New group cements ties with China

Rotorua's Chinese Community of Commerce was launched at Rotorua Lakes Council at the opening of The Ancient Arts of China gallery exhibition on Friday.

The new organisation was the "icing on the cake" for the century old relationship between Rotorua and China, said Xu Chunman, the Chinese embassy's director of the consular section.

Mr Xu told a packed council chamber that he looked forward to continuing the ties between China and Rotorua.

The relationship began in the early 1900s when members of the Bow and Kai Fong families established fruit shops and Mong Jook Fong began market gardening.

Today, there were many third- and fourth-generation Kiwi-Chinese living in the district, along with more recent arrivals.

"Rotorua is paradise, a haven, such a beautiful setting and a place of harmony," said Mr Xu.

Eighty per cent of the 300,000 Chinese tourists to New Zealand in the 12 months to the end of June this year came to Rotorua, and Air China plans to establish direct flights from China to New Zealand. China overtook Australia in 2013 to become New Zealand's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade amounting to $19.3 billion in the year ended September 2014.

Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick said the new organisation was a wonderful initiative that co-presidents Dr Chris Low, an ENT surgeon at Rotorua Hospital, and Frank Zhou, a Westpac commercial manager, plus other supporters, had invested energy and time in.

"We all know how important China is to the New Zealand economy, and local Chinese business operators are also becoming increasingly important to Rotorua's growing economy," she said.

"It is my belief that our local Chinese business operators will be very important to Rotorua's growing economy."

Dr Low said business leaders and professionals had formed the organisation to bridge relations between potential Chinese investors and local businesses and the wider community in Rotorua.

"By engaging with Chinese businesses and investors, and working in partnership with the council and other local entities, we aim to help develop and grow Rotorua, and safeguard the future for our local community."

Mr Zhou said the organisation had a membership of more than 30 and was growing rapidly.

"We have an increasing number of immigrants and investment from China. The feedback from the Rotorua community was that we needed an entity to have all the Chinese professionals and entrepreneurs working together."

The launch also included a group from the recently formed Bay of Plenty Chinese Business & Commerce Association from Tauranga, and representatives of Hamilton's Chinese business community.

"We'd like to work very closely with similar Chinese business entities around the Bay and collaborate and use our contacts to grow our local bases and membership."