Out of the Shadows: Emerging Political and Civil Participation of the Chinese in New Zealand

1
Out of the Shadows Emerging Political and Civil
Participation of the Chinese in New Zealand

• Tim Beal
• Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

2
Overview

• NZs snap election puts Chinese in spotlight
• NZ attitudes towards Chinese
• Importance of Chinese community
• Chinese in NZ politics out of the shadows

3
NZs snap election

• Election has been called for 27 July
• One party NZ First has immigration at top of
  list
• 1966 election NZ First won 17 seats
• Now support has slumped
• Other parties actively seeking Chinese vote
• Candidates, advertising in Chinese

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The ACT party(in NZ Asian Chinese)
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NZ attitudes towards Chinese

• Surveys shows that New Zealanders are much more
  positive towards Asians/Chinese than a few years
  ago
• However, recent anti-immigration successes in
  Europe and NZs own history of discrimination
  caution against complacency
• Chinese first arrived during gold rush in 1860s
  and suffered much discrimination
• On Chinese New Year 2002 Prime Minister Helen
  Clark made a formal apology

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Prime Ministers apology
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Importance of Chinese to NZ

• Chinese world becoming increasingly important to
  NZ
• Chinese provide a link political, cultural, and
  economic
• Chinese becoming significant proportion of NZ
  population

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Fig 1 NZs major trading partners, 2000
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Asians and Chinese in NZ

• Most NZers often dont distinguish between
  Asian and Chinese
• Asians
• 1991 3
• 2001 6.6
• Asians overtook Pacific Islanders in 2001 census
  to become 3rd largest ethnicity after Pakeha
  (Europeans) and Maori

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Chinese

• 1991 1.3
• 2001 2.9
• Chinese by far largest Asian group, comprising
  nearly half of all Asians

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Chinese in NZ politics

• Chinese are increasingly active in politics at
  local and national level
• E.g. Meng Foon, Mayor of Gisborne
• Both major parties and two minor parties have
  Chinese candidates in forthcoming national
  election
• Only one sure of being elected is Pansy Wong

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Pansy Wong MP

• 1996 elected NZs first Asian/Chinese MP
• No 10 on National Party list in 2002 election

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Out of the shadows

• Pansy Wong Until the late 1990s Asians in New
  Zealandvirtually unseen and unheard
• No longer
• Chinese are increasing being courted by
  politicians and are making their voice heard
• What should they say?
• Discuss this afternoon