On 28 October, Xu Haiyuan, Acting Consul-General of China in Christchurch, was invited to attend the 2026 South Island Chinese Language Learning and Calligraphy Awards Ceremony in New Zealand. The ceremony was also attended by Prof Kevin Watson, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Canterbury; Scott Liddell, Deputy Principal of Kaiapoi High School; Dr Song Zhifang, Director of the CIUC; Dr Zhang Yingjie, Deputy Director of CIUC; Feng Huili, President of the Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand Chinese Language Teachers Association; and more than 500 teachers, students and parents from primary, secondary and tertiary institutions across the Canterbury region.

In his remarks, Acting Consul-General Xu congratulated the award-winning students and teachers and encouraged them to continue studying Chinese diligently and deepen their understanding of Chinese history and culture. He also introduced a series of activities planned by the Consulate-General for 2027, inviting participants to take an active part and become ambassadors of friendship between China and New Zealand, contributing to stronger bilateral ties.

The ceremony featured performances of traditional Chinese dance, martial arts and other cultural arts by teachers and students from CIUC and Burnside High School. Student representatives also shared their experiences of learning Chinese in the language, showcasing their learning achievements for Chinese language and culture.