Despite struggles, older Chinese voters keen to engage in the political process

By Portia Mao*

Despite sometimes struggling to overcome language barriers, older Chinese voters in New Zealand are demonstrating plenty of enthusiasm for the upcoming election.

Many older voters are worried about the current cost-of-living crisis as more of their savings is being funnelled into regular expenses, while law and order also comes up frequently with this as cohort an area of concern.

As many older voters have grandchildren, it's not surprising they also place a lot of value on education. Some say the New Zealand school environment is too relaxed.

Many come from backgrounds that value diligence and frugality, a perspective that leads some to favour a social system that incentivizes hard work and discourages wasteful spending.

According to statistics from the 2018 census, more than 247,000 people of Chinese descent live in New Zealand, a number that almost certainly must have grown since.

Immigration NZ says more than 43,500 people have been granted a parent residency visa since 1 January 2003. Of those, 18,246 have been granted to people with Chinese nationality.

Compared to their adult children, many older Chinese residents struggle to understand and engage in New Zealand's political process.

Older Chinese voters largely depend on Chinese-language media for information about New Zealand politics and electoral issues due to language barriers. Nevertheless, conversations with friends - and their children - typically play a key role in influencing who they vote for.

But local Chinese associations have taken proactive steps to bring in representatives from various political parties to engage with the community, offering them an opportunity to present their campaign pitches as well as take on board any feedback from the public.

In mid-September, the Auckland Botany Chinese Support Group invited candidates from the four main political parties to participate in a forum attended by a group of predominantly older voters.

Lily Yao, president of group, said 90 percent of the roughly 100 participants were Chinese voters aged 65 or over who had relocated to New Zealand to join their adult children.

Amber He, general secretary of the group, says the government could better utilize taxation to stimulate productivity in the economy.

"You cannot 'whip a fast cow'," she says, using a Chinese proverb that effectively suggests that hard-working people should receive a higher compensation as a reward for their effort so that they don't feel as if they have been unfairly treated.

The 69-year-old obtained permanent residency in 2014 after relocating to New Zealand having worked as an adviser in Beijing's hospitality and accommodation sector before retirement.

The grandmother of two says it's important to empower children with scientific knowledge while instilling in them the right values for life.

"It's disheartening to see many teenagers turning to a life of crime," she says.

Wenbin Qin, a seaman from Shanghai, settled in New Zealand in 2016. The 78-year-old admits that he didn't know much about the country's electoral system before attending a community workshop on 13 September.

"My biggest concern is law and order," Qin says. "My bag was snatched recently while I was shopping with my wife at Smart supermarket in Botany. Thanks to the help of a brave female cashier and other customers, I was able to recover my bag."

Judy He, former president of NZ Rights & Policy Concern Inc., says she feels comfortable with her knowledge of New Zealand politics, having participated in every general election since joining her daughter here in 1990.

The 90-year-old retired engineer receives regular emails from the Labour Party and the National Party about their election pledges.

"One hundred and twenty MPs might be too many for New Zealand's parliament, and an election every three years is too frequent," she says.

The 90-year-old is particularly concerned about race relations, calling on the next government to address the cultural gap between recent immigrants and mainstream society.

Aiping Zhang, 66, acquired permanent residency in 2010 after relocating to New Zealand from the central Chinese city of Pingdianshan, Henan province.

Apart from law and order and the soaring cost of living, Zhang is also concerned about Auckland's traffic. As a resident of the North Shore, she wants a second harbor crossing to be constructed as soon as possible.

Aiping isn't concerned about not having access to information on the upcoming election.

Labour candidates Carmel Sepuloni and Naisi Chen have both paid visits to the North Shore Chinese Association, of which Aiping is a member. Aiping and members of the association were also invited to participate in the campaign launch of the National Party at Due Drop Events Centre earlier this month.

Yang-Niang Xu, 91, has voted in the past five general elections. She obtained permanent residency in 2006 after coming to New Zealand from Guangzhou to join her son, an electrician.

Xu has yet to decide which party to vote for and admits she doesn't know much about the smaller political parties.

Xu gets most of her information about the election from conversations with caregivers, family and friends. She also gleans a bit from TVNZ news.

Bin Li, 67, obtained permanent residency in 2015 after relocating from the city of Yangzhou in Jiangsu province.

Li worries about "race-based healthcare", arguing that it isn't fair for waiting lists in the public system to be "based on race, not need. "

"NZ is my second home and I wish it prosperity," Li says. "However, the high cost of living is concerning, and I hope the new government will prioritize the well-being of ordinary New Zealanders."

* Portia Mao is an award-winning freelance journalist who focuses on issues affecting the Chinese community in New Zealand.