NZ Chinese Language Week aims to lift 'disappointing' level of Mandarin learning

Mother Theresa Chong pays for private Chinese lessons to get her sons Gabriel Loke, 12 and Aaron Loke, 9, learning Mandarin. Photo / Supplied

Malaysian mother Theresa Chong put her eldest son through Chinese school in her home country because she wanted him to be proficient in Mandarin.

But when they migrated to New Zealand four years ago, he starting communicating just in English and stopped speaking Chinese.

Now Chong, an ethnic Chinese, is paying $300 a term for private classes to get two of her sons, Aaron, 9, and Gabriel, 12, to start using the language again.

She spoke to the Herald ahead of New Zealand Chinese Language Week (NZCLW) which starts on Monday, October 16 and runs until Sunday, October 22.

The week is aimed at encouraging more Kiwis to have a go at Chinese, and seeks to bridge the cultural and linguistic knowledge gap between New Zealand and China.

"The reason I am making them learn Chinese is so they can communicate with their grandparents, and I think it is advantageous for them to learn a second language," Chong said.

Co-chair of the New Zealand Chinese Language Trust, Raymond Huo, said the week is about preparing New Zealand's future generations for the "global village" and the "increasingly important" Asian markets.

Huo said despite China being New Zealand's most important trading partner, the uptake of learning Chinese at schools here have been "disappointing".

Mandarin language learning in NZ is slow, up from just 7 per cent in 2012 to 13 per cent in 2016.

A recent Asia New Zealand Foundation survey found 30 per cent of students had no interest in learning an Asian language due to perceived difficulty, lack of interest and perceived irrelevance.

"It is disappointing that Chinese language teaching in schools is well behind other languages, especially at secondary level," Huo said.

Associate Professor Sharon Harvey, head of Language and Culture at AUT University, said Pakeha parents did not see the urgency for their children to learn Mandarin.

"The problem is that the New Zealand education system has never really prioritised languages learning," Harvey said.

"It is part of the malaise that exists in all Anglo countries towards all languages other than English."

In 2016, there were just 74,980 secondary school students learning additional languages in school, 23,089 less than in 2008.

Of those, just 4752 are learning Chinese, compared with 17,506 doing French, 11,276 Spanish and 10,745 Japanese.

"Often the burden of language maintenance falls on parents who are busy and do not necessarily have the knowledge about the best ways for their children to learn, maintain and extend their home language," Harvey said.

"It is much better if this support is also offered through schools."

Harvey said the Language Week would provide a focus for organisations to make a particular effort.

"But of course we need a much more co-ordinated approach within education, in particular, to learning languages, so that we can move New Zealand beyond the current somewhat entrenched monolingualism," she added.

Jo Coughlan, NZCLW Trust co-chair, is challenging New Zealanders to master five Chinese phrases in five days.

"Just learning five simple phrases can make such a difference when engaging with another culture," Coughlan said.

"The momentum for learning Chinese is growing in New Zealand, but there is still a perception it's hard.

"At the very least we should be able to say hello."

NZ Chinese Language Week is into its third year and it is offering a one-stop resource portal for anyone wanting to start learning Chinese on its website nzclw.com.

There are also links to free online learning resources and showcases all the events linked with the week.