New Zealand Chinese Language Week

Language Week is a highlight of the Institute’s annual calendar, giving schools and communities involved with the Institute an opportunity to celebrate.

In 2016 Confucius Institute Day, Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese Language Week were the perfect opportunities to celebrate the fact that Chinese language training carried out by the New Zealand Government has a colourful history dating back to the 1950s.

At the celebratory dinner organised by Victoria University of Wellington's Confucius Institute for ‘Alumni’ who had studied Chinese under various official schemes, former Ambassador to China and the doyen of former Chinese language students, Chris Elder, regaled his fellow alumni and other guests with tales from those early Chinese classes and the tricks of the Chinese language trade, in Chris’ case as a senior diplomat working on New Zealand’s relations with China for many years.

In 2021, the Institute ran a calligratherapy workshop for university student and staff and facilitated the attendance of 2021 National Bridge finalists to an event in Parliament organised by Chinese Language Week. Otaki College ran two days of workshops supported by the Institute's Discover China! programme.