Speech by Mr Lintao Yu, President of BLIA North Island Chapter in 2021 Buddha’s Birthday Multicultural Festival for World Peace

Dear Venerable Abbess Manshin, Hon Michael Wood, Hon Jenny Salesa, Local Member of Parliament Christopher Luxton, Mr. Jeff Liu, Deputy Commissioner Wallace Haumaha, all respected members of parliament, friends from councils, media, education sector, artists, all the dignitaries, BLIA Members, Volunteers and all the guests, Kia Ora, Good Morning!
A very warm welcome to all of you. Thank you for joining us on this special day to throw a birthday party for Buddha.

I feel extremely fortunate to be able to see so many friends gather here today and not wearing masks.

During the pandemic, New Zealanders have worked together and care for one another. What we have achieved collectively has shown the power and importance of compassion and kind hearts.

The blessing words from Venerable Master this year encourages us to "Cultivate a heart that blooms in all seasons". BLIA and FGS organized many activities over the years. The main purpose is to work with the community to cultivate more kind hearts.

Last month, we have kicked off our 7th 3G4G Festival of Culture Sharing. We have 26 schools with more than 7000 students registered to the program. This is the largest number we ever had in a single year. We also organized events like Art Salon, Cherry Blossom Festival, Laba Congee festival, Seminars, Dharma Functions etc.

These could only be achieved with the help of all of you. Thank you to the hundreds of artists who have shared your creativity with the community by displaying your art work in the temple. Thank you to the New Zealand Police for being a committed partner to build trust and confidence in our communities. Thank you to Government, business sector, communities and sponsors who have supported us strongly over the years. Thank you to the Venerables, BLIA Members, Volunteers and all of you here today for your guidance and friendship.

As a father of a three-year-old, I wholeheartedly pray that she will grow up with a heart that blooms in all seasons. As a BLIA member, I sincerely pray that we can build a society that blooms in all seasons. And as a New Zealander, I feel absolutely privileged and blessed to be able to work with so many kind-hearted Kiwis to contribute to this goal. And I believe that we will get there.

I wish you all a very auspicious year ahead. Thank you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyWJBYsR5qA