HKNZBA, in conjunction with HKTDC, hosted a Belt and Road Initiative Seminar on Wednesday 31 May to promote how New Zealand companies could potentially take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Belt and Road Initiative.

We invited a panel of speakers to share their insights into the opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative. Mr Simon Draper, Executive Director of the Asia New Zealand Foundation, and Mr Colum Rice, representing the New Zealand China Council, both attended the Belt and Road Summit in Beijing in May; , and Mr Kirk Hope, Chief Executive of BusinessNZ, shared his perspective on the possible influence of the Belt and Road Initiative in New Zealand.

2018 Cathay Pacific Business Seminar

Last night, in conjunction with Cathay Pacific, HKNZBA hosted a business seminar to promote the exclusive deals that our members are able to benefit from when travelling with Cathay Pacific, as well as their brand new Business Plus programme that rewards business’ who travel with Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon.

We were also very honoured to have Mr Sean Kennedy to share with us and our members’ his upbringing story and personal experience while he was living in Hong Kong. Sean is the CEO and Co-founder of Coastlines International which specialises in the design, development, sourcing and supply of gear for surfing and other board sports, and of beach apparel.

Furthermore, we would like to especially thank our sponsor, Cathay Pacific Airways for the continued support of our association and we would like to thank all our members who were able to join us for a wonderful event last night.

2018 Cathay Pacific Business Seminar

In conjunction with Cathay Pacific, the Hong Kong New Zealand Business Association (HKNZBA) will be holding a business seminar with guest speaker Mr Sean Kennedy, the Co founder and CEO of Coastlines International.

Cathay Pacific will also be presenting the brand new Cathay Pacific Business Plus Programme and how HKNZBA members are able to benefit from this scheme. Cathay Pacific will also cover the member only benefits they are able to offer and further discuss specific products and frequent flier schemes.

HKNZBA and Cathay Pacific cordially invites you to attend our Cathay Pacific Business Seminar on Thursday, 20th of September, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm.

Please kindly RSVP by the 18th of September to hk@hongkong.org.nz

2018 Hong Kong Festival – Annual Gala Dinner

As a grand finale to this year’s Hong Kong Festival, HKNZBA held our Annual Gala Dinner at the Cordis last Thursday, 23 August. This year, we had an overwhelming turnout with over 140 attendees, including Auckland Mayor, Mr. Phil Goff, and Director of HKETO Sydney, Mr. Raymond Fan. Guests were also treated to a sharing by celebrity speaker Mr. Mike Allsop. An airline pilot by day, Mike had achieved numerous achievements including climbing Mount Everest, and completing seven marathons, in seven continents, in seven days. Many of us were not only impressed by such great feats, but were inspired and reminded to dare to dream and to work to achieve those dreams!

In addition to the eventful evening with joy and laughter, we also saw strong competition on certain items at our silent auction. All proceeds have gone to the Chinese New Settlers Services Trust, a charity organisation that oversees programs including the Kiwi-Dragon Cultural Exchange Scholarship program, which provides support to local young Kiwis in financial difficulties, and providing them with a meaningful Chinese cultural experience trip. Our success at this event is only possible with the continued support from our sponsors including Cathay Pacific, The Cordis, HKETO, HKTDC, InvestHK.

Thank you to all our guests for your great patience. The photos of the Hong Kong Festival Annual Gala Dinner have now been uploaded to the following Drop box link. https://lnkd.in/gSm7atH

Once again, thank you to everyone who attended this year’s Hong Kong Festival. We hope you enjoyed the networking opportunities from this year’s festival and we look forward to seeing you all at our future events.

https://www.dropbox.com/home/HKNZBA%20-%202018%20Hong%20Kong%20Festival/Hong%20Kong%20Festival%20-%20Annual%20Gala%20Dinner?preview=IMG_7875.JPG

Hong Kong Festival – Business Seminar

Last week we were honoured to have Mr. Justin De Lille as our guest speaker at our Wellington and Auckland Business Seminars. Justin is the CEO of Liverton Technology Group, which specialises in security, ISP, networking and automation solutions. Justin has extensive experience growing the business in Hong Kong, China, and Macau.

Furthermore, we would also like to thank Dr. Luca De Leonardis from Invest Hong Kong for his wonderful presentation and update on the current landscape of Hong Kong and the types of business opportunities that are available.

Finally, we would like to thank our proud sponsors, Cathay Pacific, Cordis, HKETO, HKTDC and InvestHK for the continued support of our Hong Kong Festival.

Please follow this Drop box link for more photos of the evening. https://lnkd.in/ght_vV8

2018 Hong Kong Festival – Annual Gala Dinner

Our 2017 Annual Gala Dinner saw overwhelming support, as we celebrated yet another successful Hong Kong Festival, coupled by celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR.

We are proud to host our 2018 Annual Gala Dinner at the Cordis once again! Joining us, will be celebrity guest speaker Mr. Mike Allsop. Airline pilot, Everest mountaineer, Mike has also completed a number of extraordinary achievements including seven marathons in seven days on seven continents, one of which was the 2013 Hong Kong Marathon.

As with previous years, we will be conducting a silent auction. This year all proceeds will be going to the Chinese New Settlers Services Trust, a charity that offers comprehensive services to the wider community of new Asian Settlers. The charity foundation also organizes a Kiwi-Dragon Cultural Exchange Scholarship program. The purpose of this program is to provide financial support to local young Kiwis that have financial difficulties and providing them with a meaningful Chinese cultural experience trip.

With already over 100 RSVPs to the gala dinner, we look forward to you all joining us for an charitable and enjoyable evening.

HKNZBA: 2018 Hong Kong Film Night

To kick off the 2018 Hong Kong Festival, HKNZBA is proud to have brought back the Hong Kong Film Night held at Events Cinema, Newmarket on 2 August. This year’s featured showing was the award-winning film, Unbeatable (激戰). Starring renowned actor, Nick Cheung, the story of resilience and passion themed around mixed martial arts not only inspired many of the 60 guests at the event, but also served as a reminder of what the Hong Kong spirit is all about. Special thanks to Raymond Suen of the New Zealand Film Commission for assisting on such a successful event, as well as New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and Cathay Pacific for gifting the evening’s lucky draw prizes. HKNZBA is also most grateful to our sponsors, The Cordis, Cathay Pacific, and Hong Kong Economics and Trade Office (HKETO) for their continued support.

Following such a strong start to this year’s Hong Kong Festival, HKNZBA will be bringing to you Justin De Lille, CEO of Liverton Technology Group, at our Wellington and Auckland Business Seminars, to held on 20 and 21 August 2018 respectively, as well as our Annual Gala Dinner on 23 August, at The Cordis, featuring celebrity guest speaker Mr. Mike Allsop. We look forward to seeing you at these upcoming events.

Hong Kong Festival – Annual Gala Dinner

The Hong Kong Festival 2017 Annual Gala Dinner was held in the Crystal Ballroom at The Langham Auckland on Thursday 17 August. There were over 100 attendees, who enjoyed networking opportunities over a three-course meal.

This year our celebrity guest speaker was Sir Gordon Tietjens. Sir Gordon is a motivational speaker and led New Zealand’s domination or rugby sevens throughout the 1990s and 2000s, including, of course, many exciting victories in Hong Kong. He spoke about how team sport culture can transfer across into the workplace and outlined the talent employers look for when recruiting in business. He was able to bring a good mix of business and sport examples in a thoroughly engaging and thought-provoking speech.

We also conducted a number of silent auctions, in which all proceeds went to CanTeen, a charity that focuses on the needs of young people living with cancer

HKNZBA would like to give a special thank you to the continued and generous support of our sponsors. Firstly, we would like to thank The Langham for providing the venue for our Auckland Business Seminar and Gala Dinner. We would also like to thank Cathay Pacific Airways for the donation of a flight ticket in support of our silent auction. Lastly, we thank the “Hong Kong Family”, namely Hong Kong Economic Trade Office, Invest Hong Kong and Hong Kong Trade Development Council for their continued financial support.

Please refer to our Facebook page for photos.

Hong Kong Festival Business Seminar

On Tuesday 15 (Auckland) and Wednesday 16 August (Wellington), we welcomed Mr David Whitwam, Chairman of the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, speak to guests about: a) the new government in Hong Kong following 1 July inauguration; b) the Bay Area initiative which will integrate Hong Kong further into the Pearl River Delta; c) how Hong Kong fits into the Belt and Road Initiative; and d) the HK2030+ plan.

David began the seminar by introducing some names of the HKSAR, including Hon. Carrie Lam, Hon Matthew Cheung, Hon Paul Chan and Hon Rimsky Yuen. Most of his presentation was then focused on the colocation of immigration, namely the Hong Kong – mainland rail link, its located checkpoints and its law enforcement issues.

David also introduced some key elements of the HK2030+ plan, such as the HKIA third runway, the Hong Kong Macau Zhuhai Bridge and the East Lantau Metropolis. He also briefly touched on the Belt and Road Initiative, which promotes market integration and forges ties between economies, by way of people-to-people bonds, policy coordination, financial integration, facilities connectivity and unimpeded trade. His main message for us was “the Belt and Road is not going to come to New Zealand, we have to go to the Belt and Road”.

Ms Bonnie Shek, Director, Australia & New Zealand, Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Dr Luca De Leonardis, Head of Investment Promotion for Australia and New Zealand, Invest Hong Kong, and Ms Rachael McGuckian, Trade Commissioner – Hong Kong & Macau, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, also presented at our seminars.

Dr De Leonardis gave an introduction about InvestHK, the department within the HKSAR Government responsible for Foreign Direct Investment, supporting overseas and Mainland entrepreneurs, SMEs and multinationals to set up or expand their business in Hong Kong.

Ms McGuckian gave an overview of NZ Inc and NZTE in Hong Kong. She also shared the stories of two companies that were successfully able to enter the Hong Kong market with NZTE’s assistance. The first, “Eat The Kiwi,” is a produce company based on a chef centric model, supplying what chefs want, where and how they want it. The second case study looked at Liverton Technology Group, which builds high integrity software and hardware.

Ms Shek gave an overview of HKTDC, the Hong Kong statutory body established in 1966 to assist international companies and investors to explore and enter new markets on the Chinese mainland and throughout Asia.

After the presentations, attendees had the opportunity to meet our guest speakers and network with other attendees over drinks and finger food.

Please refer to our Facebook page for photos.

Business Seminar with Professor Siah Hwee Ang

On Wednesday 5 (Auckland) and Thursday 6 July (Wellington), we welcomed Professor Siah Hwee Ang, The Bank of New Zealand Chair in Business in Asia at Victoria University of Wellington, speak to guests about China’s role in the global economy.

Professor Ang shared insights into how China has come to the forefront on the world economic stage since it became the largest trading nation in the world, and the pivotal role Hong Kong plays in China’s success in the international arena.

Please see our Facebook page for photos.

Wine Cave/Artemis Networking Event

Last night, we held our first wine tasting event at the Wine Cave. We would like to say a special thank you to our guest speaker Sandra Clair, Founder of Artemis. She gave a presentation on “Coping with the stresses and pressures of living in today’s modern world”. We would also like to give a special thank you to the Wine Cave for providing a beautiful venue for our event, and the continued support of our sponsors Cathay Pacific Airways and Cordis, Auckland.