Post by NZBC on Aug 7, 2007 20:18:48 GMT 12
Speech to the Wellington Chinese Association
My thanks to you all for coming here tonight.
My thanks to everyone who has been involved in organising this meeting.
I would like to pay tribute to Esther Fung, President of the Wellington Chinese Association, who is chairing tonight¡¯s meeting.
Thank you Esther.
I would also like to acknowledge the presence here tonight of my parliamentary colleague, Marion Hobbs, MP for Wellington Central.
I¡¯d also like to thank the Wellington Chinese Association, the Tung Jung , Seyip, and thingy Fah Associations, as well as the Wellington Chinese Sports and Cultural Centre and the Chinese Dragon Sports and Social Club for their support of the Office of Ethnic Affairs in setting up the consultation process.
I also want to acknowledge the work of researcher and historian, Nigel Murphy.
Ladies and gentlemen, when the Prime Minister offered an apology to the early Chinese settlers, and to the descendants of those early settlers who were subjected to anti-Chinese discrimination, she said:
¡°Modern New Zealand has a bicultural foundation, and today is home to many peoples. It is important that we value, honour, and respect our diversity as a great strength¡±.
Chinese were among our earliest immigrants. They were a source of great strength as they helped to build our nation.
Unfortunately they were poorly treated. Indeed they were subjected to racial discrimination.
Although such discrimination was legal at the time, it is totally inappropriate by today¡¯s standard.
The Prime Minister¡¯s speech on 12 February this year reflects the contrition that this government feels about the discrimination against the early Chinese settlers all those years ago.
I want to make it very clear that this meeting is not a political forum. This is a forum for the Chinese community.
Today we are here to move the process forward. Those early Chinese and their families have had the apology. Now we want to know how the Chinese community feel about what we can do to move the process forward.
We want to achieve a genuine reconciliation with the Chinese community. We need to know how we can achieve that.
The poll tax was a shameful chapter affecting early Chinese New Zealanders.
It was not the Chinese community¡¯s shame. It was New Zealand¡¯s shame.
For those of you who don¡¯t know, some of the descendants of the early settlers who were subjected to discrimination, have tried for a number of years, to get the government to apologise.
During the 1990s, previous governments became aware of the issue, but chose not to advance it.
I first became aware of the poll tax over two years ago, soon after I became the Minister for Ethnic Affairs. It took roughly two years for the government to get to the point where an apology was given. Now we are at the point where we are engaging with those early settlers, and their descendants, to consider an appropriate gesture of reconciliation.
We have come here in good faith. We want to receive your views and your feedback.
We hope that you will come forward and tell us your story, express your views and offer your suggestions on how we can act to achieve a real and meaningful reconciliation.
This is an open process. Apart from today¡¯s discussion, we are very pleased to accept your individual submissions.
This meeting is an important opportunity for representatives from the Chinese community here in Wellington, to discuss how we can achieve reconciliation.
Representatives from the Office of Ethnic Affairs and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, are here tonight.
This meeting has been organised by representatives of the Wellington Chinese Association, for the Wellington Chinese community. The officials have been delegated responsibility to help facilitate this meeting if required.
Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you find this meeting to be constructive and well worthwhile.
On behalf of the Prime Minister Helen Clark, I wish you every success.
Thank you very much.
(Not Dated)
My thanks to you all for coming here tonight.
My thanks to everyone who has been involved in organising this meeting.
I would like to pay tribute to Esther Fung, President of the Wellington Chinese Association, who is chairing tonight¡¯s meeting.
Thank you Esther.
I would also like to acknowledge the presence here tonight of my parliamentary colleague, Marion Hobbs, MP for Wellington Central.
I¡¯d also like to thank the Wellington Chinese Association, the Tung Jung , Seyip, and thingy Fah Associations, as well as the Wellington Chinese Sports and Cultural Centre and the Chinese Dragon Sports and Social Club for their support of the Office of Ethnic Affairs in setting up the consultation process.
I also want to acknowledge the work of researcher and historian, Nigel Murphy.
Ladies and gentlemen, when the Prime Minister offered an apology to the early Chinese settlers, and to the descendants of those early settlers who were subjected to anti-Chinese discrimination, she said:
¡°Modern New Zealand has a bicultural foundation, and today is home to many peoples. It is important that we value, honour, and respect our diversity as a great strength¡±.
Chinese were among our earliest immigrants. They were a source of great strength as they helped to build our nation.
Unfortunately they were poorly treated. Indeed they were subjected to racial discrimination.
Although such discrimination was legal at the time, it is totally inappropriate by today¡¯s standard.
The Prime Minister¡¯s speech on 12 February this year reflects the contrition that this government feels about the discrimination against the early Chinese settlers all those years ago.
I want to make it very clear that this meeting is not a political forum. This is a forum for the Chinese community.
Today we are here to move the process forward. Those early Chinese and their families have had the apology. Now we want to know how the Chinese community feel about what we can do to move the process forward.
We want to achieve a genuine reconciliation with the Chinese community. We need to know how we can achieve that.
The poll tax was a shameful chapter affecting early Chinese New Zealanders.
It was not the Chinese community¡¯s shame. It was New Zealand¡¯s shame.
For those of you who don¡¯t know, some of the descendants of the early settlers who were subjected to discrimination, have tried for a number of years, to get the government to apologise.
During the 1990s, previous governments became aware of the issue, but chose not to advance it.
I first became aware of the poll tax over two years ago, soon after I became the Minister for Ethnic Affairs. It took roughly two years for the government to get to the point where an apology was given. Now we are at the point where we are engaging with those early settlers, and their descendants, to consider an appropriate gesture of reconciliation.
We have come here in good faith. We want to receive your views and your feedback.
We hope that you will come forward and tell us your story, express your views and offer your suggestions on how we can act to achieve a real and meaningful reconciliation.
This is an open process. Apart from today¡¯s discussion, we are very pleased to accept your individual submissions.
This meeting is an important opportunity for representatives from the Chinese community here in Wellington, to discuss how we can achieve reconciliation.
Representatives from the Office of Ethnic Affairs and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, are here tonight.
This meeting has been organised by representatives of the Wellington Chinese Association, for the Wellington Chinese community. The officials have been delegated responsibility to help facilitate this meeting if required.
Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you find this meeting to be constructive and well worthwhile.
On behalf of the Prime Minister Helen Clark, I wish you every success.
Thank you very much.
(Not Dated)