The complete picture — Paua poaching, abortion, prostitution, criminal scams and bad driving are all subjects our Asian communities are very sensitive about as they manifest a poor image of a generally law abiding, hardworking and strongly patriotic group of New Zealanders. Nonetheless Asia Down Under is doing stories on all these subjects this year because our brief is to give viewers a complete picture of our Asian communities in New Zealand, warts and all... [Television New Zealand, Saturday 10 August 2002, 01:23:34] About the show — But what we are trying to do in running such stories is not to negatively sensationalize or shame our communities but to provide a full and true context of the lives and impact of Asians in New Zealand. In fact crime is a very low statistic overall amongst our Asian population and most who have made New Zealand their home are exemplary citizens adding greatly to our wealth and diversity as a nation. Asia Down Under also reflects this aspect with its many stories of achievement, celebration of different cultures and determination of Asian people to contribute and succeed. Asia Down Under is therefore a programme of great variety and interesting diversity just like the people of Asian descent who now make up some 8% of our population. And to keep things accurate all of our reporting staff are of Asian descent:: Melissa Lee, who originates from Korea is our presenter and Associate Producer. She has been with the programme from its start in 1994. Bharat Jamnadas also joined us in 1994. He is of Indian descent and comes from Fiji. He is our resident chef as well as our senior reporter. Geethanjali Kurian is from Kerala in Southern India. She provides many in-depth stories and her husband Simon Kurian works part time with us on various stories and documentaries. Lynda Chanwai-Earle is part Chinese. She is London born and grew up in Borneo. She is a writer and playwright and covers the arts as well as general stories. Stephen Chu is Hong Kong born and is our resident director but he also provides stories when time permits. Elna Teoh is from Indonesia and she contributes stories from time to time on a free-lance basis. Eric Cheung is from Hong Kong and is a free-lance reporter who covers many complex issues affecting the Asian communities. This year he is also presenting some cooking segment items. Philip Tse from Hong Kong also provides us with stories and items on Asian cooking on a freelance basis. Our staff are all dedicated to bringing you the best stories from the Asian communities but you can send your story ideas and comments through this site or phone us on 09-379-7888 or fax us on 09-308-9888 anytime. Asia Down Under is made for TV ONE by Asia Vision Ltd with New Zealand on Air funding from an office at 501 Karangahape Road in Auckland. [Television New Zealand, Sunday 16 June 2002, 22:58:20]