Honours/decorations

New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993

Current parliamentary roles

• Associate Minister for Disability Issues
• Minister for Ethnic Affairs
• Minister of Women's Affairs
• Associate Minister for ACC
• Associate Minister of Energy and Resources

Former parliamentary roles

• Member, Commerce select committee 21 December 1999-18 June 2002
• Spokesperson, Ethnic Affairs 15 August 2002-2 November 2003
• Spokesperson, Tourism 15 August 2002-2 November 2003
• Deputy Chairperson, Government administration select committee 27 August 2002-4 November 2003
• Spokesperson, Asian Relationships 2 November 2003-26 October 2005
• Associate Spokesperson, Commerce 2 November 2003-26 October 2005
• Associate Spokesperson, Revenue 2 November 2003-1 December 2006
• Member, Finance and expenditure select committee 4 November 2003-11 August 2005
• Member, Regulations review committee 4 November 2003-7 April 2004
• Liaison with Asian New Zealanders 26 October 2005-1 December 2006
• Member, Commerce select committee 9 November 2005-5 December 2006
• Member, Transport and Industrial Relations Committee -3 October 2008

Personal details

Born Shanghai, China, married. Speaks English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Shanghaiese. New Zealand’s first member of Parliament of Asian ethnic origin

Education/qualifications

• MCom (Hons), University of Canterbury
• Fellow, Associate Chartered Accountant, Institute of Chartered Accountants

Career

• Former Chairperson, Christchurch Town Hall Board
• Former Audit Supervisor, Ernst & Young
• Former Director, Healthlink, South Crown Health Enterprise
• Former member, Lincoln University Council
• Former Chairperson, Canterbury Westland Branch of the NZ Society of Accountants
• Former Director, New Zealand Tourism Board
• Former Group Financial Controller, Smith's City Group Ltd
• Former member, Government appointed Tax Simplification Taskforce
• Former Director, Trust Bank Canterbury Regional Board
• Former Chairperson, Finance Standing Committee, Canterbury Regional Council
• Councillor, Canterbury Regional Council 1989-1991
• Director, Lincoln Ventures Ltd 9 December 1993-28 February 1997

Awards

Winner, Inaugural Award of the Community Access Radio Programme, National Mobil Radio Awards 1993

Community activities

• Chairperson, NZ Chinese Youth Trust
• Board member, Asia NZ Foundation
• Former President, Canterbury Chinese Cultural Centre
• Former Council member, Canterbury Medical Research Foundation
• Instigator, first Chinese broadcasting programme in NZ
• Patron, Chinese Conservation Trust
• Former Co-ordinator, fund raising group for Chinese Display Gallery, Canterbury Museum
• Member, Advisory Board, College of Business and Economics, University of Canterbury
• Organiser, inaugural Oriental Extravaganza, Christchurch Winter Festival of Arts
• Former Trustee, Ferrymead Historic Trust Park
• Former member, Garden City Trust (Festival of Flowers)
• Former member, National Finance Committee, Girl Guides Association of NZ
• Former member, Financial Advisory Committee, National Council of Women of NZ Inc
• Former Advisory Board member, New Zealand Asia Institute, University of Auckland