Raymond Huo (Chinese name: 霍建强, Huo Jianqiang) is a Member of Parliament in New Zealand, and the New Zealand Labour Party's first MP of Chinese descent. He is the third Chinese New Zealander to enter Parliament, after the National Party's Pansy Wong and ACT's Kenneth Wang.
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Huo was born in Qianshan, an eastern part of China.
Huo's father was a doctor and mother a head nurse and only in their early 30s when they volunteered to move from the Capital City to Qianshan to help the local population fight Schistosoma (a parasitic disease), where Huo was born.
It was here that Huo first picked up some of the ideals and beliefs, such as social justice and equity, which would lead him into politics.[1]
Being a medical professional did not spare Huo's father from persecution during the Cultural Revolution. His father - an "intellectual" - was ordered to stand at the gates of the hospital for an hour, three times a day with a white board stating "counter-revolutionary medical expert". Raymond Huo - then 5 - joined him with a smaller whiteboard saying "little counter-revolutionary medical expert".
He said he secretly believed it was his little sign that ended the Cultural Revolution soon afterward.
Huo credits his time in the small rural town as a major influence on his desire for free-will which he has carried into his politics and world out-look.[2]
As a teenager Huo taught himself to speak English in China by listening to the radio.[3]
Huo went onto study English at Anhui University in Hefei and Law at China University of Political Studies and Law in Beijing.
Originally from Beijing, Huo emigrated to New Zealand in 1994. He worked as a journalist for the New Zealand Herald where he was the Asian Affairs reporter.
He subsequently obtained MLitt (First Class Honours) majoring in political communication and LLB from the University of Auckland.
Prior to becoming a Member of Parliament, Huo practiced law in Auckland at Brookfields and Hesketh Henry.[4]
Huo has published a number of books and articles including, Now in New Zealand, Something to Crow About, Jinma: Philosophy on Wisdom and Human Life (five volumes), Simplified American novels with Chinese notes: Love of Life, Life in the woods and five others, Lexicon of Contemporary English, Collected Works with Equivalent Chinese and Lexicon of Contemporary English, a Concise Edition [5] Huo's latest book, The New Zealand Quartet, detailing his life and career in New Zealand is slated for release in late 2011.
Huo is an active blogger on Red Alert, the blog for New Zealand Labour MPs. His website www.huo.co.nz is also frequently updated and includes all of Huo's speeches, Press Releases and features an extensive photo gallery.
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| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party |
| 2008–2011 | 49th | List | 21 | Labour |
| 2011–present | 50th | List | 21 | Labour |
Huo was appointed as spokesman for Statistics, the Law Commission and Chinese Community Affairs. He is also on the select committee for Law and Order and a Trustee on the Board of the Asia:New Zealand Foundation.[6]
Huo was a strong advocate for Ethnic Representation on the new board of the Auckland Council Super City and submitted the Local Government (Auckland Council) (Asian Advisory Board) Amendment Bill to the House. Although Huo's Bill was voted down in Parliament by 64 votes to 58 on 4 November 2009, the Government soon after announced that an Ethnic Advisory Board Panel would be established on the new council.[7]
Huo has also been vocal about the need for New Zealand to overhaul the Export Education sector which is worth over $2.3 billion to the countries economy. Huo believes that New Zealand has a reputation for "ghetto education" in Asian countries and must change this or risk losing hundreds of International students from the Asian region.
In February 2011 Huo said because of its economic importance, he will write to the Prime Minister to adopt the Education (export education by private training establishments) Amendment Bill to be included in the current Education Amendment Bill (No 4).[8]
Following Russel Norman's controversial protest to PRC Vice President Xi Jinping during Xi's 2010 visit to New Zealand, Huo write a blog entry defending Chinese rule over Tibet.[9] Thuten Kesang, spokesperson for the New Zealand Tibetan community, accused Huo of "promoting communist China progaganda" and said he would lay a formal complaint with the Labour Party.[9]