Politicians in New Zealand's capital city are hoping the Olympics and the Human Rights Torch will bring improvements to the lives of millions of Chinese citizens.
Green Party co-leader Russel Norman welcomed the torch in a ceremony at Parliament on Wednesday, December 19.
He said China was having a significant influence in global economic relations, so it is important that China embraces democracy and basic human rights.
"And it's going to be putting pressure from outside China with events like this as well as putting pressure inside China, that will put pressure on the government to open up to have more democracy and more free speech, to give people an opportunity to exercise their democracy and their human rights."
The Torch took a procession up to the Chinese Embassy on the hill behind Parliament, where Pan Qing a Director of the NZ Asia Human Rights Foundation addressed Embassy staff through a sound system as the main doors were closed.
"The past seven years have shown your promise has been nothing but a lie," he said.
Mr Pan said the Chinese regime has a long list of crimes against humanity to answer for, but the worst is the organ harvesting and sale of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners.
The relay then wound through Wellingtons main street, holding banners and playing gentle music before being greeted outside the Wellington City Council Chambers by Wellington City councillors Celia Wade-Brown and Andy Foster.
Cr Wade-Brown spoke about her opposition to human rights abuses in China and New Zealand after Falun Gong were banned from participating in any council sponsored events in the city, until very recently.
"I am delighted that Falun Dafa participated in the Santa Parade. I think it is a victory for human expression in this city," she said.
She said after meeting the co-author of the Falun Gong organ harvesting report Bloody Harvest former Canadian MP David Kilgour, she became very concerned about the allegations against the Chinese Communist Party.
"We were convinced there was a case to answer," she said.
Cr Foster said both he and Cr Wade-Brown continue to support Falun Gong issues at council. "We think it is very important that we are seen to support human rights and free speech," he said.
He was deeply concerned at the political issues surrounding Tibet and Taiwan, and hoped the Olympics would be an opportunity to push for change in China.
The Torch will leave New Zealand after seeing the world's first sunrise for 2008 in Gisborne. It will travel via Los Angeles and continue its global tour in Africa.
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