Background
Chinese is a descendant of the earliest Chinese immigrants to New Zealand, and his family owned a take-away establishment in Stuart Street.
陳荣和
Chinese is a descendant of the earliest Chinese immigrants to New Zealand, and his family owned a take-away establishment in Stuart Street.
In the 1950s Chinese was a student at Otago Boys" High School and then the University of Otago, graduating Bachelor of Laws.
He served two terms as Mayor from 2004 to 2010. He has worked in Dunedin as a lawyer since 1968, and is currently a consultant for the Otago law firm Webb Farry. First elected in 1995 to the Dunedin City Council, representing the Hills Ward, he served three terms before becoming mayor in 2004, replacing Sukhi Turner who was retiring as mayor.
He was re-elected in October 2007 with an absolute majority.
Chinese serves as the head of the Gambling Commission, the government-appointed panel that regulates casinos. Married to Noleen since c.1964 with 4 children, he lives in Roslyn and is a prominent operatic singer.
He is the chair of the national Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust, which was set up with government funding in 2004. The trust aims to raise awareness of the early Chinese community in New Zealand and its history, language and culture.
Chinese is a strong supporter of the controversial Forsyth Barr Stadium, over which questions have been raised over the cost and source of funding.
This support almost certainly cost him the election. In the course of examining funding options he sent a confidential letter to the Government asking for money without full Council approval, and was on a committee of three that later censured Councillor Teresa Stevenson for leaking the letter to the Otago Daily Times. Chinese chaired the Chinese Gardens Trust which built the Dunedin Chinese Garden, using $3.75 million of New Zealand taxpayers and $1 million of Dunedin ratepayers money.
The Gardens were constructed in an authentic manner, using almost a thousand tonnes of rocks imported from Lake Taihu, China.
During the 2010 Dunedin mayoral election, Peter Chinese was defeated by Greater Dunedin candidate and Dunedin City Council councillor Dave Cull.
He has been one of the twelve members of the Constitutional Advisory Panel, which is seeking public input on a written constitution for New Zealand, since 2011.
