wasn't attached to the ground. It was much, much easier for me as I'd much rather endure a small workout than facing heights!
This was also great for the team bonding because we had to work together to guide a blindfolded member of our group over the course. Also we were forced to bond by guiding the ropes attached to the climber through a mechanism, ensuring their safety. It was great fun.
The final obstacle was the Multi Vine in which we had to climb up the tree and scuttle across a tightrope wire, holding on to suspended vertical ropes every 2m. This really tested our balance, trust in ourselves as well as the trust we had in our team mates. I found this activity challenging as the further I travelled, the more it shook according to my nerves, and the more it shook, the more nervous I became. Let's just say it was very shaky up there. I was insanely scared.
As we had restricted time, we were only able to complete 3 out of the 5 courses. To be honest, I was very relieved - the next one involved heights.
Taichi was next, all about finding your inner chi and balance to your life: ying and yang. Once explained I could understand the fascination of it, although it isn't my cup of tea. Gold medallist and two time silver medallist David Wong taught us! His control and balance was amazing. When I tried it, it was surprisingly quite relaxing.
Guest speaker two: Andrew Young, Past CEO of Starship Foundation and present Global Marketing Director of Les Mills.
Andrew was also very inspiring to me, hearing about his difficulties and challenges growing up in the Chinese culture and having to work in his parents' fruit shop as a teenager instead of being able to hang out with his mates. He really rebelled against his parents. I couldn't really believe it that someone like him, now so successful, could've had so much difficulty as a teenager. He really spoke from the heart and it was an amazing talk.
We then moved on to a Chinese dance. A lot of people were put out of their immediate comfort zone but once we got going, we were fine. We have to wear cultural costumes tomorrow at the performance for the parents. Bright pink with a mandarin collar and the works. Great. I am also not a great dancer.
Then we went to calligraphy. It was surprisingly hard to write nicely. I didn't expect that. It was handy that I had attended Chinese school previously when I was young so I was familiar with most words. The calligraphy Chinese teacher was so funny!
Dinner then another speaker.
Meng Foon spoke to us. It had been a very long, full on day so we were already very tired. He spoke about his experiences working within a political setting and how if we should always use our full potential in everything we do so that we don't live with regrets. I really respect his skills and being fluent in Maori. He also sung us a Maori song. He is actually a good singer!
After supper was our group presentations answering our given question. Ours was'If you were a super hero, what super ability would you pick to have'. We chose shape shifting which ties in with our'panda' group name and created a short story based on how communication is key. Being able to shape shift into different animals and characters, we would also be able communicate with different life forms and see situations from their perspectives.
Then we sat in our groups in a dark setting to hear classical music, sharing our thoughts. It was great to see how we'd all grown a bit, and we all felt a bit wiser after only a day and a half of camp. That was one of my favourite parts of camp. Sitting around in groups by candlelight, having a deep and meaningful conversation.
It's now 2.30am and I am exhausted after chatting etc.
LAST DAY
Team building activities, everyone grouping in a circle. All I could think about the whole time while we were interacting with one another was how we were strangers only two days ago and now, we were familiar and had built strong relationships in such a short time frame. It is like Albert said,'we are all connected now'.
We went to the hall that and listened to NZCA National President, Virginia Chong, speak. She spoke about our futures and what lies ahead of us within the NZCA community. I think it was a good conclusion, focusing on the future opportunities.
Following other presentations, we had a discussion about whether we see ourselves as New Zealand Chinese or Chinese New Zealand and whether there is a difference between the two or not. It really triggered my own thoughts.
We had a small ceremony presenting envelopes from our facilitators (Alice and Winson) in which comments from our camp members had been written. I loved the atmosphere, everyone was silent and music was put on. Not one word was said yet the message was still conveyed.
We were then able to hug and whisper our acknowledgements, ending with everyone in a circle, swaying from side to the'Vitamin C Friends Forever Graduation Song'. Although it was a bit cheesy, I think it touched each one of us.
The very last thing on the agenda was the parent concert in which we had to perform our Chinese dance we had learnt in an hour yesterday. I was anxious about performing in front of the parents and especially the Chinese dance routine as it was something I had never tried before. I don't think anyone of us were too pleased about our costumes, yet alone the dance, but it was the last challenge and we all did our best.
Certificates were handed out and a slide show played showed us how much we had done in such a small space of time. Then it was an afternoon tea with all our leftover treats and Chinese dumplings.
I now have a new set of friends, a support group and many new thoughts. Despite all the nerves, fears and early wakeups, it was a great experience, and I have a lot to take away from it.
- Carolyn Ding, year 11 in 2011, Saint Kentigern College
http://www.theaucklander.co.nz/news/carolyn-ding-chinese-leadership-camp/1217276/
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Making the Most of Holiday Opportunities
Copies of family photographs in protective sleeves. Check.
Laptop with family history data. Check.
Digital recorder for taping the family sharing memories. Check.
Interrogation lamp so we can finally get Aunt Delilah to crack and spill those family secrets. Check.
OK, maybe that last one’s going a bit too far, but when you’re the family historian, your pre-holiday checklist is probably going to be a little different than that of others. You know that family get- togethers are the best place to find answers to your family history mysteries.
Whether you are planning on conducting formal interviews or just a little discreet prying, a little pre-planning can go a long way. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your time with family.
—Make some time to review your family tree. Look at what you’ve learned this past year and what you still need to know. Is there a family member who might hold the key to that mystery you’ve been working on? Perhaps sharing a recent find will prompt a memory that gets you on the road to discovery.
—If you’re planning a formal interview, try to include some fun questions. Instead of asking what month great-grandma died, ask for memories of the funeral. Who was there? Known death dates of those in attendance, or knowing who would have been available to attend the event at that time, might help narrow down the time frame. What was the weather like? Was it summer or winter? Was it around a holiday? If the event took place at a home, where was it? This information, coupled with the facts found in directories, can help you determine what years your family lived in a residence. Go for more than just names and dates. Flesh out your family tree with childhood memories by asking questions like those on this list in the Ancestry.com Library.
—Make sure your online tree or software has the most current information and attach records. While the mere sight of a pedigree chart can send some relatives running for cover, who can resist a photograph or the passenger arrival record of your immigrant ancestor?
—Make a “Favorites List” for the kids (and the grown-ups). There’s a sample list here in the Ancestry.com Library. If you’ve done this in the past, bring out copies of past lists too. Now that they’re “all grown up,” the kids will get a kick out of seeing what their favorite songs, stars, and books were five years ago.
by Juliana Smith
Laptop with family history data. Check.
Digital recorder for taping the family sharing memories. Check.
Interrogation lamp so we can finally get Aunt Delilah to crack and spill those family secrets. Check.
OK, maybe that last one’s going a bit too far, but when you’re the family historian, your pre-holiday checklist is probably going to be a little different than that of others. You know that family get- togethers are the best place to find answers to your family history mysteries.
Whether you are planning on conducting formal interviews or just a little discreet prying, a little pre-planning can go a long way. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your time with family.
—Make some time to review your family tree. Look at what you’ve learned this past year and what you still need to know. Is there a family member who might hold the key to that mystery you’ve been working on? Perhaps sharing a recent find will prompt a memory that gets you on the road to discovery.
—If you’re planning a formal interview, try to include some fun questions. Instead of asking what month great-grandma died, ask for memories of the funeral. Who was there? Known death dates of those in attendance, or knowing who would have been available to attend the event at that time, might help narrow down the time frame. What was the weather like? Was it summer or winter? Was it around a holiday? If the event took place at a home, where was it? This information, coupled with the facts found in directories, can help you determine what years your family lived in a residence. Go for more than just names and dates. Flesh out your family tree with childhood memories by asking questions like those on this list in the Ancestry.com Library.
—Make sure your online tree or software has the most current information and attach records. While the mere sight of a pedigree chart can send some relatives running for cover, who can resist a photograph or the passenger arrival record of your immigrant ancestor?
—Make a “Favorites List” for the kids (and the grown-ups). There’s a sample list here in the Ancestry.com Library. If you’ve done this in the past, bring out copies of past lists too. Now that they’re “all grown up,” the kids will get a kick out of seeing what their favorite songs, stars, and books were five years ago.
by Juliana Smith
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Saying Sorry
Chinese Women's Culture in New Zealand
YWCA Lecture
Liz Ngan, 13 October 1992
I am here today to talk about Chinese women's culture in Aotearoa. To me this means: what our lives have been like in this country, what we have retained from our cultural past and what we do to deal with the present.
I haven't always found it easy being part of a visible minority. If, for example, I was first or second generation Scots would so many people ask me if I was born here, or would kids call me names in the street? If you belong to a majority culture, you don't have to question who you are or why you are here. If you are outside that majority, others will ask those questions for you.
By telling you about some women in my family you may see how the opportunities and expectations of Chinese women have changed over time. You will also see how different women deal with the challenges of being Chinese in this country.
The Chinese in this country come not only from China but also from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Fiji, Canary Islands and so on. Chinese people as a race are dispersed throughout the world. Both sides of my family come from the South China province of Guangzhou. On Dad's side it was his parents who emigrated here. My Grandfather came out late last century (19th), as a teacher of English and Chinese. My Grandmother, A-Ma arrived here in the 1920s. A-Ma was a second wife. My Grandfather married her because he wanted more sons. Back then in China man could have as many wives as he could support. His first wife had had three sons, but two of them had died in adulthood. When he married A-Ma, she was about the same age as his eldest son. I don't know what A-Ma's level of education was like. I don't ever remember seeing her reading or writing. But then again, most of the books around our house were in English and she didn't speak much English.
Not long after Dad was born here my Grandfather and A-Ma took the family back to China. They considered that their prospects were better in China. Although my Grandfather was a naturalised British citizen, he was not entitled to a pension, for example.
A-Ma didn't return to New Zealand for ten years, until the Sino-Japanese war concentrated on Guangzhou. Dad and his brother had been sent back to Wellington earlier. A-Ma and her daughter travelled through China by night to escape via Hong Kong. They left Hong Kong just as the Japanese declared war on Britain, A-Ma worked hard here to support her family. She worked in fruit shops, she did odd jobs like helping in laundries. She worked hard to survive. Eventually she borrowed enough money to start a fruit shop in Mirimar. A-Ma wasn't only working for her family who had escaped the war. Two sons had been left behind in China. One was her natural son, the other was the son of the third wife. It was always her ambition to reunite the family.
Sadly, this never happened while she was alive. My memories of A-Ma are of an old woman sitting in the sun at our house knitting jerseys and cardigans for her grandchildren back in Guangzhou. That and her taking a long draw on a Matinee cigarette while waiting for the tea to cook. I wish now that I could have spoken with her in Cantonese. If the language barrier wasn't there I would know a lot more about her and I could've heard her stories first hand.
In contrast to A-Ma, I have heard a lot of stories from my Nan. Mum's mother Dolly Wong was born in Wellington in 1911 over a fruit shop in Cuba Street. Nan's father emigrated here first and when he became established in business he sent back to the village for a wife. Nan had nine surviving brothers and sisters. She is the youngest of the three daughters, but not the youngest in the family. Nan was educated at Clyde Quay School and stayed until she did her proficiency. She was12 when her father said, "Enough education, you will work in the shop from now on." The shop was Te Aro Seed Company in Courtney Place. Although her father was strict, Nan found ways around the rules that were imposed.
She loved ballet and always wanted to dance, but her father didn't think it was proper behaviour. For a whole year she went off to ballet classes without her father's knowledge. Her eldest brother, George, paid for her lessons. At the end of the year the teacher said that there would be a recital and Nan would've loved to be in it. But she realised that her father would find out that she'd been going to the lessons, so she had to give it all up. Another thing that was forbidden was for the kids to eat fish and chips in the living quarters above the shop. Nan's older sisters, Lily and Daisy, would send her out with some money to the chip shop. When she got back, they'd lower a basket out of the bedroom window and haul the goodies up.
When Nan was 16 she went to China to complete her education. She went back with her parents and some of her brothers, and they lived in Guangzhou City. "Completing her education" meant learning to read and write Chinese and to know what her homeland was like. Most of her brothers and sisters spent time in Guangzhou for the same reasons.
Nan was lonely there. She missed her home and friends. One of the things she missed most were the cream doughnuts. After three years of studying Nan asked her father if she could take a job at the library where one of her cousins worked. He said, "No, because you'll be getting married." Nan's wedding to My Goong was arranged. She didn't want to get married but there was no choice. Luckily, she had met Goong before the wedding so he wasn't a complete stranger.
Also Goong had been working in New Zealand since he was a boy. He spoke and wrote English fluently and he knew what life was like here. Nan's sisters, Daisy and Lily, chose their own husbands, meeting them through church groups. One was a Baptist, the other was an Anglican. Both of them married in New Zealand and my great-grandfather wanted at least one of his daughters to have a traditional wedding in China. So probably that decision was made for Nan long before she knew.
Nan and Goong returned to New Zealand in the 1930s. In 1938 they took over the General Store at Utiku, near Taihape. Through running the General Store and having the cream and mail runs, Nan and Goong were very involved in the local community. They had five children in all and were the only Chinese family in Utiku. Later Nan and Goong moved to Lower Hutt where they still live. Although my great-grandfather had prevented Nan from working in the library in Guangzhou, she certainly worked hard for the rest of her life.
Mum, Jean Ngan, is Nan's eldest daughter. She has two brothers and two sisters. She remembers the years in Utiku as really happy, even although it was the end of the Depression and then World War II. As country kids she thought that her parents sheltered them from the hardships. Mum, like her brothers and sisters, spoke Cantonese up until the time she started school. From then on English was spoken at home, Cantonese became the language used by Nan and Goong if they wanted to speak in private. When visiting her grandparents as a teenager, she regretted that she couldn't speak more Cantonese.
Mum stayed at school till the fourth form (Yr 10). She did elocution lessons, learnt the piano and the organ and with her sister Marina played lots of sports. (Mum and her sisters' English names are Jeanette, Marina and Helene. Their Chinese names are Zhen-Ling, (Pure Lotus), Mei-Ling (Beautiful Lotus) and Hei-Ling (Happy Lotus).) The reason Mum left school when she was 15 was to help in the General Store, as Nan was expecting Helene. Mum says that no-one asked her to leave school. She just felt, as the eldest daughter, that she should. Her one condition was that when she turned 18 she would go and do her nursing training. There was one other time when Mum put her own plans on hold to help out the family. After she finished her nuring training and staffing at Hutt Hospital in 1956, she took a year out to help Nan and Goong in their fruit shop in Nae Nae. She says she hated it but again she felt she should do it. In 1959 Mum married Dad. She said there was an expectation that she would marry a Chinese man. The places where Chinese met each other were at dances and weddings. Mum met Dad when he his brother and a cousin went round to play Mah Jong with Goong. Mum gave up nursing when my brother was born in 1960. I came along in 1964 and Mum didn't return to nursing until I was in third form (Yr 9).
Mum is still nursing, and though it's often stressful, she really enjoys it, especially meeting and helping so many people. In the practice where she is head nurse, she finds the Asian patients are more open to her because she is Chinese. Again, she wishes she could speak Cantonese as it would make her dealings with the patients easier.
As for myself, I was born in Lower Hutt and grew up in Stokes Valley. My educational opportunities were greater than Mum's or Nan's. I don't ever remember deciding to go to university. It was just considered the natural follow-on from college. There weren't many Chinese kids at any of the schools I went to. The only Chinese people I knew were my relatives.
The only place I would see a lot of Chinese people would be at weddings, 80th birthday parties, the first month parties given to children, and other family celebrations. Growing up I found it hard to accept that I was Chinese. I actively disliked being different from other kids. And I actively hated the racism and petty name-calling. When I was 14 I decided, well, there's no way I can be anything else, I might as well be proud of my heritage. Since then I have listened more carefully to the family stories.
When I got to university, I studied Mandarin Chinese language and culture as part of my Arts degree. I learnt to read and write and speak. I appreciated how hard Nan must have studied in Guangzhou, at a similar age to me. The type of job possibilities for me were limited only by my imagination. There was no family business for me to work in, no particular profession that my parents wanted me to follow. Perhaps because there were no guidelines, that's the reason it took me so long to find something I enjoyed and was challenged by! After three years of library work and learning to weave, I moved into computing.
One of the things I enjoy about my life now, as opposed to when I was growing up, is that I have lots of Chinese women friends. They are supportive and loving. I often feel I can speak more freely with them than with other friends, because we share a bond of being different.
In particular when someone has been verbally or violently racist towards me like the day a man took a swing at me with piece of roofing iron and said he wished he'd killed "us" all in the war, the support is there. There's no question that you provoked him or that the world needs less people like that.
From the stories I've told you, I hope you have gained some idea of what it can be like to be a Chinese women in this country. While holding onto the culture they were brought up with, my Grandmothers made a life for themselves and their families. My mother as second generation New Zealand born Chinese, had more choice in her personal and professional life. But she still bore in mind family obligations and expectations.
For me the choices were even greater, including the choice of accepting or denying my Chinese identity. I am glad I accepted it. I am glad also of the opportunity to tell you of the struggles and achievements of the women in my family. And to share with you the richness that comes from being a Chinese woman in Aotearoa.
Liz Ngan of Wellington has kindly given her permission to use her 1992 YWCA lecture notes in this unit.
Re: Saying Sorry
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/socialscience/curriculum/SSOL/sorry/story_e.php
YWCA Lecture
Liz Ngan, 13 October 1992
I am here today to talk about Chinese women's culture in Aotearoa. To me this means: what our lives have been like in this country, what we have retained from our cultural past and what we do to deal with the present.
I haven't always found it easy being part of a visible minority. If, for example, I was first or second generation Scots would so many people ask me if I was born here, or would kids call me names in the street? If you belong to a majority culture, you don't have to question who you are or why you are here. If you are outside that majority, others will ask those questions for you.
By telling you about some women in my family you may see how the opportunities and expectations of Chinese women have changed over time. You will also see how different women deal with the challenges of being Chinese in this country.
The Chinese in this country come not only from China but also from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Fiji, Canary Islands and so on. Chinese people as a race are dispersed throughout the world. Both sides of my family come from the South China province of Guangzhou. On Dad's side it was his parents who emigrated here. My Grandfather came out late last century (19th), as a teacher of English and Chinese. My Grandmother, A-Ma arrived here in the 1920s. A-Ma was a second wife. My Grandfather married her because he wanted more sons. Back then in China man could have as many wives as he could support. His first wife had had three sons, but two of them had died in adulthood. When he married A-Ma, she was about the same age as his eldest son. I don't know what A-Ma's level of education was like. I don't ever remember seeing her reading or writing. But then again, most of the books around our house were in English and she didn't speak much English.
Not long after Dad was born here my Grandfather and A-Ma took the family back to China. They considered that their prospects were better in China. Although my Grandfather was a naturalised British citizen, he was not entitled to a pension, for example.
A-Ma didn't return to New Zealand for ten years, until the Sino-Japanese war concentrated on Guangzhou. Dad and his brother had been sent back to Wellington earlier. A-Ma and her daughter travelled through China by night to escape via Hong Kong. They left Hong Kong just as the Japanese declared war on Britain, A-Ma worked hard here to support her family. She worked in fruit shops, she did odd jobs like helping in laundries. She worked hard to survive. Eventually she borrowed enough money to start a fruit shop in Mirimar. A-Ma wasn't only working for her family who had escaped the war. Two sons had been left behind in China. One was her natural son, the other was the son of the third wife. It was always her ambition to reunite the family.
Sadly, this never happened while she was alive. My memories of A-Ma are of an old woman sitting in the sun at our house knitting jerseys and cardigans for her grandchildren back in Guangzhou. That and her taking a long draw on a Matinee cigarette while waiting for the tea to cook. I wish now that I could have spoken with her in Cantonese. If the language barrier wasn't there I would know a lot more about her and I could've heard her stories first hand.
In contrast to A-Ma, I have heard a lot of stories from my Nan. Mum's mother Dolly Wong was born in Wellington in 1911 over a fruit shop in Cuba Street. Nan's father emigrated here first and when he became established in business he sent back to the village for a wife. Nan had nine surviving brothers and sisters. She is the youngest of the three daughters, but not the youngest in the family. Nan was educated at Clyde Quay School and stayed until she did her proficiency. She was12 when her father said, "Enough education, you will work in the shop from now on." The shop was Te Aro Seed Company in Courtney Place. Although her father was strict, Nan found ways around the rules that were imposed.
She loved ballet and always wanted to dance, but her father didn't think it was proper behaviour. For a whole year she went off to ballet classes without her father's knowledge. Her eldest brother, George, paid for her lessons. At the end of the year the teacher said that there would be a recital and Nan would've loved to be in it. But she realised that her father would find out that she'd been going to the lessons, so she had to give it all up. Another thing that was forbidden was for the kids to eat fish and chips in the living quarters above the shop. Nan's older sisters, Lily and Daisy, would send her out with some money to the chip shop. When she got back, they'd lower a basket out of the bedroom window and haul the goodies up.
When Nan was 16 she went to China to complete her education. She went back with her parents and some of her brothers, and they lived in Guangzhou City. "Completing her education" meant learning to read and write Chinese and to know what her homeland was like. Most of her brothers and sisters spent time in Guangzhou for the same reasons.
Nan was lonely there. She missed her home and friends. One of the things she missed most were the cream doughnuts. After three years of studying Nan asked her father if she could take a job at the library where one of her cousins worked. He said, "No, because you'll be getting married." Nan's wedding to My Goong was arranged. She didn't want to get married but there was no choice. Luckily, she had met Goong before the wedding so he wasn't a complete stranger.
Also Goong had been working in New Zealand since he was a boy. He spoke and wrote English fluently and he knew what life was like here. Nan's sisters, Daisy and Lily, chose their own husbands, meeting them through church groups. One was a Baptist, the other was an Anglican. Both of them married in New Zealand and my great-grandfather wanted at least one of his daughters to have a traditional wedding in China. So probably that decision was made for Nan long before she knew.
Nan and Goong returned to New Zealand in the 1930s. In 1938 they took over the General Store at Utiku, near Taihape. Through running the General Store and having the cream and mail runs, Nan and Goong were very involved in the local community. They had five children in all and were the only Chinese family in Utiku. Later Nan and Goong moved to Lower Hutt where they still live. Although my great-grandfather had prevented Nan from working in the library in Guangzhou, she certainly worked hard for the rest of her life.
Mum, Jean Ngan, is Nan's eldest daughter. She has two brothers and two sisters. She remembers the years in Utiku as really happy, even although it was the end of the Depression and then World War II. As country kids she thought that her parents sheltered them from the hardships. Mum, like her brothers and sisters, spoke Cantonese up until the time she started school. From then on English was spoken at home, Cantonese became the language used by Nan and Goong if they wanted to speak in private. When visiting her grandparents as a teenager, she regretted that she couldn't speak more Cantonese.
Mum stayed at school till the fourth form (Yr 10). She did elocution lessons, learnt the piano and the organ and with her sister Marina played lots of sports. (Mum and her sisters' English names are Jeanette, Marina and Helene. Their Chinese names are Zhen-Ling, (Pure Lotus), Mei-Ling (Beautiful Lotus) and Hei-Ling (Happy Lotus).) The reason Mum left school when she was 15 was to help in the General Store, as Nan was expecting Helene. Mum says that no-one asked her to leave school. She just felt, as the eldest daughter, that she should. Her one condition was that when she turned 18 she would go and do her nursing training. There was one other time when Mum put her own plans on hold to help out the family. After she finished her nuring training and staffing at Hutt Hospital in 1956, she took a year out to help Nan and Goong in their fruit shop in Nae Nae. She says she hated it but again she felt she should do it. In 1959 Mum married Dad. She said there was an expectation that she would marry a Chinese man. The places where Chinese met each other were at dances and weddings. Mum met Dad when he his brother and a cousin went round to play Mah Jong with Goong. Mum gave up nursing when my brother was born in 1960. I came along in 1964 and Mum didn't return to nursing until I was in third form (Yr 9).
Mum is still nursing, and though it's often stressful, she really enjoys it, especially meeting and helping so many people. In the practice where she is head nurse, she finds the Asian patients are more open to her because she is Chinese. Again, she wishes she could speak Cantonese as it would make her dealings with the patients easier.
As for myself, I was born in Lower Hutt and grew up in Stokes Valley. My educational opportunities were greater than Mum's or Nan's. I don't ever remember deciding to go to university. It was just considered the natural follow-on from college. There weren't many Chinese kids at any of the schools I went to. The only Chinese people I knew were my relatives.
The only place I would see a lot of Chinese people would be at weddings, 80th birthday parties, the first month parties given to children, and other family celebrations. Growing up I found it hard to accept that I was Chinese. I actively disliked being different from other kids. And I actively hated the racism and petty name-calling. When I was 14 I decided, well, there's no way I can be anything else, I might as well be proud of my heritage. Since then I have listened more carefully to the family stories.
When I got to university, I studied Mandarin Chinese language and culture as part of my Arts degree. I learnt to read and write and speak. I appreciated how hard Nan must have studied in Guangzhou, at a similar age to me. The type of job possibilities for me were limited only by my imagination. There was no family business for me to work in, no particular profession that my parents wanted me to follow. Perhaps because there were no guidelines, that's the reason it took me so long to find something I enjoyed and was challenged by! After three years of library work and learning to weave, I moved into computing.
One of the things I enjoy about my life now, as opposed to when I was growing up, is that I have lots of Chinese women friends. They are supportive and loving. I often feel I can speak more freely with them than with other friends, because we share a bond of being different.
In particular when someone has been verbally or violently racist towards me like the day a man took a swing at me with piece of roofing iron and said he wished he'd killed "us" all in the war, the support is there. There's no question that you provoked him or that the world needs less people like that.
From the stories I've told you, I hope you have gained some idea of what it can be like to be a Chinese women in this country. While holding onto the culture they were brought up with, my Grandmothers made a life for themselves and their families. My mother as second generation New Zealand born Chinese, had more choice in her personal and professional life. But she still bore in mind family obligations and expectations.
For me the choices were even greater, including the choice of accepting or denying my Chinese identity. I am glad I accepted it. I am glad also of the opportunity to tell you of the struggles and achievements of the women in my family. And to share with you the richness that comes from being a Chinese woman in Aotearoa.
Liz Ngan of Wellington has kindly given her permission to use her 1992 YWCA lecture notes in this unit.
Re: Saying Sorry
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/socialscience/curriculum/SSOL/sorry/story_e.php
Hutt sister-in-law centenarians celebrate together
As milestones go turning 100 is a rare occasion. It's even more special when sisters-in-law celebrate the occasion within a few days of each other.
Avalon's Shona McFarlane Retirement Home hosted the first of a double event on Friday when family and friends of Dolly Wong gathered to mark her 100th birthday. They'll be back on Thursday for the 100th birthday of her sister-in-law, Molly Ting.
Until six months ago Dolly and Molly lived next door to one another, but due to failing health Molly now lives in a different wing of the complex.
Close family ties, hard work and community service have been features of both women's lives.
The Ting and Wong families have strong ties to the Chinese community and have been long time members of the capital's Tung Jung Association of New Zealand. The group was founded in 1926 to help Chinese migrants who faced numerous prejudices socially and in business.
Dolly Wong was born in Cuba St, the eighth of 13 children. Her parents James Chin Ting and Ng Shee Ting ran the Te Aro Seed Company in Courtenay Pl for many years.
"Nan grew up above the shop on the corner of Tory St and Courtenay Pl and went to Clyde Quay School," said granddaughter Liz Ngan.
At 16 she and some of the family returned to China to learn to read and write Chinese and learn some of the classics.
She married Willie Wong, who was also raised in New Zealand, and the couple returned here in the 1930s, eventually taking over the general store at Utiku near Taihape and raising their five children there. The family moved to Lower Hutt in 1950 and ran the Rata St Fruit supply until their retirement.
A keen crafter, Dolly was skilled at embroidery, sewing, knitting and crochet. She was also an excellent pianist and "played a mean ukulele".
"Nan also loved the ballet, reading, shopping down Lambton Quay, going to dances and seeing her family grow and do well," Liz Ngan said.
Dolly said: "You never think you're going to make it this far, but I'm so pleased to be able to see my great grandchildren grow."
She was also "thrilled" to receive cards from the Queen and the Prime Minister.
"I just want to say how kind everyone is and I'm very pleased that we're here one and all to celebrate this birthday."
- Hutt News
LEE-ANNE EDWARDS
Last updated 15:39 01/11/2011
Avalon's Shona McFarlane Retirement Home hosted the first of a double event on Friday when family and friends of Dolly Wong gathered to mark her 100th birthday. They'll be back on Thursday for the 100th birthday of her sister-in-law, Molly Ting.
Until six months ago Dolly and Molly lived next door to one another, but due to failing health Molly now lives in a different wing of the complex.
Close family ties, hard work and community service have been features of both women's lives.
The Ting and Wong families have strong ties to the Chinese community and have been long time members of the capital's Tung Jung Association of New Zealand. The group was founded in 1926 to help Chinese migrants who faced numerous prejudices socially and in business.
Dolly Wong was born in Cuba St, the eighth of 13 children. Her parents James Chin Ting and Ng Shee Ting ran the Te Aro Seed Company in Courtenay Pl for many years.
"Nan grew up above the shop on the corner of Tory St and Courtenay Pl and went to Clyde Quay School," said granddaughter Liz Ngan.
At 16 she and some of the family returned to China to learn to read and write Chinese and learn some of the classics.
She married Willie Wong, who was also raised in New Zealand, and the couple returned here in the 1930s, eventually taking over the general store at Utiku near Taihape and raising their five children there. The family moved to Lower Hutt in 1950 and ran the Rata St Fruit supply until their retirement.
A keen crafter, Dolly was skilled at embroidery, sewing, knitting and crochet. She was also an excellent pianist and "played a mean ukulele".
"Nan also loved the ballet, reading, shopping down Lambton Quay, going to dances and seeing her family grow and do well," Liz Ngan said.
Dolly said: "You never think you're going to make it this far, but I'm so pleased to be able to see my great grandchildren grow."
She was also "thrilled" to receive cards from the Queen and the Prime Minister.
"I just want to say how kind everyone is and I'm very pleased that we're here one and all to celebrate this birthday."
- Hutt News
LEE-ANNE EDWARDS
Last updated 15:39 01/11/2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
heatre
Theatre Review: The Bone Feeder, Tapac Theatre
By Paul Simei-Barton
5:30 AM Saturday Nov 12, 2011
Of all the ships wrecked off the Hokianga, few can have been carrying stranger cargo than the SS Ventnor, dispatched from the Otago goldfields in 1902 with the coffins of 499 miners who had hoped to have their bones returned to their families in China.
In the hands of playwright Renee Liang, this intriguing historical incident becomes a springboard for a powerful drama in which longing for a return to the ancestral homeland is set against the immigrants' desire to put down roots in their adopted home.
While focusing on a particular community, the play explores how this continuously evolving dialectic shapes the identity of all who arrive, then find themselves staying in a new country.
The story unfolds through a clever, multi-layered structure that swings back and forward in time and encompasses the voices of both the living and the dead.
A fifth-generation Chinese New Zealander investigating the shipwreck is drawn in to a strange encounter with the ghosts of the miners who have made a home for themselves in the Hokianga after their bones were re-buried by the local iwi.
This fascinating cultural reunion is observed and facilitated by a Maori ferryman played by Rob Mokaraka, who brings a wonderfully engaging, laconic humour to the whole enterprise.
The multiple voices are neatly complemented by a rich variety of story-telling techniques and director Lauren Jackson does a superb job in seamlessly bringing together puppetry, dance, song, martial arts, shadow screens and aerial acrobatics.
On occasions, the magic realist style seems to move too easily between the world of the living and the dead but the mystery of the spiritual dimension is restored as the play abandons dialogue and communicates through finely choreographed dance sequences.
The rich visual tapestry is beautifully supported by a remarkable soundtrack that is performed live with an intricate blend of Chinese and Maori instruments.
The large cast establishes a strong physical presence with plenty of mischievous humour and the two lead roles are both well handled, with Kevin Ng capturing the awkwardness of a modern Kiwi kid who finds himself well outside of his comfort zone, while Gary Young convincingly portrays the emotional journey of a character from another time.
What: The Bone Feeder.
By Paul Simei-Barton
5:30 AM Saturday Nov 12, 2011
Of all the ships wrecked off the Hokianga, few can have been carrying stranger cargo than the SS Ventnor, dispatched from the Otago goldfields in 1902 with the coffins of 499 miners who had hoped to have their bones returned to their families in China.
In the hands of playwright Renee Liang, this intriguing historical incident becomes a springboard for a powerful drama in which longing for a return to the ancestral homeland is set against the immigrants' desire to put down roots in their adopted home.
While focusing on a particular community, the play explores how this continuously evolving dialectic shapes the identity of all who arrive, then find themselves staying in a new country.
The story unfolds through a clever, multi-layered structure that swings back and forward in time and encompasses the voices of both the living and the dead.
A fifth-generation Chinese New Zealander investigating the shipwreck is drawn in to a strange encounter with the ghosts of the miners who have made a home for themselves in the Hokianga after their bones were re-buried by the local iwi.
This fascinating cultural reunion is observed and facilitated by a Maori ferryman played by Rob Mokaraka, who brings a wonderfully engaging, laconic humour to the whole enterprise.
The multiple voices are neatly complemented by a rich variety of story-telling techniques and director Lauren Jackson does a superb job in seamlessly bringing together puppetry, dance, song, martial arts, shadow screens and aerial acrobatics.
On occasions, the magic realist style seems to move too easily between the world of the living and the dead but the mystery of the spiritual dimension is restored as the play abandons dialogue and communicates through finely choreographed dance sequences.
The rich visual tapestry is beautifully supported by a remarkable soundtrack that is performed live with an intricate blend of Chinese and Maori instruments.
The large cast establishes a strong physical presence with plenty of mischievous humour and the two lead roles are both well handled, with Kevin Ng capturing the awkwardness of a modern Kiwi kid who finds himself well outside of his comfort zone, while Gary Young convincingly portrays the emotional journey of a character from another time.
What: The Bone Feeder.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The lovely bones
By Dionne Christian
11:16 AM Saturday Nov 5, 2011
In a Grey Lynn art gallery and studio packed with trestle tables and stacks of chairs, pots of paint, lumps of clay and half-finished drawings, an artist diligently keeps his eyes on his work rather than stepping out from behind a partition to watch the five Chinese men in the centre of the room.
They are going through a carefully choreographed series of martial arts moves, making them look graceful and ethereal. It is the final scene - an emotional and physical one - in playwright Renee Liang's The Bone Feeder.
The men look towards the high ceiling, imagining how in the theatre martial arts will be combined with high-wire flying - a proposition for Dragon Origin, New Zealand's first martial arts stunts company, and stunt choreographer and actor Willie Ying to co-ordinate.
Liang and the production team, which includes director Lauren Jackson, believe it's the first time a local professional play has combined martial arts and high-wire flying.
It's also the first time New Zealanders, particularly those of Chinese descent, have had a significant piece of their history presented to them in such a large-scale production.
Jackson says the 19-strong cast, live music, high-wire martial arts, dance, drama and comedy must complement the story rather than distract from it.
"We must make sure during rehearsals that we stop, talk and share ideas so a cohesive direction and vision run through the piece because it's telling such an important and moving story."
Far from contemporary Grey Lynn, the SS Ventnor was en route from Otago in 1902 when she sank in the Hokianga Harbour with the bones of 499 Chinese miners bound for ancestral graves in Canton on board.
It was considered important for Chinese to return to their home villages so many of the men who migrated to New Zealand to work - mainly in the gold fields - thought of themselves as temporary visitors.
They always intended to return to China once they made enough money but life was harsh and many of them never made it home.
Those who died here were buried in temporary graves but the local Chinese community, led by Choie Sew Hoy, raised by subscription the then vast sum of £4000 to charter the Ventnor and carry the exhumed bones home to China.
"It was believed that people needed to return to their home villages in order to watch over their descendants and, in return, have their graves looked after and spirits nourished," says Liang.
But the bones never made it after the Ventnor struck a rock and sank near Hokianga Harbour. The coffins and bones were lost, along with 13 crewmen.
Some of the coffins and bones were washed ashore where, local stories reveal, they were found by Maori and buried in family urupa.
The Bone Feeder gives voice to the ghosts of the Chinese men and the iwi who found their remains, taking the historical fact as the basis for a fictional exploration of family, identity, and love and loss.
It follows Ben (played by Kevin Ng), a fifth generation Chinese New Zealander, who travels to present-day Hokianga to search for the bones of his great, great grandfather.
Once there, he meets some unusual "locals" who may - or may not - be mischievous ghosts.
The play also tells the story of Kwan (played by Gary Young, last seen as Chinese Jack in Underbelly: Land of the Long Green Cloud), who migrates to New Zealand in the 1880s and must decide where he belongs.
"Historical facts are historical facts," says Young, "but what intrigued me was the emotional journey of these characters. Love, fear, loss - they all contribute to universal stories and that interests me as an actor.
"Few people have heard this story before and there's nothing like it on the theatrical landscape so it means at last those Chinese men have a voice and that's important."
While The Bone Feeder has been performed before outside Auckland, Liang describes those shows more as development seasons.
With feedback from the audiences, she has developed the script into a piece of magical realism which now includes a story about one of the first contacts between New Zealand Chinese and Maori communities.
Liang has added Maori characters, notably a ferryman played by Rob Mokoraka, and details about how Te Roroa and Te Rarawa iwi dealt with the discovery of bones and coffins when they washed up on the shoreline.
She admits to fearing she didn't have the necessary knowledge or background to include a tangata whenua element and tried to avoid doing so.
"The first draft didn't have any Maori characters or stories, but people said I needed them. At first, I tried to get away with including Maori music but I realised I needed someone to speak for the land and the people of the land.
"Local Maori found the bones and, realising they needed someone to watch over them, took guardianship of them. It is a shared history."
Mokoraka, who is of Ngapuhi ancestry and grew up in the Hokianga, had never heard the Ventnor story before and travelled home to speak to elderly relatives about it.
While they knew of other ship wrecks in the harbour, the Ventnor sinking was also news to them.
"My family lives in Panguru, down the road from where the play is set. Everyone at home was fascinated to hear the story and to know that, at one point, there had been, relatively speaking, a sizeable Chinese population up there. I just love finding out about this."
Another of the cast discovered a direct link to the Ventnor. Llanyon Eli Joe, who plays Dan the miner, had a great grandfather who opened a store on the same street and in competition with Choie Sew Hoy.
He would almost certainly have been friends with some of the men who ended up on the Ventnor.
Liang and the cast acknowledge a responsibility to present a nuanced and rounded story, which demonstrates the complex decisions many of these men faced, particularly given that The Bone Feeder is based on real-life events which still resonate for the descendants of those early Chinese migrants.
Young says he likes that Liang hasn't shied away from presenting the men's faults.
"It's great that it doesn't try to sweep away the blemishes. As an actor, you have to play it with integrity and our responsibility is to get the story out there in the best possible form."
Having worked for years on the Italian-Maori World War II story Strange Resting Places, Mokoraka says the best advice he got was not to treat historical figures like gods but human beings with flaws.
"Then you can start to tell a story warts and all because it's the grey areas that are the most interesting."
The Chinese community, representing the 499 men, as well as the descendants of Choie Sew Hoy, are in the process of thanking the appropriate iwi for their care of the bones and, in the long term, there may be a public celebration. The Chinese community is considering building a memorial at a suitable site to commemorate the lost souls of the Ventnor shipwreck.
Performance
What: The Bone Feeder
Where & When: Tapac, Western Springs, November 10-20
By Dionne Christian
Ghost investigators, from left, Vicki Wedd, 43, Andrew Farrell, 23, Jennifer Jansen, 27, and Mark Wallbank, 42, in a cemetery on Glenfield Rd. Photo / Janna Dixon Ghost hunters in for the chill
11:16 AM Saturday Nov 5, 2011
In a Grey Lynn art gallery and studio packed with trestle tables and stacks of chairs, pots of paint, lumps of clay and half-finished drawings, an artist diligently keeps his eyes on his work rather than stepping out from behind a partition to watch the five Chinese men in the centre of the room.
They are going through a carefully choreographed series of martial arts moves, making them look graceful and ethereal. It is the final scene - an emotional and physical one - in playwright Renee Liang's The Bone Feeder.
The men look towards the high ceiling, imagining how in the theatre martial arts will be combined with high-wire flying - a proposition for Dragon Origin, New Zealand's first martial arts stunts company, and stunt choreographer and actor Willie Ying to co-ordinate.
Liang and the production team, which includes director Lauren Jackson, believe it's the first time a local professional play has combined martial arts and high-wire flying.
It's also the first time New Zealanders, particularly those of Chinese descent, have had a significant piece of their history presented to them in such a large-scale production.
Jackson says the 19-strong cast, live music, high-wire martial arts, dance, drama and comedy must complement the story rather than distract from it.
"We must make sure during rehearsals that we stop, talk and share ideas so a cohesive direction and vision run through the piece because it's telling such an important and moving story."
Far from contemporary Grey Lynn, the SS Ventnor was en route from Otago in 1902 when she sank in the Hokianga Harbour with the bones of 499 Chinese miners bound for ancestral graves in Canton on board.
It was considered important for Chinese to return to their home villages so many of the men who migrated to New Zealand to work - mainly in the gold fields - thought of themselves as temporary visitors.
They always intended to return to China once they made enough money but life was harsh and many of them never made it home.
Those who died here were buried in temporary graves but the local Chinese community, led by Choie Sew Hoy, raised by subscription the then vast sum of £4000 to charter the Ventnor and carry the exhumed bones home to China.
"It was believed that people needed to return to their home villages in order to watch over their descendants and, in return, have their graves looked after and spirits nourished," says Liang.
But the bones never made it after the Ventnor struck a rock and sank near Hokianga Harbour. The coffins and bones were lost, along with 13 crewmen.
Some of the coffins and bones were washed ashore where, local stories reveal, they were found by Maori and buried in family urupa.
The Bone Feeder gives voice to the ghosts of the Chinese men and the iwi who found their remains, taking the historical fact as the basis for a fictional exploration of family, identity, and love and loss.
It follows Ben (played by Kevin Ng), a fifth generation Chinese New Zealander, who travels to present-day Hokianga to search for the bones of his great, great grandfather.
Once there, he meets some unusual "locals" who may - or may not - be mischievous ghosts.
The play also tells the story of Kwan (played by Gary Young, last seen as Chinese Jack in Underbelly: Land of the Long Green Cloud), who migrates to New Zealand in the 1880s and must decide where he belongs.
"Historical facts are historical facts," says Young, "but what intrigued me was the emotional journey of these characters. Love, fear, loss - they all contribute to universal stories and that interests me as an actor.
"Few people have heard this story before and there's nothing like it on the theatrical landscape so it means at last those Chinese men have a voice and that's important."
While The Bone Feeder has been performed before outside Auckland, Liang describes those shows more as development seasons.
With feedback from the audiences, she has developed the script into a piece of magical realism which now includes a story about one of the first contacts between New Zealand Chinese and Maori communities.
Liang has added Maori characters, notably a ferryman played by Rob Mokoraka, and details about how Te Roroa and Te Rarawa iwi dealt with the discovery of bones and coffins when they washed up on the shoreline.
She admits to fearing she didn't have the necessary knowledge or background to include a tangata whenua element and tried to avoid doing so.
"The first draft didn't have any Maori characters or stories, but people said I needed them. At first, I tried to get away with including Maori music but I realised I needed someone to speak for the land and the people of the land.
"Local Maori found the bones and, realising they needed someone to watch over them, took guardianship of them. It is a shared history."
Mokoraka, who is of Ngapuhi ancestry and grew up in the Hokianga, had never heard the Ventnor story before and travelled home to speak to elderly relatives about it.
While they knew of other ship wrecks in the harbour, the Ventnor sinking was also news to them.
"My family lives in Panguru, down the road from where the play is set. Everyone at home was fascinated to hear the story and to know that, at one point, there had been, relatively speaking, a sizeable Chinese population up there. I just love finding out about this."
Another of the cast discovered a direct link to the Ventnor. Llanyon Eli Joe, who plays Dan the miner, had a great grandfather who opened a store on the same street and in competition with Choie Sew Hoy.
He would almost certainly have been friends with some of the men who ended up on the Ventnor.
Liang and the cast acknowledge a responsibility to present a nuanced and rounded story, which demonstrates the complex decisions many of these men faced, particularly given that The Bone Feeder is based on real-life events which still resonate for the descendants of those early Chinese migrants.
Young says he likes that Liang hasn't shied away from presenting the men's faults.
"It's great that it doesn't try to sweep away the blemishes. As an actor, you have to play it with integrity and our responsibility is to get the story out there in the best possible form."
Having worked for years on the Italian-Maori World War II story Strange Resting Places, Mokoraka says the best advice he got was not to treat historical figures like gods but human beings with flaws.
"Then you can start to tell a story warts and all because it's the grey areas that are the most interesting."
The Chinese community, representing the 499 men, as well as the descendants of Choie Sew Hoy, are in the process of thanking the appropriate iwi for their care of the bones and, in the long term, there may be a public celebration. The Chinese community is considering building a memorial at a suitable site to commemorate the lost souls of the Ventnor shipwreck.
Performance
What: The Bone Feeder
Where & When: Tapac, Western Springs, November 10-20
By Dionne Christian
Ghost investigators, from left, Vicki Wedd, 43, Andrew Farrell, 23, Jennifer Jansen, 27, and Mark Wallbank, 42, in a cemetery on Glenfield Rd. Photo / Janna Dixon Ghost hunters in for the chill
Intriguing play misses its mark
The Bone Feeder
The Globe Theatre, March 30-31.
Directed by Simon Zhou.
The story of the shipwrecked SS Ventnor is a poignant one.
In 1902, a ship carrying the bones of almost 500 Chinese miners set off from New Zealand towards their final resting place in China.
They made it as far as the Hokianga harbour, before sinking.
The Bone Feeder is based on this largely untold story. It focuses on Ben, played by Auckland Boys' Grammar student Jae Woo, who has promised his dying father he will find the bones of his great-great-grandfather, lost in the wreck.
Enter Maori ferry man Melvin Wani, who knows a thing or two about ancestors and the tangata whenua. Ben meets the ghost of his great-great-grandfather, played by Benjamin Teh, and eventually discovers what it means to be part of a family.
This play is original. Ben is a fifth generation Kiwi, of Chinese ancestry. He doesn't know how to speak the language, and feels detached from his family and culture. This is a contemporary issue that should be addressed.
The music is fantastic, with a live three-piece Chinese band playing traditional instruments with haunting precision.
Teh is outstanding as the long-dead ancestor, with a stage presence that demands attention.
But this play doesn't quite hit the mark. Ben's unresolved problems with his dead father distract attention from the adaptation of Chinese settlers to New Zealand and the cultural similarities with Maori.
There were long soliloquies which relied on Woo's acting to bring them alive – a tough ask for any young actor. And the ghosts were confusing, comedic one minute and morose the next.
Some scenes are beautiful though, and the message is good. It's on tonight.
- The Manawatu Standard
BY MICHELLE DUFF
Last updated 12:00 31/03/2010
The Globe Theatre, March 30-31.
Directed by Simon Zhou.
The story of the shipwrecked SS Ventnor is a poignant one.
In 1902, a ship carrying the bones of almost 500 Chinese miners set off from New Zealand towards their final resting place in China.
They made it as far as the Hokianga harbour, before sinking.
The Bone Feeder is based on this largely untold story. It focuses on Ben, played by Auckland Boys' Grammar student Jae Woo, who has promised his dying father he will find the bones of his great-great-grandfather, lost in the wreck.
Enter Maori ferry man Melvin Wani, who knows a thing or two about ancestors and the tangata whenua. Ben meets the ghost of his great-great-grandfather, played by Benjamin Teh, and eventually discovers what it means to be part of a family.
This play is original. Ben is a fifth generation Kiwi, of Chinese ancestry. He doesn't know how to speak the language, and feels detached from his family and culture. This is a contemporary issue that should be addressed.
The music is fantastic, with a live three-piece Chinese band playing traditional instruments with haunting precision.
Teh is outstanding as the long-dead ancestor, with a stage presence that demands attention.
But this play doesn't quite hit the mark. Ben's unresolved problems with his dead father distract attention from the adaptation of Chinese settlers to New Zealand and the cultural similarities with Maori.
There were long soliloquies which relied on Woo's acting to bring them alive – a tough ask for any young actor. And the ghosts were confusing, comedic one minute and morose the next.
Some scenes are beautiful though, and the message is good. It's on tonight.
- The Manawatu Standard
BY MICHELLE DUFF
Last updated 12:00 31/03/2010
The '1.5 generation'
Renee Liang's mother used to send her to school with two lunchboxes - one for her classmates to try all the "weird stuff" and one for Renee.
This scene, along with other real-life incidents, is on stage in Liang's new play First Asian A* B* - the A* B* refers to a team name they can't legally use.
Liang, who wrote The Bone Feeder and Lantern, is a New Zealand-born Asian, and is also a consultant paediatrician.
She feels it's time to tell the story of the '1.5' generation - people who are not first generation New Zealanders but who emigrated when young and grew up here.
"Coming from an inherited immigrant background, with a 'difference' which is sometimes more visible to others than to myself, I often wonder,'What defines me as Kiwi?'."
She cites veteran playwright, actor and director Oscar Kightley, responsible for Niu Sila and Fresh Off The Boat as influential in her decision to become a playwright.
Liang's younger sister Roseanne wrote and directed a movie earlier this year, My Wedding and Other Secrets, which had an autobiographical element, much like Liang's play.
First Asian A* B* came about in several ways.
"I was touring with another play which had 12 boys and we got wondering if there had actually been an Asian All Black.
"I know a lot of Asian immigrants.
- Hutt News
The '1.5 generation'
BY PRIYANKA BHONSULE
Mateship in sport:In Renee Liang's new play, Paul Fagamalo and Ben Teh play mates whose friendship is tested when an All Black spot is up for grabs.
This scene, along with other real-life incidents, is on stage in Liang's new play First Asian A* B* - the A* B* refers to a team name they can't legally use.
Liang, who wrote The Bone Feeder and Lantern, is a New Zealand-born Asian, and is also a consultant paediatrician.
She feels it's time to tell the story of the '1.5' generation - people who are not first generation New Zealanders but who emigrated when young and grew up here.
"Coming from an inherited immigrant background, with a 'difference' which is sometimes more visible to others than to myself, I often wonder,'What defines me as Kiwi?'."
She cites veteran playwright, actor and director Oscar Kightley, responsible for Niu Sila and Fresh Off The Boat as influential in her decision to become a playwright.
Liang's younger sister Roseanne wrote and directed a movie earlier this year, My Wedding and Other Secrets, which had an autobiographical element, much like Liang's play.
First Asian A* B* came about in several ways.
"I was touring with another play which had 12 boys and we got wondering if there had actually been an Asian All Black.
"I know a lot of Asian immigrants.
- Hutt News
The '1.5 generation'
BY PRIYANKA BHONSULE
Mateship in sport:In Renee Liang's new play, Paul Fagamalo and Ben Teh play mates whose friendship is tested when an All Black spot is up for grabs.
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
The Bone Feeder
The Bone Feeder, Auckland, 9 November 2011 – 20 November 2011
How far would you go to find your family?
In 1902 the coffins of 499 Chinese immigrants from Otago and Wellington were being repatriated to their home towns in China when their ship, the SS Ventnor, tragically sank near the Hokianga Harbour. The Bone Feeder follows the trials of a young man called Ben who seeks to find the lost bones of his great-great grandfather and to bring them home, and of Kwan, a man who emigrates to NZ in the 1800s and has to decide where he belongs.
Exploring one of the first times of contact between Maori and Chinese the play is a fictional exploration of what is for many Chinese New Zealanders a very real and significant piece of their history. Written by playwright and poet Renee Liang and directed by Lauren Jackson the play uses poetry, music, drama and comedy and features a multicultural cast who perform together with musicians playing traditional Chinese and Maori instruments. The Bone Feeder is a New Zealand play with a difference, a contemporary Western theatre piece which draws on the traditions of Asian storytelling.
How far would you go to find your family?
In 1902 the coffins of 499 Chinese immigrants from Otago and Wellington were being repatriated to their home towns in China when their ship, the SS Ventnor, tragically sank near the Hokianga Harbour. The Bone Feeder follows the trials of a young man called Ben who seeks to find the lost bones of his great-great grandfather and to bring them home, and of Kwan, a man who emigrates to NZ in the 1800s and has to decide where he belongs.
Exploring one of the first times of contact between Maori and Chinese the play is a fictional exploration of what is for many Chinese New Zealanders a very real and significant piece of their history. Written by playwright and poet Renee Liang and directed by Lauren Jackson the play uses poetry, music, drama and comedy and features a multicultural cast who perform together with musicians playing traditional Chinese and Maori instruments. The Bone Feeder is a New Zealand play with a difference, a contemporary Western theatre piece which draws on the traditions of Asian storytelling.
Saturday, November 05, 2011
The lovely bones
By Dionne Christian
11:16 AM Saturday Nov 5, 2011
The Bone Feeder actor Llanyon Eli Joe. Photo / APN
In a Grey Lynn art gallery and studio packed with trestle tables and stacks of chairs, pots of paint, lumps of clay and half-finished drawings, an artist diligently keeps his eyes on his work rather than stepping out from behind a partition to watch the five Chinese men in the centre of the room.
They are going through a carefully choreographed series of martial arts moves, making them look graceful and ethereal. It is the final scene - an emotional and physical one - in playwright Renee Liang's The Bone Feeder.
The men look towards the high ceiling, imagining how in the theatre martial arts will be combined with high-wire flying - a proposition for Dragon Origin, New Zealand's first martial arts stunts company, and stunt choreographer and actor Willie Ying to co-ordinate.
Liang and the production team, which includes director Lauren Jackson, believe it's the first time a local professional play has combined martial arts and high-wire flying.
It's also the first time New Zealanders, particularly those of Chinese descent, have had a significant piece of their history presented to them in such a large-scale production.
Jackson says the 19-strong cast, live music, high-wire martial arts, dance, drama and comedy must complement the story rather than distract from it.
"We must make sure during rehearsals that we stop, talk and share ideas so a cohesive direction and vision run through the piece because it's telling such an important and moving story."
Far from contemporary Grey Lynn, the SS Ventnor was en route from Otago in 1902 when she sank in the Hokianga Harbour with the bones of 499 Chinese miners bound for ancestral graves in Canton on board.
It was considered important for Chinese to return to their home villages so many of the men who migrated to New Zealand to work - mainly in the gold fields - thought of themselves as temporary visitors.
They always intended to return to China once they made enough money but life was harsh and many of them never made it home.
Those who died here were buried in temporary graves but the local Chinese community, led by Choie Sew Hoy, raised by subscription the then vast sum of £4000 to charter the Ventnor and carry the exhumed bones home to China.
"It was believed that people needed to return to their home villages in order to watch over their descendants and, in return, have their graves looked after and spirits nourished," says Liang.
But the bones never made it after the Ventnor struck a rock and sank near Hokianga Harbour. The coffins and bones were lost, along with 13 crewmen.
Some of the coffins and bones were washed ashore where, local stories reveal, they were found by Maori and buried in family urupa.
The Bone Feeder gives voice to the ghosts of the Chinese men and the iwi who found their remains, taking the historical fact as the basis for a fictional exploration of family, identity, and love and loss.
It follows Ben (played by Kevin Ng), a fifth generation Chinese New Zealander, who travels to present-day Hokianga to search for the bones of his great, great grandfather.
Once there, he meets some unusual "locals" who may - or may not - be mischievous ghosts.
The play also tells the story of Kwan (played by Gary Young, last seen as Chinese Jack in Underbelly: Land of the Long Green Cloud), who migrates to New Zealand in the 1880s and must decide where he belongs.
"Historical facts are historical facts," says Young, "but what intrigued me was the emotional journey of these characters. Love, fear, loss - they all contribute to universal stories and that interests me as an actor.
"Few people have heard this story before and there's nothing like it on the theatrical landscape so it means at last those Chinese men have a voice and that's important."
While The Bone Feeder has been performed before outside Auckland, Liang describes those shows more as development seasons.
With feedback from the audiences, she has developed the script into a piece of magical realism which now includes a story about one of the first contacts between New Zealand Chinese and Maori communities.
Liang has added Maori characters, notably a ferryman played by Rob Mokoraka, and details about how Te Roroa and Te Rarawa iwi dealt with the discovery of bones and coffins when they washed up on the shoreline.
She admits to fearing she didn't have the necessary knowledge or background to include a tangata whenua element and tried to avoid doing so.
"The first draft didn't have any Maori characters or stories, but people said I needed them. At first, I tried to get away with including Maori music but I realised I needed someone to speak for the land and the people of the land.
"Local Maori found the bones and, realising they needed someone to watch over them, took guardianship of them. It is a shared history."
Mokoraka, who is of Ngapuhi ancestry and grew up in the Hokianga, had never heard the Ventnor story before and travelled home to speak to elderly relatives about it.
While they knew of other ship wrecks in the harbour, the Ventnor sinking was also news to them.
"My family lives in Panguru, down the road from where the play is set. Everyone at home was fascinated to hear the story and to know that, at one point, there had been, relatively speaking, a sizeable Chinese population up there. I just love finding out about this."
Another of the cast discovered a direct link to the Ventnor. Llanyon Eli Joe, who plays Dan the miner, had a great grandfather who opened a store on the same street and in competition with Choie Sew Hoy.
He would almost certainly have been friends with some of the men who ended up on the Ventnor.
Liang and the cast acknowledge a responsibility to present a nuanced and rounded story, which demonstrates the complex decisions many of these men faced, particularly given that The Bone Feeder is based on real-life events which still resonate for the descendants of those early Chinese migrants.
Young says he likes that Liang hasn't shied away from presenting the men's faults.
"It's great that it doesn't try to sweep away the blemishes. As an actor, you have to play it with integrity and our responsibility is to get the story out there in the best possible form."
Having worked for years on the Italian-Maori World War II story Strange Resting Places, Mokoraka says the best advice he got was not to treat historical figures like gods but human beings with flaws.
"Then you can start to tell a story warts and all because it's the grey areas that are the most interesting."
The Chinese community, representing the 499 men, as well as the descendants of Choie Sew Hoy, are in the process of thanking the appropriate iwi for their care of the bones and, in the long term, there may be a public celebration. The Chinese community is considering building a memorial at a suitable site to commemorate the lost souls of the Ventnor shipwreck.
Performance
What: The Bone Feeder
Where & When: Tapac, Western Springs, November 10-20
By Dionne Christian
11:16 AM Saturday Nov 5, 2011
The Bone Feeder actor Llanyon Eli Joe. Photo / APN
In a Grey Lynn art gallery and studio packed with trestle tables and stacks of chairs, pots of paint, lumps of clay and half-finished drawings, an artist diligently keeps his eyes on his work rather than stepping out from behind a partition to watch the five Chinese men in the centre of the room.
They are going through a carefully choreographed series of martial arts moves, making them look graceful and ethereal. It is the final scene - an emotional and physical one - in playwright Renee Liang's The Bone Feeder.
The men look towards the high ceiling, imagining how in the theatre martial arts will be combined with high-wire flying - a proposition for Dragon Origin, New Zealand's first martial arts stunts company, and stunt choreographer and actor Willie Ying to co-ordinate.
Liang and the production team, which includes director Lauren Jackson, believe it's the first time a local professional play has combined martial arts and high-wire flying.
It's also the first time New Zealanders, particularly those of Chinese descent, have had a significant piece of their history presented to them in such a large-scale production.
Jackson says the 19-strong cast, live music, high-wire martial arts, dance, drama and comedy must complement the story rather than distract from it.
"We must make sure during rehearsals that we stop, talk and share ideas so a cohesive direction and vision run through the piece because it's telling such an important and moving story."
Far from contemporary Grey Lynn, the SS Ventnor was en route from Otago in 1902 when she sank in the Hokianga Harbour with the bones of 499 Chinese miners bound for ancestral graves in Canton on board.
It was considered important for Chinese to return to their home villages so many of the men who migrated to New Zealand to work - mainly in the gold fields - thought of themselves as temporary visitors.
They always intended to return to China once they made enough money but life was harsh and many of them never made it home.
Those who died here were buried in temporary graves but the local Chinese community, led by Choie Sew Hoy, raised by subscription the then vast sum of £4000 to charter the Ventnor and carry the exhumed bones home to China.
"It was believed that people needed to return to their home villages in order to watch over their descendants and, in return, have their graves looked after and spirits nourished," says Liang.
But the bones never made it after the Ventnor struck a rock and sank near Hokianga Harbour. The coffins and bones were lost, along with 13 crewmen.
Some of the coffins and bones were washed ashore where, local stories reveal, they were found by Maori and buried in family urupa.
The Bone Feeder gives voice to the ghosts of the Chinese men and the iwi who found their remains, taking the historical fact as the basis for a fictional exploration of family, identity, and love and loss.
It follows Ben (played by Kevin Ng), a fifth generation Chinese New Zealander, who travels to present-day Hokianga to search for the bones of his great, great grandfather.
Once there, he meets some unusual "locals" who may - or may not - be mischievous ghosts.
The play also tells the story of Kwan (played by Gary Young, last seen as Chinese Jack in Underbelly: Land of the Long Green Cloud), who migrates to New Zealand in the 1880s and must decide where he belongs.
"Historical facts are historical facts," says Young, "but what intrigued me was the emotional journey of these characters. Love, fear, loss - they all contribute to universal stories and that interests me as an actor.
"Few people have heard this story before and there's nothing like it on the theatrical landscape so it means at last those Chinese men have a voice and that's important."
While The Bone Feeder has been performed before outside Auckland, Liang describes those shows more as development seasons.
With feedback from the audiences, she has developed the script into a piece of magical realism which now includes a story about one of the first contacts between New Zealand Chinese and Maori communities.
Liang has added Maori characters, notably a ferryman played by Rob Mokoraka, and details about how Te Roroa and Te Rarawa iwi dealt with the discovery of bones and coffins when they washed up on the shoreline.
She admits to fearing she didn't have the necessary knowledge or background to include a tangata whenua element and tried to avoid doing so.
"The first draft didn't have any Maori characters or stories, but people said I needed them. At first, I tried to get away with including Maori music but I realised I needed someone to speak for the land and the people of the land.
"Local Maori found the bones and, realising they needed someone to watch over them, took guardianship of them. It is a shared history."
Mokoraka, who is of Ngapuhi ancestry and grew up in the Hokianga, had never heard the Ventnor story before and travelled home to speak to elderly relatives about it.
While they knew of other ship wrecks in the harbour, the Ventnor sinking was also news to them.
"My family lives in Panguru, down the road from where the play is set. Everyone at home was fascinated to hear the story and to know that, at one point, there had been, relatively speaking, a sizeable Chinese population up there. I just love finding out about this."
Another of the cast discovered a direct link to the Ventnor. Llanyon Eli Joe, who plays Dan the miner, had a great grandfather who opened a store on the same street and in competition with Choie Sew Hoy.
He would almost certainly have been friends with some of the men who ended up on the Ventnor.
Liang and the cast acknowledge a responsibility to present a nuanced and rounded story, which demonstrates the complex decisions many of these men faced, particularly given that The Bone Feeder is based on real-life events which still resonate for the descendants of those early Chinese migrants.
Young says he likes that Liang hasn't shied away from presenting the men's faults.
"It's great that it doesn't try to sweep away the blemishes. As an actor, you have to play it with integrity and our responsibility is to get the story out there in the best possible form."
Having worked for years on the Italian-Maori World War II story Strange Resting Places, Mokoraka says the best advice he got was not to treat historical figures like gods but human beings with flaws.
"Then you can start to tell a story warts and all because it's the grey areas that are the most interesting."
The Chinese community, representing the 499 men, as well as the descendants of Choie Sew Hoy, are in the process of thanking the appropriate iwi for their care of the bones and, in the long term, there may be a public celebration. The Chinese community is considering building a memorial at a suitable site to commemorate the lost souls of the Ventnor shipwreck.
Performance
What: The Bone Feeder
Where & When: Tapac, Western Springs, November 10-20
By Dionne Christian
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Doctor rewrites the script
Doctor rewrites the script
Rebecca Blithe | Saturday, August 27, 2011 6:00
Renee Liang is a playwright, paediatrician and researcher. Shes preparing for the debut of her play The First Asian All Black - about a young immigrant wanting to get into rugby.
Renee Liang is a playwright, paediatrician and researcher. Shes preparing for the debut of her play The First Asian All Black - about a young immigrant wanting to get into rugby.
Kellie Blizard
Rebecca Blithe encounters doctor and writer Renee Liang at the Jungle Cafe in Grey Lynn to talk about how she's exploring growth as a nation.
Her Chinese name means literary blossom, Renee Liang tells me. "My mother told me halfway through med school that my grandfather had decided there were already too many doctors in the family."
But, despite that direction - or because of it - Renee is a pediatrician, a playwright and poet with a master's degree in creative writing, a researcher and an advocate for youth art.
Seated in a corner of the Jungle Cafe in Grey Lynn, Renee is a small character. Or, rather, a small person with a big character.
As we sit and talk about her work on a sharp-aired, soft-sunned morning, the veranda offering a view to the rows of open-fisted London plane trees lining the suburban streets, she flits between thoughtful, demure moments and vivacious enthusiasm.
"I'm older than I look," says the smooth-skinned 38-year-old.
"I have four degrees, I like to keep busy, I don't like to have a lot of downtime."
She pauses pensively. "I have a totally weird life," she says with a laugh as if the fact has only just occurred to her.
"I have a lot of fictional versions of myself," she says of her plays, which draw on her own experiences, and of her moviemaker sister's depiction of her in what became the hit film, My Wedding and Other Secrets.
New Zealander-born Chinese Renee has two new plays in the wings. They reflect her intrigue about the history of Chinese in New Zealand and consider what it is that makes someone "Kiwi".
The Bone Feeder explores the story of the SS Ventnor, a ship which set out in 1902 to carry the bodies of Chinese back to their families. But they never made it home. The ship sank in Hokianga Harbour. Eventually, the remains were discovered and honoured by locals.
"The guy who had been instrumental in organising the first ship died and was put on the second ship," says Renee of her play's central character, the ghost of Choie Sew Hoy. "He has something like 2000 descendants. I've been in touch with some of them. Early Chinese history [in New Zealand] is largely unknown. In some communities they were well accepted. But there was racism from both sides."
The First Asian AB - the acronym used because the words "All Blacks" are trademarked - follows a young immigrant who decides he wants to become an All Black. For this, Renee had to immerse herself in rugby culture.
"I never grew up playing sport," she says. "I never knew how to watch a rugby game. It's really interesting because Kiwi Asian theatre is at the stage of Pacific theatre 15 years ago."
In addition to her work as a playwright, she has been involved in several youth projects, including An Absolute Rush - a grassroots performing arts scheme for at-risk youth in South Auckland. "The thing about these kids was that no one had said, 'Your stories are valid'. They were so talented, the most natural singers, actors, dancers, comedians."
She was initially intimidated but was soon completely enamoured. "I ended up performing a really bad rap in front of them and their parents. They were all rolling around laughing at me."
During her time with the group she researched the benefits of art projects on youth health. At present she is completing a University of Auckland study: "Growing up in New Zealand".
Playwright and paediatrician may seem a strange combination. "I did paediatrics because I noticed how paediatricians stay young - my Dad's one. My favourite thing is watching kids develop and discover things about themselves."
But Renee, who was granted a Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award last year, says the medical and literary roles are complementary.
"I look at the stories that drive everyone. As a doctor, you're trained to look under the surface. You get a sixth sense of what people are trying to tell you. As a playwright and poet, I'm looking under my own skin and finding that story. Everyone's story can be universal. Getting to hear about them and tell them, it's a real privilege."
Fine China
The First Asian AB, Basement Studio, September 13-18, 6pm. Book at www.iticket.co.nz or ph 361 1000 or 0508 iTICKET; or at Real Groovy, 438 Queen St, or Conch Records, 115A Ponsonby Rd.
The Bone Feeder runs November 7-20 at TAPAC, Western Springs. For booking information contact roger@tapac.org.nz or ph 845 0295 ext 1.
http://www.theaucklander.co.nz/news/doctor-rewrites-the-script/1080338/
Rebecca Blithe | Saturday, August 27, 2011 6:00
Renee Liang is a playwright, paediatrician and researcher. Shes preparing for the debut of her play The First Asian All Black - about a young immigrant wanting to get into rugby.
Renee Liang is a playwright, paediatrician and researcher. Shes preparing for the debut of her play The First Asian All Black - about a young immigrant wanting to get into rugby.
Kellie Blizard
Rebecca Blithe encounters doctor and writer Renee Liang at the Jungle Cafe in Grey Lynn to talk about how she's exploring growth as a nation.
Her Chinese name means literary blossom, Renee Liang tells me. "My mother told me halfway through med school that my grandfather had decided there were already too many doctors in the family."
But, despite that direction - or because of it - Renee is a pediatrician, a playwright and poet with a master's degree in creative writing, a researcher and an advocate for youth art.
Seated in a corner of the Jungle Cafe in Grey Lynn, Renee is a small character. Or, rather, a small person with a big character.
As we sit and talk about her work on a sharp-aired, soft-sunned morning, the veranda offering a view to the rows of open-fisted London plane trees lining the suburban streets, she flits between thoughtful, demure moments and vivacious enthusiasm.
"I'm older than I look," says the smooth-skinned 38-year-old.
"I have four degrees, I like to keep busy, I don't like to have a lot of downtime."
She pauses pensively. "I have a totally weird life," she says with a laugh as if the fact has only just occurred to her.
"I have a lot of fictional versions of myself," she says of her plays, which draw on her own experiences, and of her moviemaker sister's depiction of her in what became the hit film, My Wedding and Other Secrets.
New Zealander-born Chinese Renee has two new plays in the wings. They reflect her intrigue about the history of Chinese in New Zealand and consider what it is that makes someone "Kiwi".
The Bone Feeder explores the story of the SS Ventnor, a ship which set out in 1902 to carry the bodies of Chinese back to their families. But they never made it home. The ship sank in Hokianga Harbour. Eventually, the remains were discovered and honoured by locals.
"The guy who had been instrumental in organising the first ship died and was put on the second ship," says Renee of her play's central character, the ghost of Choie Sew Hoy. "He has something like 2000 descendants. I've been in touch with some of them. Early Chinese history [in New Zealand] is largely unknown. In some communities they were well accepted. But there was racism from both sides."
The First Asian AB - the acronym used because the words "All Blacks" are trademarked - follows a young immigrant who decides he wants to become an All Black. For this, Renee had to immerse herself in rugby culture.
"I never grew up playing sport," she says. "I never knew how to watch a rugby game. It's really interesting because Kiwi Asian theatre is at the stage of Pacific theatre 15 years ago."
In addition to her work as a playwright, she has been involved in several youth projects, including An Absolute Rush - a grassroots performing arts scheme for at-risk youth in South Auckland. "The thing about these kids was that no one had said, 'Your stories are valid'. They were so talented, the most natural singers, actors, dancers, comedians."
She was initially intimidated but was soon completely enamoured. "I ended up performing a really bad rap in front of them and their parents. They were all rolling around laughing at me."
During her time with the group she researched the benefits of art projects on youth health. At present she is completing a University of Auckland study: "Growing up in New Zealand".
Playwright and paediatrician may seem a strange combination. "I did paediatrics because I noticed how paediatricians stay young - my Dad's one. My favourite thing is watching kids develop and discover things about themselves."
But Renee, who was granted a Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award last year, says the medical and literary roles are complementary.
"I look at the stories that drive everyone. As a doctor, you're trained to look under the surface. You get a sixth sense of what people are trying to tell you. As a playwright and poet, I'm looking under my own skin and finding that story. Everyone's story can be universal. Getting to hear about them and tell them, it's a real privilege."
Fine China
The First Asian AB, Basement Studio, September 13-18, 6pm. Book at www.iticket.co.nz or ph 361 1000 or 0508 iTICKET; or at Real Groovy, 438 Queen St, or Conch Records, 115A Ponsonby Rd.
The Bone Feeder runs November 7-20 at TAPAC, Western Springs. For booking information contact roger@tapac.org.nz or ph 845 0295 ext 1.
http://www.theaucklander.co.nz/news/doctor-rewrites-the-script/1080338/
Gwa Leng Wongs In New Zealand
http://www.thereadingroom.com/gwa-leng-wongs-in-new-zealand/bp/4204727
Reprinted - available in New Zealand. Email me
Reprinted - available in New Zealand. Email me
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