Mrs Esther Fung, of Wellington, CNZM for services to the Chinese community
Esther Fung is a leading elder of the Chinese New Zealand community. She was involved in government consultation for a reconciliation package following the poll tax apology in 2002, which led to formation of the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust, of which she was a trustee. She was key in guiding the Trust’s early direction to ensure support for future generations of Chinese New Zealanders. She supported the Trust’s commissioning of several histories of New Zealand’s Chinese community. As a member of the New Zealand Chinese Association, she was a guiding force on the Ventnor memorial project, unveiled in Hokianga in 2021, and has contributed to the development of a historical website telling Chinese New Zealanders’ stories. Mrs Fung is Secretary and Patron of the Wellington Chinese Garden Society.