Wishing you a joyful Year of the Horse
As we welcome the Year of the Horse, workplaces across Aotearoa pause to celebrate Chinese New Year – a festival of renewal rooted in tradition, family and community.
According to the 2023 Census, more than 279,000 people in New Zealand identify as Chinese, around 5.6% of the population. While the Indian community has recently slightly outnumbered the Chinese population nationally, the Chinese community remains one of Aotearoa’s largest non-European ethnic groups, especially in Tāmaki Makaurau, where Asian heritage communities make up over 30% of the population.
But numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. Research shows that racial discrimination remains a lived reality for many Asian New Zealanders. In a 2025 survey, more than one in four Asians reported experiencing discrimination in the past year, with race or ethnicity cited as the cause in over 80% of cases. During COVID, 40-54% of Chinese respondents reported discrimination, affecting their sense of safety and belonging.
Celebrating cultural festivals like Chinese New Year at work isn’t just about food, decorations or performances. It’s a visible commitment to inclusion, an acknowledgment of cultural identity, and a reminder that workplaces can either perpetuate inequity – or actively work to eradicate it.
At Equity Matters, we partner with organisations to move beyond token gestures. We help create workplaces where all cultural identities are respected, celebrated and integrated into everyday practice.
To our Chinese communities across Aotearoa – may the Year of the Horse bring health, connection and prosperity. And to leaders everywhere: take this as a moment to reflect – how is your workplace actively supporting equity for everybody, every day?
