Minister of Ethnic Communities of New Zealand Peseta Sam Lotu-liga and Chinese Consul General Xu Erwen draw the eyes on a dragon at the opening ceremony of the "2016 Happy Chinese New Year" celebration and "2016 Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day" held in Auckland, Jan 23, 2016. [Photo/Culturalink.gov.cn]

Xu expressed her best New Year wishes to the attendees and gave a retrospect of the development of relations between China and New Zealand. Xu said 2016 is the start of China's 13th Five Year Plan, and the Consulate-General of China in Auckland will endeavor to promote bilateral relations to a new high.

Lotu-liga, Brown and other officials highly praised China's Belt and Road Initiative, which gives a boost to relations between the two nations. They also complimented Chinese people's contribution to the development of New Zealand.