Chinese New Year Celebrations

On behalf of the Labour-led Government, greetings to the Chinese community as you celebrate the Year of the Rat in this year's Chinese New Year celebrations.

I hope the Year of the Rat will bring fortune and luck to all of your families.

Chinese New Year is the oldest and most important festival in the Chinese calendar. These days with New Zealand’s significant and growing Chinese and Korean populations it is also an increasingly important festival in the New Zealand calendar.

For us all, it is an opportunity to experience the richness of Chinese culture and to celebrate the diversity of culture in New Zealand today.

Our Labour-led Government works hard to encourage the best possible relations between New Zealand’s many communities. We value and appreciate the contribution New Zealand’s Chinese community makes to our country, and we place great value on our relationship with the Chinese community.

May the New Year bring you good health, prosperity and, above all, happiness.

Gung Hei Fat Choy.