Speech to Chinese New Year reception
Gong Xi Fa Cai! Xin Nian Kuai Le!, Gung Hay Fat Choy!, Sun Nin Fy Lok! and welcome to you all.
Let me start with a special greeting to our host, Mrs Juhua Liao, the Consul-General of the People's Republic of China, to the many other distinguished guests gathered here this evening and to all those involved in organising this wonderful event.
It is a pleasure to be here with you today to help celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Ox (Ji Chou).
People born in the Year of the Ox are said to be leaders, dependable, inspiring, and modest as the Ox symbolises prosperity through hard work and fortitude.
These traits are especially important in the coming year, given the tough times we are facing in the current global climate.
The year ahead of us promises to bring many challenges, but the dawn of a new year also brings with it opportunities to work harder and smarter and to think outside the square.
The Ox is a symbol of hard work and of the ability to endure any amount of hardship without complaint - perhaps the most fitting symbol for the year ahead of us.
As New Zealand's first Cabinet Minister of Chinese-descent, I will continue to ensure that all New Zealanders, including those within the Chinese community, are able to participate and contribute equally within society and - like those born under the symbol of the Ox - have the opportunity to inspire and lead.
New Zealand's Chinese community has made substantial contributions to our nation and Chinese New Zealanders have been an integral part of our society, dating right back to the 1850's gold fields.
Members of the Chinese community have been industry pioneers and agricultural leaders in this country - including starting the first refrigerated diary product export route, an industry that is now worth billions of dollars to New Zealand's economy.
New Zealand's Chinese community's vast entrepreneurial skills and well-established contacts with their countries of origin and other Asian nations have substantially strengthened our economy and will hopefully continue to do so through these tough economic times.
As well as contributing vastly to our economy, the Chinese community has also enriched the lives of all New Zealanders through the celebration of Chinese arts, cuisine and traditions.
Chinese New Year celebrations like the one we have gathered together for this evening have become an important part of the New Zealand cultural calendar.
These celebrations provide opportunities to demonstrate the richness of Chinese culture and to celebrate the diversity of the many cultures represented in New Zealand today.
It is my hope that the Year of the Ox will bring good fortune, peace and strength to all. Gong Xi Fa Cai! Xin Nian Kuai Le! Gung Hay Fat Choy! Sun Nin Fy Lok!
