Our Team

Director

Dr Xuelin Zhou

Dr Xuelin Zhou is Associate Professor in Media and Screen at the University of Auckland. His research interests cover popular culture in East Asia and Chinese-language film. He has published extensively in these fields. His works include Young Rebels in Contemporary Chinese Cinema (Hong Kong University Press, 2007), Youth Culture in Chinese Language Film (Routledge, 2016) and Globalization and Contemporary Chinese Cinema: Zhang Yimou’s Genre Films (Palgrave, 2017). He is currently working on a book-length study on popular genre films in Taiwan between 1960s and 1980s.

Xuelin took over the CI directorship in March 2022.

Deputy Director

Dr Yanbing Zhang

Dr Yanbing Zhang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Her research interests cover literary theory and women’s writing (écriture féminine). Dr Zhang’s publications include Feminist Criticism (1998), Examine the Second Sex (2000), etc. Dr Zhang currently holds the position of Deputy Director at CI in Auckland.

Manager

Kerryn Levy

Kerryn Levy began her role as the full-time manager at the Confucius Institute in Auckland in September 2024. With a broad range of administrative experience gained from her time at the University of Auckland, where she has supported three different faculties, Kerryn brings a diverse skill set to her new position. She also holds a Master of Management (Marketing) from the University of Auckland.

Administration Assistant

Lisa Shi

Lisa Shi has been a part time Administration Assistant with the Confucius Institute in Auckland since 2006. Alongside her admin role, Lisa has also been a teacher of Chinese and a tutor in Asian Studies.

Exam Coordinator

Meiju Wang

Meiju Wang has over 20 year experience in teaching Chinese as a second language. She has taught Chinese at the University of Auckland, Unitec and AIS in New Zealand. She holds a TCFL Certificate issued by The Office of Chinese Language Council International. She is a member of the Auckland Chinese Language Association.

Meiju Wang is Coordinator of the HSK/YCT Chinese language proficiency tests. She joined the Confucius Institute in 2006 and has over 20 years’ experience in teaching Chinese as a second language.

Project Coordinator

Xiaolu Wang

Xiaolu Wang joined Confucius Institute in Auckland just before finishing her doctoral studies at the University of Auckland in 2023. Her research interest covers gender and media, and the practice of women’s cinema. Xiaolu has years of hands-on experience in language teaching in both mainland China and New Zealand. She is currently working as a part-time exam coordinator, with responsibility for the CTCSOL exam.

Chinese Teacher

Yuanyuan Wang

Yuanyuan is an experienced teacher of Chinese from Fudan University, Shanghai and currently based at Confucius Institute in Auckland. She has worked in other Confucius Institute offices including Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Hungary, and at Zayed University in UAE. Yuanyuan is a dedicated teacher and has also published the papers, Exploration and Practice on Non-Chinese Context of Chinese Language Teaching: A Case Study of Confucius Institute of ELTE in Hungary (2014), A Study on the Practice and Strategies of the Beginner Level Chinese Teaching in a Non-Chinese Environment (2017).

Office Coordinator

Nina Zhang

Nina Zhang first joined the Confucius Institute in April 2016 and is our full-time office coordinator. She graduated from Auckland University of Technology after studying Accounting and International Trade.

International Partnerships Coordinator (Otago)

Chriss Hamilton

Chriss Hamilton is the International Partnerships Coordinator based at the University of Otago to support and facilitate local Chinese programmes.