NZ China Council welcomes NZ Chinese Language Week

See our NZ Chinese Language Week video here.

Learning Chinese is one of the most important things Kiwis can do to be part of New Zealand’s successful and growing relationship with China, according to New Zealand China Council Executive Director Stephen Jacobi.

“China is a leading trading partner.  Being China savvy opens up significant opportunities in business, education, travel, culture and more.  

“Building language skills is key to these opportunities.  We’re very pleased to sponsor and support New Zealand Chinese Language Week in 2017,” Mr Jacobi says.  

Ministry of Education figures show more than 52,000 students are now being engaged in Chinese language learning at primary level, more than the next two most popular languages, combined.

“It’s encouraging to see the number of primary school students learning Chinese growing by 60 percent in the past 12 months.  

“Now we need to boost acquisition at secondary level and above to build on our existing ties with China,” Mr Jacobi says.

New Zealand Chinese Language Week is encouraging Kiwis to give Chinese a go with a ‘Five Days, Five Phrases’ challenge.

“Learning one Chinese phrase a day is a great target for New Zealand Chinese Language Week.  I encourage as many Kiwis as possible to give the challenge a go,” Mr Jacobi says.

Find out more about New Zealand Chinese Language Week at www.nzclw.com