Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Dragon's creator wants focus on NZ team
5:00AM Wednesday April 30, 2008
By Lincoln Tan
Architect Ron Sang, putting the final touches to his dragon sculpture yesterday, hoped Kiwis could forget about the controversies over the Beijing Olympics and concentrate on supporting the New Zealand team.
The sculpture, an abstract dragon with a greenstone ball, will be unveiled tonight and presented as a good luck gift to the New Zealand Olympians after the launch ceremony of their uniform.
"We don't want to get into the politics of the Olympics, but just get behind our team," said Mr Sang, a member of the New Zealand Chinese Association.
The $50,000 sculpture was designed by New Zealand Chinese artist Guy Ngan, who will be at the function tonight at Villa Maria Estate, where the team's chef de mission, Dave Currie, will be presented with the art piece by association vice-president Steven Young.
Money for the sculpture was raised mainly from the local-born Chinese community.
The dragon will be with the Kiwi Olympians until the end of the Games, when it will be presented to the hosts as New Zealand's gift to them.
"The dragon is a perfect symbol for China, but we didn't want to give them a sculpture of a real dragon because they have plenty of those," Mr Sang said.
"That is why we decided to have an modern abstract dragon, one that's uniquely New Zealand - and having the greenstone is our way of including the Maori people in our gift."
Sheet-metal engineer Wayne Blythen, who worked on the sculpture, said it took six weeks and more than 200 man hours to put it together. It is on a 1000kg black-granite base, imported from China, engraved with the words "in recognition of the enduring friendship between China and New Zealand" in English and Chinese.
The sculpture will be exhibited at the Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin airports until it goes to Beijing in July.
By Lincoln Tan
Architect Ron Sang, putting the final touches to his dragon sculpture yesterday, hoped Kiwis could forget about the controversies over the Beijing Olympics and concentrate on supporting the New Zealand team.
The sculpture, an abstract dragon with a greenstone ball, will be unveiled tonight and presented as a good luck gift to the New Zealand Olympians after the launch ceremony of their uniform.
"We don't want to get into the politics of the Olympics, but just get behind our team," said Mr Sang, a member of the New Zealand Chinese Association.
The $50,000 sculpture was designed by New Zealand Chinese artist Guy Ngan, who will be at the function tonight at Villa Maria Estate, where the team's chef de mission, Dave Currie, will be presented with the art piece by association vice-president Steven Young.
Money for the sculpture was raised mainly from the local-born Chinese community.
The dragon will be with the Kiwi Olympians until the end of the Games, when it will be presented to the hosts as New Zealand's gift to them.
"The dragon is a perfect symbol for China, but we didn't want to give them a sculpture of a real dragon because they have plenty of those," Mr Sang said.
"That is why we decided to have an modern abstract dragon, one that's uniquely New Zealand - and having the greenstone is our way of including the Maori people in our gift."
Sheet-metal engineer Wayne Blythen, who worked on the sculpture, said it took six weeks and more than 200 man hours to put it together. It is on a 1000kg black-granite base, imported from China, engraved with the words "in recognition of the enduring friendship between China and New Zealand" in English and Chinese.
The sculpture will be exhibited at the Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin airports until it goes to Beijing in July.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Fight that helped end hostilities at home
Fight that helped end hostilities at home
5:00AM Thursday April 24, 2008
By Lincoln Tan
World War II veteran Daniel Chan Lee says he will spend Anzac Day remembering those like his brother Willie who fought and died for New Zealand. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey
Attending the Anzac Day service used to be an annual routine for World War II veteran Daniel Chan Lee.
But the 93-year-old former transport soldier at 7 Royal Military Transport Unit says he is now too old for parades and will instead spend tomorrow remembering those who died fighting for New Zealand, including his brother.
Willie, his elder brother, who served as a fighter pilot in the Air Force, died when his plane crashed in Cheshire, England, in 1942.
Mr Lee, one of six boys, also had a younger brother, Harry, who served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Mr Lee said New Zealand in those days had laws that discriminated against the Chinese, who were singled out as "undesirable aliens".
It had regulations such as the poll-tax, tonnage ratio, literacy test and thumb printing to limit the number of Chinese coming to New Zealand.
However, Mr Lee said many of the local-born Chinese still considered it to be an honour to be able to serve the country as soldiers, and he said the Army was a "like a different world".
"There was no racism there because we were all united with a common desire of wanting to serve our country, our home."
Mr Lee said his brother Willie is proof of how "colour blind New Zealand gets" when it comes to the Anzacs and other soldiers who died at war. Willie's name is listed on the Roll of Honour in Auckland War Memorial Museum's Hall of Memories.
"It didn't matter that he was Chinese; Willie was treated just as every other fallen soldier in the war."
Mr Lee said it had been his dream to fight overseas, but the Army said he looked too much like a Japanese.
Dr Manying Ip, an associate professor of Asian studies at the University of Auckland, wrote in her book Dinkum Aliens: Chinese New Zealanders in World War II: "In spite of their marginalised status, the hostile social climate, and their very small number (2,943 in the 1936 census), patriotic Chinese New Zealanders, mostly local-born, served in the Air Force, Army and Home Guard.
"World War II marked the crucial turning point for the Chinese community in New Zealand," Professor Ip wrote.
"The status of Chinese rose markedly, and Chinese market-gardeners [who grew produce for the troops] were classified as essential industry workers, their patriotic fundraising efforts within New Zealand and the valiant war resistance back in China were praised and acknowledged."
Mr Lee said he would not attend a service this year.
"By serving in the Army, the Chinese proved that we are just as loyal to New Zealand as anyone else, and I guess in that alone, the victory is ours."
Chinese had barred from naturalisation since 1908, but after World War II, New Zealand laws were changed to allow them to apply for citizenship.
On the web: The Auckland War Memorial Museum has a Book of Remembrance on its website for people to post messages on to remember those who served and died in war.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=123&objectid=10505916
5:00AM Thursday April 24, 2008
By Lincoln Tan
World War II veteran Daniel Chan Lee says he will spend Anzac Day remembering those like his brother Willie who fought and died for New Zealand. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey
Attending the Anzac Day service used to be an annual routine for World War II veteran Daniel Chan Lee.
But the 93-year-old former transport soldier at 7 Royal Military Transport Unit says he is now too old for parades and will instead spend tomorrow remembering those who died fighting for New Zealand, including his brother.
Willie, his elder brother, who served as a fighter pilot in the Air Force, died when his plane crashed in Cheshire, England, in 1942.
Mr Lee, one of six boys, also had a younger brother, Harry, who served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Mr Lee said New Zealand in those days had laws that discriminated against the Chinese, who were singled out as "undesirable aliens".
It had regulations such as the poll-tax, tonnage ratio, literacy test and thumb printing to limit the number of Chinese coming to New Zealand.
However, Mr Lee said many of the local-born Chinese still considered it to be an honour to be able to serve the country as soldiers, and he said the Army was a "like a different world".
"There was no racism there because we were all united with a common desire of wanting to serve our country, our home."
Mr Lee said his brother Willie is proof of how "colour blind New Zealand gets" when it comes to the Anzacs and other soldiers who died at war. Willie's name is listed on the Roll of Honour in Auckland War Memorial Museum's Hall of Memories.
"It didn't matter that he was Chinese; Willie was treated just as every other fallen soldier in the war."
Mr Lee said it had been his dream to fight overseas, but the Army said he looked too much like a Japanese.
Dr Manying Ip, an associate professor of Asian studies at the University of Auckland, wrote in her book Dinkum Aliens: Chinese New Zealanders in World War II: "In spite of their marginalised status, the hostile social climate, and their very small number (2,943 in the 1936 census), patriotic Chinese New Zealanders, mostly local-born, served in the Air Force, Army and Home Guard.
"World War II marked the crucial turning point for the Chinese community in New Zealand," Professor Ip wrote.
"The status of Chinese rose markedly, and Chinese market-gardeners [who grew produce for the troops] were classified as essential industry workers, their patriotic fundraising efforts within New Zealand and the valiant war resistance back in China were praised and acknowledged."
Mr Lee said he would not attend a service this year.
"By serving in the Army, the Chinese proved that we are just as loyal to New Zealand as anyone else, and I guess in that alone, the victory is ours."
Chinese had barred from naturalisation since 1908, but after World War II, New Zealand laws were changed to allow them to apply for citizenship.
On the web: The Auckland War Memorial Museum has a Book of Remembrance on its website for people to post messages on to remember those who served and died in war.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=123&objectid=10505916
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Wanted - lots more Kiwi spuds to feed China
Stephen Wong says the problem will be satisfying a big market. Thrilled by the potential the free trade agreement with China brings, potato chip-maker Steven Wong is spending $2.8 million on new machinery to double his factory's production. But the chief executive of Fresher Foods is now faced with a new problem - New Zealand does not have enough potatoes to meet China's demands. "The free trade agreement opens up an almost unlimited potential," he said. "But many New Zealand companies will not be able to meet the demand of a market with 1.4 billion people." Mr Wong, 60, who was in Beijing as part of the delegation accompanying Prime Minister Helen Clark, said the new machinery at his East Tamaki chip factory to be installed this month would double weekly production to 800 tonnes. But his company would still struggle to meet Chinese orders, which are expected to skyrocket when tariffs are removed. "The lowest price I can offer for the chips at the moment is still about 5c above what the Americans and Europeans charge, but all that will change when the tariffs are eliminated," Mr Wong said. "Who knows what the demand will be like then." He said the factory already faced a shortfall of about 4000 tonnes this year. "China wants 25 tonnes of potato chips from us every week, but we can only supply them with that quantity in a month." Horticulture New Zealand's potato product group manager, Ron Gall, said the cold spring and extremely dry summer had resulted in an annual potato yield that was 15 per cent lower than the 500,000 tonnes New Zealand usually produces. Potatoes fetched about $220 a tonne and New Zealand could easily produce more if demand rose. But whether more farmers would grow the crop would depend on the price China was prepared to pay. "New Zealand has the potential to increase production of potatoes but competition for land use here is fierce," he said. "So, if the price is right, more will grow potatoes, but don't expect them to switch crops if they are going to be paid rock-bottom prices." NZ Herald 17/4/08 Lincoln Tan
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Book examines historic Maori-Chinese bonds
Book examines historic Maori-Chinese bonds
5:00AM Tuesday March 25, 2008
By Lincoln Tan
Manying Ip says Maori-Chinese relationships are one of the least- documented pieces of New Zealand history. Photo / Martin Sykes
The Chinese men wanted the Maori women for sex, and the women went to them for the money - but it was more than a commercial arrangement, because they did have a relationship - just not the conventional husband-and-wife type.
This little-known facet of New Zealand's history is revealed in a new book by University of Auckland academic Manying Ip.
The men, who were mostly market gardeners, had wives and children in China, she says, but they never saw their families, and had children with the Maori women who worked in their gardens.
And some Maori families encouraged their daughters to be with the Chinese because they were seen as "financially secure".
Maori-Chinese relationships were complicated, and are one of the least understood and documented pieces of New Zealand history, says Dr Ip.
Her book, Being Maori-Chinese, aims to give an insight into the complexities of this cross-cultural alliance.
"Maori-Chinese are hardly featured in mainstream New Zealand history, and strangely, it is a topic that has also been largely ignored by both Maori and Chinese historians here," said Dr Ip, an associate professor of Chinese at the Auckland University, explaining why she decided to investigate the topic for her book.
But the complexities, and sensitivities surrounding it could be reasons local historians have shied away from it.
One Maori elder at the Otaki campus of Te Wananga-o-Raukawa concluded that Professor Ip would get nowhere with her research, because Maori-Chinese would be very sensitive and would not share any in-depth information.
"Are you sure you want to pursue this study on Maori-Chinese relations? I don't think people will tell you much," he said in a letter to Professor Ip.
"Actually, between the Chinese and the Maori, often there weren't marriages as such. There were relationships, yes. After all, the Chinese men lived here without their women for years and years.
"But often the Maori girls wouldn't expect marriage ... I mean, those were very hard times. The girls did as they were told. More often than not, there's no marriage, not even long-term relationships"
But having Maori-Chinese friends, whom she met through her work as a community advocate, writer and someone devoted to fostering better race relations, gained Professor Ip the much-needed acceptance among the group to enable her to conduct the in-depth research that would form the basis of her book.
Today, the younger Maori-Chinese may be confident with their multiple roots and the cultural advantages they possess, but it was a very different story in the past, she said.
"Trying to establish a positive Maori-Chinese identity when both Maori and Chinese were considered undesirable was an ongoing struggle for each one of them," said Professor Ip, who described Maori and Chinese as marginalised communities in New Zealand.
"Sharing memories of one's past is never easy, but for the interviewees it is that much harder because their stories are not just about struggles against social discrimination, but often of family disapproval."
Over five years, she worked closely with seven Maori-Chinese families, whose stories are featured in the book.
"I guess this book is not just about who they are, but it would also help us with looking at who we are and what New Zealand society will become in the future," Professor Ip said.
Manying Ip was born in Guizhou, China, and raised in Hong Kong. She came to New Zealand in 1974 and gained an MA in Chinese literature and a PhD in history at Auckland University.
She has been a long-time researcher on Chinese New Zealanders and Asian immigrants.
Her other books include Aliens at My Table: Asians As New Zealanders See Them (2005), Unfolding History, Evolving Identity: Chinese in New Zealand (2003) and Home Away From Home: Life Stories of Chinese Women in New Zealand (1990).
Being Maori-Chinese is published by Auckland University Press and will be available in bookshops next month.
Email this story Print this story
More by Lincoln Tan
5:00AM Tuesday March 25, 2008
By Lincoln Tan
Manying Ip says Maori-Chinese relationships are one of the least- documented pieces of New Zealand history. Photo / Martin Sykes
The Chinese men wanted the Maori women for sex, and the women went to them for the money - but it was more than a commercial arrangement, because they did have a relationship - just not the conventional husband-and-wife type.
This little-known facet of New Zealand's history is revealed in a new book by University of Auckland academic Manying Ip.
The men, who were mostly market gardeners, had wives and children in China, she says, but they never saw their families, and had children with the Maori women who worked in their gardens.
And some Maori families encouraged their daughters to be with the Chinese because they were seen as "financially secure".
Maori-Chinese relationships were complicated, and are one of the least understood and documented pieces of New Zealand history, says Dr Ip.
Her book, Being Maori-Chinese, aims to give an insight into the complexities of this cross-cultural alliance.
"Maori-Chinese are hardly featured in mainstream New Zealand history, and strangely, it is a topic that has also been largely ignored by both Maori and Chinese historians here," said Dr Ip, an associate professor of Chinese at the Auckland University, explaining why she decided to investigate the topic for her book.
But the complexities, and sensitivities surrounding it could be reasons local historians have shied away from it.
One Maori elder at the Otaki campus of Te Wananga-o-Raukawa concluded that Professor Ip would get nowhere with her research, because Maori-Chinese would be very sensitive and would not share any in-depth information.
"Are you sure you want to pursue this study on Maori-Chinese relations? I don't think people will tell you much," he said in a letter to Professor Ip.
"Actually, between the Chinese and the Maori, often there weren't marriages as such. There were relationships, yes. After all, the Chinese men lived here without their women for years and years.
"But often the Maori girls wouldn't expect marriage ... I mean, those were very hard times. The girls did as they were told. More often than not, there's no marriage, not even long-term relationships"
But having Maori-Chinese friends, whom she met through her work as a community advocate, writer and someone devoted to fostering better race relations, gained Professor Ip the much-needed acceptance among the group to enable her to conduct the in-depth research that would form the basis of her book.
Today, the younger Maori-Chinese may be confident with their multiple roots and the cultural advantages they possess, but it was a very different story in the past, she said.
"Trying to establish a positive Maori-Chinese identity when both Maori and Chinese were considered undesirable was an ongoing struggle for each one of them," said Professor Ip, who described Maori and Chinese as marginalised communities in New Zealand.
"Sharing memories of one's past is never easy, but for the interviewees it is that much harder because their stories are not just about struggles against social discrimination, but often of family disapproval."
Over five years, she worked closely with seven Maori-Chinese families, whose stories are featured in the book.
"I guess this book is not just about who they are, but it would also help us with looking at who we are and what New Zealand society will become in the future," Professor Ip said.
Manying Ip was born in Guizhou, China, and raised in Hong Kong. She came to New Zealand in 1974 and gained an MA in Chinese literature and a PhD in history at Auckland University.
She has been a long-time researcher on Chinese New Zealanders and Asian immigrants.
Her other books include Aliens at My Table: Asians As New Zealanders See Them (2005), Unfolding History, Evolving Identity: Chinese in New Zealand (2003) and Home Away From Home: Life Stories of Chinese Women in New Zealand (1990).
Being Maori-Chinese is published by Auckland University Press and will be available in bookshops next month.
Email this story Print this story
More by Lincoln Tan
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Little sisters escape inferno
Little sisters escape inferno
By REBECCA PAPPRILL - Eastern Courier | Friday, 21 March 2008
SHANE WENZLICK/Eastern Courier
FAMILY TRAGEDY: Aleisha, 6, and Maia, 2, are still coming to terms with the fire.
Get down, get low and get out – that’s what six-year-old Aleisha To told her mother as they escaped from their burning home last week.
They could be the words that saved her heavily pregnant mother Linh from going back inside to try to save her 67-year-old father Hoang Chi To who later died.
Senior fire safety officer Mike McEnaney commends Aleisha for relaying safety information taught to her by firefighters at school.
"She told her mother that they had to get out and stay out. That’s a standard safety message that firefighters continually deliver to children," he says.
The family was alerted to the fire by a smoke alarm.
The fire started in the downstairs bedroom where Mrs Linh’s father, an epileptic, was sleeping.
He had recently had a hip replacement and could not walk.
Aleisha, who goes to Point View School, her two-year-old sister Maia and Mrs To were inside their Moyrus Cres home in East Tamaki when Mrs To made a frantic 111 call to the Fire Service about 6.30am.
The Fire Service communicator convinced Mrs To to stay on the telephone until the first fire engine arrived and not to go back into the burning home.
A nearby resident helped the family until firefighters arrived.
Four fire engines responded to the blaze, which badly damaged the bedroom and caused smoke damage throughout the house.
Firefighters rescued Mrs To’s father from his bedroom and gave him first aid until ambulance crews arrived. He was taken to Middlemore Hospital in a serious condition suffering from burns.
"He went into intensive care, but did not make it. He had inhaled too much smoke into his lungs," Mrs To says.
"I have never experienced anything like this in my life. I keep thinking about it – how I could have done things differently. But I had to save my children.
"Even if my husband was home he could not have saved him."
Minh To says he raced home after his wife called to find fire trucks and the ambulance there.
He ran inside the smoke-filled home looking for his wife and children.
"The fire crew said I wasn’t allowed in there and directed me to my family who were safe with the neighbours."
Mr McEnaney says it was fortunate the family had a smoke alarm.
"This is more evidence that smoke alarms do save lives."
Investigations continue into the cause of the fire.
A funeral was held on Thursday for Hoang Chi To
By REBECCA PAPPRILL - Eastern Courier | Friday, 21 March 2008
SHANE WENZLICK/Eastern Courier
FAMILY TRAGEDY: Aleisha, 6, and Maia, 2, are still coming to terms with the fire.
Get down, get low and get out – that’s what six-year-old Aleisha To told her mother as they escaped from their burning home last week.
They could be the words that saved her heavily pregnant mother Linh from going back inside to try to save her 67-year-old father Hoang Chi To who later died.
Senior fire safety officer Mike McEnaney commends Aleisha for relaying safety information taught to her by firefighters at school.
"She told her mother that they had to get out and stay out. That’s a standard safety message that firefighters continually deliver to children," he says.
The family was alerted to the fire by a smoke alarm.
The fire started in the downstairs bedroom where Mrs Linh’s father, an epileptic, was sleeping.
He had recently had a hip replacement and could not walk.
Aleisha, who goes to Point View School, her two-year-old sister Maia and Mrs To were inside their Moyrus Cres home in East Tamaki when Mrs To made a frantic 111 call to the Fire Service about 6.30am.
The Fire Service communicator convinced Mrs To to stay on the telephone until the first fire engine arrived and not to go back into the burning home.
A nearby resident helped the family until firefighters arrived.
Four fire engines responded to the blaze, which badly damaged the bedroom and caused smoke damage throughout the house.
Firefighters rescued Mrs To’s father from his bedroom and gave him first aid until ambulance crews arrived. He was taken to Middlemore Hospital in a serious condition suffering from burns.
"He went into intensive care, but did not make it. He had inhaled too much smoke into his lungs," Mrs To says.
"I have never experienced anything like this in my life. I keep thinking about it – how I could have done things differently. But I had to save my children.
"Even if my husband was home he could not have saved him."
Minh To says he raced home after his wife called to find fire trucks and the ambulance there.
He ran inside the smoke-filled home looking for his wife and children.
"The fire crew said I wasn’t allowed in there and directed me to my family who were safe with the neighbours."
Mr McEnaney says it was fortunate the family had a smoke alarm.
"This is more evidence that smoke alarms do save lives."
Investigations continue into the cause of the fire.
A funeral was held on Thursday for Hoang Chi To
Tong Min Li
By EMMA KELLY - East And Bays Courier | Friday, 21 March 2008
HOT TO TROT: Tong Min Li is proud of his award-winning hot cross buns.
Tong Min Li has risen to the challenge – his Easter buns have been named Auckland’s best for the third year in a row.
Customers nominated the hot cross buns made by the owner of Manurewa’s Hill Park Bakery for the Champion Easter Bun Bake Off by text message.
Mr Li, who emigrated from China nine years ago, left his job as an electrician to start baking in New Zealand.
He now runs his own bakery with the help of his family.
"We didn’t have hot cross buns in China," says Mr Li, who began making the traditional buns after seeing them in supermarkets.
In the lead-up to Easter, Mr Li and his team of bakers rise at 12.30am to begin cooking for a 6.30am opening.
"We used to start at 2.30am but we always ran out of time."
He estimates the shop sells 1000 buns a day.
Customers have even travelled from Hamilton and Wellington just to try the winning buns.
The bakery will sell the buns for up to two months after Easter, thanks to their popularity.
Mr Li won’t reveal his secret ingredient but admits he spends hours researching recipes at the library.
"We try many things and always ask our customers for suggestions," he says.
The hardest part of making the region’s best buns was trying to impress the judges for a third time, he says.
"They want to see a better bun every year. It’s getting harder to reach perfection."
Bakeries throughout New Zealand submitted their six best buns for judging.
Goodman Fielder spokesman Mike Turlej says the judges consider the buns’ texture, flavour, fruit distribution and the symmetry of the crosses.
Although Mr Li missed out on the national prize, he says the best thing about winning the regional award is seeing the smiles on people’s faces.
"I just love to see the customer satisfied."
HOT TO TROT: Tong Min Li is proud of his award-winning hot cross buns.
Tong Min Li has risen to the challenge – his Easter buns have been named Auckland’s best for the third year in a row.
Customers nominated the hot cross buns made by the owner of Manurewa’s Hill Park Bakery for the Champion Easter Bun Bake Off by text message.
Mr Li, who emigrated from China nine years ago, left his job as an electrician to start baking in New Zealand.
He now runs his own bakery with the help of his family.
"We didn’t have hot cross buns in China," says Mr Li, who began making the traditional buns after seeing them in supermarkets.
In the lead-up to Easter, Mr Li and his team of bakers rise at 12.30am to begin cooking for a 6.30am opening.
"We used to start at 2.30am but we always ran out of time."
He estimates the shop sells 1000 buns a day.
Customers have even travelled from Hamilton and Wellington just to try the winning buns.
The bakery will sell the buns for up to two months after Easter, thanks to their popularity.
Mr Li won’t reveal his secret ingredient but admits he spends hours researching recipes at the library.
"We try many things and always ask our customers for suggestions," he says.
The hardest part of making the region’s best buns was trying to impress the judges for a third time, he says.
"They want to see a better bun every year. It’s getting harder to reach perfection."
Bakeries throughout New Zealand submitted their six best buns for judging.
Goodman Fielder spokesman Mike Turlej says the judges consider the buns’ texture, flavour, fruit distribution and the symmetry of the crosses.
Although Mr Li missed out on the national prize, he says the best thing about winning the regional award is seeing the smiles on people’s faces.
"I just love to see the customer satisfied."
Friday, March 21, 2008
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