Saturday, February 11, 2012
Young Dragonz dinner
Bright young things of New Zealand’s leading Chinese young professionals’ network, Future Dragonz, gathered for its first event for 2012.
The talented group enjoyed a ‘‘Dragonz Banquet’’ at Crystal Harbour Restaurant at Auckland’s Viaduct on Wednesday evening.
The conversation was lively with plenty of inspirational young Dragonz happy to chat about their
visions for the future.
However, the gourmet banquet was equally inspiring with wok-fried seafood on a bread nest the most unusual dish of the nine courses.
Young Dragonz dinner
Last updated 05:00 12/02/2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Call for ethnic help
Call for ethnic help
By Diana Clement 5:30 AM Sunday Jul 10, 2011
New Zealand is missing opportunities by failing to support ethnic businesses, officials say.
Entrepreneurs such as Mohammed Hasim Khan, who launched the Moshims Discount House chain of more than a dozen franchised Indian supermarkets, have found niches in their own communities.
Others such as Vinod Khumar, who launched the first Mitre 10 Mega store in New Zealand, have been successful in mainstream business.
Yet the so-called "migrant vigour" that makes these people want to succeed in a new country isn't being tapped by the New Zealand Government and other agencies, says Office of Ethnic Affairs director Mervin Singham.
Singham says latest research by Massey and Auckland University academics shows migrant businesses are not getting the support they need.
"This isn't about pandering to minorities. We need every opportunity we can to boost our economy," says Singham.
Concepts that are straightforward to Kiwi-born people such as PAYE can be bewildering to an immigrant.
As a result, many potential people who could create thriving businesses, employ people and earn foreign-exchange revenue choose inactive investments instead.
Singham says central and local government have few programmes aimed specifically at ethnic businesses.
"Council and government need to consult with ethnic business and ask: 'What do you think you need to fuel the New Zealand economy'?"
Industry bodies such as the Chambers of Commerce, Business New Zealand and the Employers and Manufacturers Association could be doing much more for migrant businesses, even with basic services such as providing information in multiple languages. In return, industry bodies could benefit from increased membership.
The Office of Ethnic Affairs has a number of initiatives such as a database migrant businesses can tap for mutual support and mentoring.
Kenneth Wang, director of cross-cultural communications agency Bananaworks, says New Zealand should take a leaf from the Chinese Government, which offers advice through its Ministry of Commerce website.
"If the Chinese Government of a population of 1.4 billion can use a website to serve individual business inquiry, surely we could do it better to support ethnic businesses? [We could] upgrade www.business.govt.nz, to a multilingual version, at least for the main pages."
Singham would also like to see mentoring for migrants.
Local businesses could also benefit from cross-cultural connections, especially in Auckland where nearly a third of the population is from Asia.
By Diana Clement | Email DianaMerging cultures for success
Merging cultures for success
By Diana Clement 5:30 AM Sunday Jul 10, 2011
Chinese immigrant Kenneth Wang's business, Brandworks, straddles Asian and European worlds.
He launched the mainstream advertising agency after completing a master's degree and Elam School of Fine Arts and working for Kiwi businesses.
When the numbers of Asian people started to swell in New Zealand in the 1990s, Wang moved into cross-cultural communications with another business, Bananaworks.
These days, much of the Bananaworks business involves communicating national campaigns such as road safety, cervical cancer screening and electoral enrolment to Asian audiences here.
That may include rewriting copy, advising on images, creating radio ads and much more.
Vietnamese refugee Mitchell Pham arrived alone in New Zealand aged 13 after a desperate escape in a boat and spending 18 months in Indonesian refugee camps.
Here he went to school and university, and set up Augen Software in 1993 with several Kiwi classmates.
Pham says there are advantages to being a refugee. "We bring resilience and determination to building a life in New Zealand and succeeding in business, along with lateral thinking and different problem-solving approaches."
The disadvantages mainly revolve around the level of understanding of the New Zealand market, having the right connections and being able to sell to local customers.
Like many migrant entrepreneurs, Pham has used his language skills and connections in his native country to expand beyond these shores.
AugenASIA launched a software service centre in 2005 to service New Zealand customers with medium to large and on-going projects.
Pham was recognised by the World Economic Forum as one of 190 Young Global Leaders.
By Diana Clement | Email DianaNZ Chinese support Australian racism apology
NZ Chinese support Australian racism apology
By Lincoln Tan 3:20 PM Tuesday Jul 12, 2011
Chinese Australians seeking an official apology for the country's history of racism towards their forefathers have the support of New Zealand Chinese leaders.
In 2002, then-Prime Minister Helen Clark made a formal apology to the New Zealand Chinese for making their ancestors pay poll tax and suffer other discrimination imposed by statutes.
Now Chinese groups in Australia are urging the federal government to acknowledge past descrimination against the Chinese there, from the poll tax to the dictation test which was designed to trip non-native English speakers.
Kai Luey, a key member of the New Zealand Chinese Association, said local Chinese leaders here are supportive for those in Australia to receive a similar apology from its government.
The Australian policies which started in the 1850s Gold Rush continued through the "White Australia" policy, and were abolished only in 1973.
Chinese Heritage Association of Australia president Daphne Lowe Kelley said an apology would "get rid of the last vestiges of white superiority".
She wrote on her association's website: "An apology for the discriminatory legislation that affected the Chinese for nearly 120 years would be welcome and bring closure to this sad period of Australia's history."
Ms Lowe Kelley, who studied in New Zealand and still has brothers living in Auckland, first made a call for an apology in a newspaper article she wrote to mark the 150th anniversary of anti-Chinese riots at goldfields in New South Wales.
"Surely we do not have to wait as long as the first citizens of this country to get an apology and be recognised for the contributions we have made to the country we call home," she said.
Mr Luey was New Zealand's representative at a conference in April where it made plans to make a request to Prime Minister Julia Gillard by the heritage association.
It is expected to be joined by the Chinese Community Council of Australia and the Chinese Association Forum.
Nearly 3 per cent of Australians, or 70,000 people, identify themselves as Chinese Australians.
"We think it is appropriate for them to pursue the apology, and they have our support in their attempts to seek some form of redress," Mr Luey said.
"We feel there should be some sort of recognition to acknowledge the discriminatory practices aimed at the Chinese there, just as we have in New Zealand."
In recent years, similar apologies have been made in Canada and the United States.
In 2008, the Rudd government made a formal apology to the generations of Aboriginal children removed from their families by governments and missions, and in 2009, apologised to the 7,000 former child migrants from Britain who suffered abuse and neglect in state-run homes in Australia.
The government has yet to respond to the call for an apology to the Chinese.
By Lincoln Tan | Email Lincoln
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