Hon Steven Joyce
Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills & Employment
9 April 2013 Media Statement
From Donaldson’s Dairy to Shanghai
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today launched the Chinese language version of the
classic New Zealand children’s book Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy, at an education event in Shanghai.
The Hairy Maclary series, first published in 1983, has sold more than nine million copies worldwide.
“Hairy Maclary is a much loved character in New Zealand, and he and his friends have helped many Kiwi children to
develop their reading skills at an early age,” Mr Joyce says.
“It’s great that Chinese children will now have the opportunity to go on adventures with Hairy Maclary, Bottomley Potts
and the rest of the gang, and I’m sure the series will be as popular in China as it has proven to be in New Zealand, the
United Kingdom, Russia, Australia and Korea.”
The Penguin Group, which holds the rights to the Hairy Maclary series, has sold the Chinese language rights to Wenhui
Press, a Chinese publishing company. Wenhui Press has produced 10 bilingual (English/Chinese) translations of classic
Hairy Maclary stories.
“This is another example of New Zealand creativity and imagination having global appeal, regardless of the language it
is delivered in. These opportunities help build business relationships between New Zealand and Chinese companies, as
well as showcasing New Zealand’s creative talent,” Mr Joyce says.
The book was launched at the New Zealand and China: Celebrating the Future event in Shanghai, attended by members of the Prime Minister’s delegation as well as by a broad range of Shanghai
business, media, government, education, and other contacts. The event provided a platform for the promotion of New
Zealand education products and services.
“China is a valuable education partner, with Chinese students making up 27 per cent of the international students that
came to New Zealand in 2012 to study,” Mr Joyce says.
“It is great to see our education partnership developing and New Zealand education products being exported to China, as
well as welcoming Chinese students to New Zealand to our schools and tertiary education institutions.”
ENDS