Students, families and teachers from across New Zealand celebrated their love for the Chinese language and culture at a prize-giving ceremony on Saturday.

The "Chinese Bridge" ICBC Cup Auckland Regional Speech Competition 2024 Prize Giving Ceremony was attended by several hundred students, their families and teachers to celebrate the achievements the students have had along their learning journey.

The students' lion dance and Kong Fu performances won applause, and prize medals and certificates came with joy and acknowledgment for hard work.

Over 100 students from 31 schools in the wider Auckland region participated in the Speech Competition 2024 in May, hosted by the Confucius Institute in Auckland. Winners were selected from Primary, Secondary Junior, Secondary Senior and Tertiary Categories. First Prize winners from each category will have the chance to represent Auckland, along with winners from other parts of New Zealand, in the final competition in China.

Confucius Institute in Auckland Advisory Board Member Danny Chan said in his speech that the competition aimed to provide students a platform to demonstrate their Chinese language proficiency, to lay a solid foundation for them to maintain their passion and enthusiasm in learning a secondary language, and to encourage students' interest and enthusiasm in learning Chinese which would enhance their understanding of Chinese language and culture.

First Prize winner from the Secondary Senior Category, Oliver Garion Blaom from ACG Parnell College, delivered his winning speech with very articulate pronunciation and vocalizing. "The path through the mountain of books is paved with diligence; the sea of learning is endless, and hard work is the boat. I work hard in learning the Chinese language because I know it is important for the future," said Bloam.

After the pandemic, Confucius Institute in Auckland has reinstated its program for overseas teachers and volunteers. An increasing number of Kiwi students are now studying Chinese in Auckland.

Vanessa Jansz, deputy principal from the Arahoe School, was pleased to host a Mandarin Language Assistant (MLA) at home, which brought culture exchange opportunities and an experienced Chinese language learning program for her students at the school.

"I applied for an MLA to come to our school, and it turned out so well. The MLA is experienced in supporting students in learning the Chinese language and facilitating cultural understanding and exchanges. I definitely encourage other schools to go for it," said Jansz.

According to the Chinese Consul General in Auckland Chen Shijie, in the next five years, China will provide New Zealand with 100 scholarships for international Chinese language teachers, 1,000 places for "Chinese Bridge" summer camps and 5,000 copies of Chinese language books to New Zealand.

"We welcome more young people from New Zealand to learn the Chinese language and culture, and support more Chinese youth to study in and visit New Zealand to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries' young generations. The baton of China-New Zealand friendship has been passed on to the young generation, and you are in the right position to contribute to the development of bilateral relations," said Chen.