SHANGHAI-BORN Pansy Wong knows about immigrants and New Zealand's minister for ethnic and women's affairs is a role model for migrants. Victoria Lai reports.

Pansy Wong is a pretty good mix of Kiwi and Chinese. Shanghai-born and Hong Kong-raised Wong is a straight-talker with a Kiwi can-do approach, and a flare for karaoke that appeals to her Chinese constituents. The 55-year-old MP once did a bungy jump as a campaign stunt.

Just five feet tall, she's a lot more assertive and insistent than many Chinese women and has made a well-respected name for herself as a can-do person in New Zealand politics.

Wong became New Zealand's first Asian MP in 1996 and in 2008 the Nationalist Party member became the country's first Asian (Chinese) minister for ethnic and women's affairs.

She has become a role model for young female Chinese migrants who increasingly seek New Zealand as a place to study and live. Wong visited Shanghai in late September to address a Women's Leadership Forum at the World Expo.

"In 1996, when I entered parliament as New Zealand's first MP of Chinese ethnicity, I was in the spotlight as the 'descendent of the dragon'," she said in an interview at a women's leadership forum last month at the World Expo. Around 200 Chinese businesswomen attended.

Born in Shanghai, Wong grew up in Hong Kong. In 1974 she emigrated to Christchurch, New Zealand, where she lived for 28 years, attended Canterbury University and received a master's degree in commerce.

Before entering politics she had a career in business and accounting.

pansy stands up for women

She said the urge to promote equality impelled her to seek a seat in Parliament.

"The mainstream thinks it is rewarding to have an Asian face to create the notion of an equal New Zealand. In fact, I had no role model to follow. Nobody tells you what to do and how to do it," Wong said.

"Once, a man from the second generation of Chinese migrants to New Zealand said to me he would never be bold enough to go to the Parliament. Chinese New Zealanders are seen but not heard. They confine themselves to their families and small circle. I strongly feel that Asian minorities do matter."

New Zealand, which has a population of around 4.3 million, has a Chinese community of less than 150,000.

Wong first entered politics as a Canterbury Regional Councillor in 1989, and entered Parliament in 1996 as a National Party List MP - she became New Zealand's first Asian MP.

In 2008 she campaigned and won the seat in Botany with a margin of more than 10,000 votes in the 2008 general election, making her the country's first ethnically Asian MP to individually win a seat.

But earlier, back in 1994 she suffered a major setback.

"I lost the candidate position in a local body election due to my minority background," she said. "Therefore, I restarted my life in Hong Kong."

She wasn't there for long. She returned to New Zealand for her mother's funeral and thought about her future. "The flight from Hong Kong to New Zealand was the longest journey of my life," she said. "My parents made sacrifices to be good migrants and I decided that I would make their sacrifice worthwhile."

In 1996, she entered Parliament.

She moved to Auckland in 2002.

She is married to Malaysia-born Chinese businessman Sammy Wong.

Wong said that Shanghai, Hong Kong, Christchurch and Auckland are the four cities that shaped her.

"Born in Shanghai, a cosmopolitan city, I feel it is emerging and showcasing an exciting mix of East and West. Here I feel energy and excitement and I'm proud to be a part of it, especially during the Expo."

"Hong Kong is where I gained entrepreneurship and the spirit of hard work. Christchurch, the garden city, is where my curiosity got satisfied and where I had much space to grow. I'm fortunate to be in Auckland, a modern city providing people with many choices."

As Minister of Women's Affairs, Wong says women should have choices and be able to exercise them.

"When we are less influenced by others, we are more likely to believe in ourselves. I'm trying to support women in overcoming the education barrier and some healthcare issues."

As Minister for Ethnic Affairs, which Wong views as her major mission in politics, she said she has an obligation to promote equality in the country where the voices of ethnic Asians have not been loud enough.

The country has broken language barriers by providing free services in 14 languages, including Mandarin and Cantonese, she said.

"We are also trying to break down employment barriers and promote an ethnically diverse atmosphere in workplaces," she said. "I am continuing to grow New Zealand's good reputation and celebrate its multi-cultural aspects."

In late September at the Expo, she addressed the Women's Leadership Forum at the World Trade Centers Association Pavilion.

"It's great to visit Shanghai as a Shanghainese," said Wong who was making her fourth visit to Shanghai in five years.

She said Shanghai women dress like individuals, looking confident and standing out from the crowd. They are connected with society, she said.

There is a strong tie between China, with more than 5,000 years' history, and New Zealand, a younger nation that has drawn many Chinese immigrants.

She encourages women to believe in themselves.

"Do the homework and find out what you want," she said. "Ask people's opinion. Never put too much pressure on yourself."

Since many Chinese are trying to emigrate to New Zealand, Wong made some observations:

"As a migrant myself, my first impression of New Zealand was to ask where are the people and marvel at the beauty of the landscapes."

Choosing to immigrate is a life change, she said, adding that in New Zealand people can strike a balance between work and family life. Britons, Indians and Chinese comprise the largest number of migrants, she said.

Most Chinese get involved in retail and property industries and are most likely to do businesses by themselves. "We act as a bridge and help them enter the mainstream," she said.