CLF is truly a community initiative. A steering group of six (including the two founding convenors) was formed in early 2004. This led to the incorporation of CLF in May as a charitable trust to promote Chinese language and the setting up of a management Board the following January.

The medium of learning we are promoting is Modern Standard Chinese, i.e. Mandarin.

We believe that second language learning is conducive to the early development of cognitive intelligence and therefore primary is a good place to start.

CLF aims to encourage and enable New Zealanders of all ethnic backgrounds to learn Chinese, so it includes ethnic Chinese. But we are primarily concerned with the study of Chinese as a second language rather than as a first language for native speakers.

Our revenue source is diverse and comes mainly from private donors, companies and charitable trusts.

Yes, CLF has been granted tax exempt status by the IRD.

CLF's key partners are schools and their constituencies such as students, teachers, parents and school boards. The MoE and PRC educational officials here in New Zealand, major China-focused centres like the Confucius Institute are also our key alliances. CLF's role as a 'portal' rather than delivery mechanism means that we aim to work with rather than in competition with fellow groups and agencies.

The then PRC Ambassador to New Zealand, His Excellency Chen Mingming, was a prime mover who embraced the concept immediately. The New Zealand Ambassador to China, His Excellency Tony Browne, came on board soon after. Both of them became CLF's Honorary Patrons. Ambassador Chen's successor, His Excellency Zhang Yuanyuan, kindly took over as Patron in early 2006.

CLF acts as a portal to match supply and demand, enhance resources and facilitate key activities such as the professional development of Chinese language teachers. It is not into delivery of courses per se.

Through a pilot scheme, four "CLF Schools" in Auckland have been offered support for their three-year Chinese Programme. A more extensive CLF Schools Network based on a matrix of school clusters is being developed. CLF is after high standards and quality, not quantity.

Yes, it is. But Auckland is the core target area since it is important to benchmark CLF's work and educational outcomes in one centre before reaching out to the others.

There is room for further development in terms of curriculum, general awareness, teacher training, immersion activities for both teachers and students, as well as resource enhancement.

It is likely that the MoE's proposed second language requirement for Year 7 and Year 8 students in primary and intermediate schools in New Zealand will come into effect in 2008 but before then schools can decide their own second language policies.

MoE has produced a set of teaching aid materials called the Hao! Programme but, by and large, teachers of Chinese can develop their own curriculum and resources.

It takes time to reverse the monolingual mindset of New Zealanders and to impart the message that learning a second international language like Chinese is beneficial to its young people and the country as a whole. It also takes time and effort to build a network of "champions" who can articulate the reasons for considering Chinese studies as part of the equation for quality education in New Zealand.