Our Mission

Belong. Contribute. Thrive.

Our vision is for all Asian communities of Aotearoa New Zealand to be embraced as integral members of society and be equipped to contribute back to their local communities, collaboratively enriching our nation's tapestry.

Embraced into New Zealand not only legally, but through social cohesion and community integration, increasing their sense of place and belonging;

Equipped with the necessary tools of information, communication, understanding and profession that see individuals in each community confident and flourishing.

The Board

  • Dr. Jason Chang

    Co-Chair

    Jason is a local psychiatrist who immigrated to New Zealand with his family when he was 12 years old. He is an active participant in the West Christchurch community. Previously working at Hillmorton, he has branched beyond this to focus on his own psychiatry clinic.

  • Donald Scott

    Co-Chair

    Donald is a retired Christian pastor who grew up as a local shepherd in the North Island. His experience with charitable trusts and the knowledge of NZ’s bi-cultural journey enable him to be an effective chairman of the board.

  • Wendy Lu

    Treasurer

    Wendy immigrated from Taiwan almost 30 years ago and currently owns an accountancy firm in Christchurch supporting many reputable companies.

  • Craig Lynch

    Craig is an immigrant from England with a background as a nurse lecturer in the National Health Service; Craig is currently working as a nurse consultant, and a lecturer at the University of Canterbury

Advisors

  • Jean Hur

    Jean Hur is a child and family social worker with Mana Ake and is engaged with schools on a frequent basis. Born in NZ to Korean parents, she has lived experience living in the Multicultural christchurch region. She is currently working towards her Phd in social work.

  • Tamara Bisseker

    Tamara Bisseker has experience working for Ngai Tahu and other Māori organisations to support them in communications.

    Tamara, a kiwi at heart, is ethnically Laotian/Chinese, and grew up in Rangiora. She has a degree in Political Science.

  • John Wu

    John Wu has lived and served in the Christchurch region for many years now. He is a seniorsolicitor for Oranga Tamariki and holds degrees in theology, social work, and law.

Execution Team

  • Allen Hou

    Managing Director

    Allen Hou migrated to Christchurch in 1998 and calls Otautahi his home. Allen has an extensive experience around immigrant culture and community activation, and is passionate about leadership and organisation development. Since completing his PGCert in Fire Engineering in 2010, Allen has been a youth worker, a youth pastor , a pastor , a CliftonStrengths© Coach, and our Trust manager. Allen has been employed by the Trust to provide strategic insight and planning to build and develop the Trust.

  • Josiah Jennings

    Research Lead and Board Secretary

    Josiah Jennings grew up in Rangiora yet spent 11 years overseas working with refugees and the underprivileged through humanitarian projects and debriefing; Josiah has a political science postgraduate degree with interests in Chinese and Asian communities, a counselling diploma, and Mandarin language qualifications. His extensive experience in cross-cultural work has helped him build a unique skill set for research in cultural insights.

  • Wei Lin

    Administrator

    Wei Lin was born in Taiwan and moved to New Zealand at the age of 7, where they grew up in Christchurch. As a cellist, Wei played with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra from the age of 16. They later pursued a law degree at the University of Canterbury before following their passion for fashion design, studying in New York in 2018. Currently, Wei is focused on developing a body of work in menswear while also contributing their skills as an administrator at the Trust.

Our Values

Faith-based and Christ centred, we recognise that through the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Aotearoa New Zealand is both bi-cultural and multicultural, reflected well through the term: “Treaty-based Multiculturalism.”

We treat everyone with grace, kindness and compassion; and we honour and respect all backgrounds.

We believe that people in our communities are well when our environment is well. We strive to demonstrate innovative and sustainable practices and thinking, recognising that we are guardians of this world for the next generation and beyond.

We warmly welcome everyone who arrives in Aotearoa New Zealand and those who consider it home.  Our focus is to support Asian families and communities, by helping them to feel connected to the places and people where they live, work and play.