MEDIA RELEASE 12 February 2019

Applications for new Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust funding round now open

Members of the public are invited to apply to the current funding round of the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust before applications close on 27 March 2019.

The Trust chairman, Mr Kai Luey, encourages people to make applications for proposals that support the aims of the Trust.

The Trust distributes up to $150,000 in grants to organisations and individuals through two funding rounds each year. It funds activities that promote the preservation of Chinese New Zealand history and awareness of the contributions of early Chinese settlers, and which provide tangible support for Chinese New Zealanders’ history, language and culture.

Recent funding from the Trust has supported commissioned works from selected writers and researchers to produce histories of New Zealand’s Chinese fruit shops, laundries, churches and merchants.

To apply for funding, or to learn more about the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust and its work, please visit the Community Matters website: www.communitymatters.govt.nz or phone 0800 824 824.

ENDS About the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust The Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust was established in 2004 in recognition of the hardship caused by the poll tax introduced by the Chinese Immigrants Act 1881 and other discriminatory legislation and is a gesture of goodwill to poll tax payers, their descendants, and future generations.

The Trust aims to create a greater understanding of the Chinese community in New Zealand and to strengthen the unique identity of Chinese New Zealanders.

Trustees The CPTHT has eight trustees, all of whom are descended from original poll tax payers. Current members of the Trust are: • Kai-Shek Luey (Chair) • Virginia Chong • Richard Leung • Malcolm Wong (Finance Chair) • Mark Ngan Kee • Paul Chin • Melissa Wong • Elizabeth Ngan Chinese Ethnicity in New Zealand There are approximately 171,400 people of Chinese ethnic origin in New Zealand, around 4.3% of our population.

A large proportion of New Zealand’s ethnic Chinese – 69% – live in the Auckland region, and almost 10% live in the Wellington region. (Source: Statistics New Zealand) China’s importance to New Zealand China is New Zealand's second-largest trading partner, as well as a major source of migrants, students and tourists. China is New Zealand’s fastest growing market for international visitors. In the year ending April 2018, there were 407,000 Chinese visitor arrivals in New Zealand. (Source: Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment andwww.tourismnewzealand.com/markets-stats/research/infographics/china-visitor-information/)

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