The Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

() is a diplomatic mission of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

(PRC) at 588 Great South Road in the suburb of Ellerslie in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. The consulate serves cities in the

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban areas of New Zealand, urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands o ...

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

region, and the

Northland Region Northland (), officially the Northland Region, is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 regions of New Zealand, local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout t ...

.Regions
" ''Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Auckland''. 19 November 2003. Retrieved on 28 January 2009.

History

On 9 May 1991, the People's Republic of China signed the "Agreement on the Establishment of Consulate Generals and the Memorandum on the Consulate Districts of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Auckland and that of New Zealand in Shanghai," which allowed for the establishment of the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Auckland and the Consulate-General of New Zealand in Shanghai and their respective consular districts. New Zealand signed the agreement on 8 June 1992. The Auckland PRC consulate opened in June 1992. In February 2021, the consulate was affected by a phony

bomb threat A bomb threat or bomb scare is a threat, usually verbal or written, to detonate an explosive or incendiary device to cause property damage, death, injuries, and/or incite fear, whether or not such a device actually exists. History Bomb threats ...

made by individuals including those with the names of "张卫能 utoyo" and that of “full_discl0sure”, on an Auckland area events website ''Aucklife'' that they had taken over via hacking. Their motive was reportedly a punitive response against China due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Controversies

30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests

In late July 2019, the media organisation

Newsroom A newsroom is the central place where journalists—reporters, editing, editors, and Television producer, producers, associate producers, news anchors, news designers, photojournalists, videojournalists, associate editor, residence editor, visu ...

reported that the Vice Consul General Xiao Yewen had lobbied

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology ( AUT; ) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT is New Zealand's third largest university i ...

(AUT) into cancelling an event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the

Tiananmen Square massacre The Tiananmen Square protests, known within China as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between t ...

. Newsroom also reported that the Consulate-General had lobbied AUT and the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

into dropping the screening of a documentary criticising the

Confucius Institute Confucius Institutes (CI; ) are public educational and cultural promotion programs of the state of China. The stated aim of the program is to promote Chinese language and culture, support local Chinese teaching internationally, and facilita ...

s in 2018. While AUT went ahead with the screening, the University of Auckland cancelled their screening.

2019–20 Hong Kong protests

In early August 2019, the Chinese-Consulate General praised what it deemed the "patriotic actions" of Chinese students who confronted a group of pro-Hong Kong democracy student activists at the University of Auckland, who had set up a Lennon Wall commemorating the

2019–2020 Hong Kong protests The 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests (also known by other names) were a series of demonstrations against the Hong Kong government's introduction of a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in regard to extradition. It was the largest ...

. One of the Chinese students had struck a Hong Kong student during an altercation at the university in late July 2019. The Consulate-General also condemned pro-Hong Kong activists as separatists. In response,

ACT Party ACT New Zealand (; ), also known as the ACT Party or simply ACT, is a right-wing, classical liberal, right-libertarian, and conservative political party in New Zealand. It is currently led by David Seymour, and is in coalition with the Nationa ...

leader

David Seymour David Breen Seymour (born 24 June 1983) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the 21st deputy prime minister of New Zealand since 2025 and as the 1st minister for regulation since 2023. A member of the ACT Party, he has served as its ...

sent a letter to the Consulate-General criticising it for interfering in New Zealand internal affairs. On 7 August 2019, it was reported that New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials had cautioned Chinese officials about their interference in New Zealand affairs.

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Jacinda Ardern Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...

also defended New Zealand's commitment to free speech on university campuses. In response, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson

Hua Chunying Hua Chunying ( zh, s=华春莹; born 24 April 1970) is a Chinese diplomat who has been serving as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China since 2024. She most notably served as spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After graduating ...

defended the Consulate-General's actions as "fulfilling its duty" and being "beyond reproach." Hua also criticised local "Hong Kong independence" activists for stirring up anti-China sentiment and called on certain New Zealanders to stop condoning "anti-China separatism" under the guise of free speech.

References

External links

Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Auckland
{{Diplomatic missions in New Zealand China, People's Republic of