NZCA 80 Year History
NZCA Launches Publications in Celebration of Its 80 Years History
The New Zealand Chinese Association (NZCA) has just celebrated the 80th anniversary of its founding by launching a book chronicling its long history at the National Library in Wellington on June 19th 2015.
Written by Dr David Fung, Turning Stone into Jade is a huge milestone for the Association. From humble beginnings, facing racial discrimination and even legal barriers, ethnic Chinese in New Zealand have become an integral part of Kiwi society.
NZCA National President Meng Foon noted “While there are many issues which we need to debate, the most pressing issue is that we are not isolated from policy making, and that we are given a fair go in our daily lives. We want to participate with law makers, our government ministers and it s agencies, as well as local governments in the decision making process.”
“Our organisation goals are for the preservation of our culture, language and customs, and we will continue to strongly advocate and support these objectives. The NZCA is a self-funded organization, and does not rely on government or local government to continue its work.”
Later this year, NZCA will launch its next major publication, Chinese ANZACs. This book, written by British military historian Alastair Kennedy, describes those New Zealanders and Australians of Chinese decent who served in the First World War. Mr Foon noted, “This is a very important event for us as it shows that we, as New Zealanders, have also made the ultimate sacrifice to our country alongside our brothers and sisters in the armed forces.”
ENDS