NZCLW 2025 - what a year!

Wow - what a year! Thank you to everyone who took part, hosted events, taught classes, cooked, read, filmed, and shared the spirit of New Zealand Chinese Language Week across Aotearoa. You made 2025 our biggest, most engaging year yet.

Check out our 2025 NZCLW Wrap video below!

NZCLW 2026 will run from Sunday 29 June – Saturday 5 July. The earlier timing lines up better with the end of term and Chinese Bridge schedules, reduces the risk of clashes with parliamentary recess and election periods, and—crucially—supports student subject selection, helping lift Chinese enrolments the following year. National Dumpling Day will still be celebrated on 26 September.

Standing-room-only at Parliament: Our largest Opening & Awards yet, celebrating eight Chinese Language Superstars, seven Youth Ambassadors, and seven Honoured Teachers - each with inspiring stories of learning and leadership. We also launched the National Forum on Learning Languages report, sounding the alarm on declining language study and laying out practical recommendations for change.

And a special treat: Sir Richard Taylor (Wētā Workshop) shared the stunning new Traditional Chinese Medicine Cultural Experience Centre in Guangdong - designed by Wētā Workshop. A must-see!

Community buzz everywhere: 40+ local events registered, 40+ support videos (from the Prime Minister through to schools and community leaders), thousands joining the 5-Days 5-Phrases challenge, and 4,000 trilingual children’s books distributed in schools and libraries nationwide.

Dumpling Day went large: We stretched the celebration into 10 Days of Endless Dumplings (19–28 Sept) so everyone could join, from workplaces to whānau. The Design-A-Dumpling crown went to Pomelo Kitchen & Bar (Wellington) for a prawn, salted egg yolk and creamy butter number with lemongrass and curry leaves. Delicious - and congrats!

Growing reach, stronger connections: This year was our highest social media engagement to date, with a strong showing in traditional media, and positive engagement from across the community. We also appreciate the continued support from central and local government leaders, recognising NZCLW as a platform that celebrates diversity and strengthens people-to-people ties.

You may be aware that the new draft New Zealand curriculum has downgraded Learning Languages from an essential learning area to the only one of eight learning areas which is not mandated, and only "encouraged but not required".

As a supporter of the language teaching community, we are concerned that with no mandate to teach languages, especially Te Reo, school boards will opt out, and young people will not have the opportunity to reap the many benefits of language learning.  

The languages teaching community of Aotearoa has coordinated a collective response (this includes all of the 13 language groups represented in the New Zealand Curriculum - Te Reo, NZSL, five Pacific languages, three Asian languages, three European languages).

How can you help?

Please sign and circulate the collective letter to the Minister of Education linked below.

With the earlier dates (29 June – 5 July 2026), we’ll bring back your favourites and add a few fresh twists.

Have an idea or keen to sponsor? We’d love to hear from you: nzclw@nzclw.com

Make sure you’re subscribed to this newsletter and following our socials so you don’t miss announcements, resources, and calls to get involved.

Thanks again for your amazing support this year. Here’s to even more fun, learning, and connection next year. We’ll be back in 2026!