New Zealand Chinese Language Week kicks off

WELLINGTON, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- A week of fun activities and events kicked off on Monday for the New Zealand Chinese Language Week (NZCLW).

A Kiwi-driven initiative, the Week, in its third year, aims to raise awareness of the need for greater understanding of culture and language between New Zealand and China, New Zealand's largest trading partner, said a statement of the NZCLW Trust.

While 84 percent of Kiwis in an Asia New Zealand Foundation Survey thought that it is important for New Zealand to develop cultural and economic ties with Asia, only 35 percent said they knew "a fair amount" or "a lot" about Asia, a number that has barely increased since the survey began in 2013.

That is why the NZCLW Trust is encouraging all Kiwis to take part in the "five days, five phrases" challenge, the statement said, adding that its objective is to get New Zealanders to "give Chinese a go" and encourage friends and colleagues to take up the challenge.

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

"Given China is our largest trading partner, our largest source of international students and second largest source of tourists, it makes sense for us to familiarize ourselves with Chinese language and culture," she said.

"With a focus on Chinese Language for just one week, hopefully Kiwis can get on board and learn a few simple phrases to get them started," she said, adding that the momentum for learning Chinese is growing in New Zealand but there is still a perception that the language is hard.