Beaten by Magnus Norman in the final two years ago, he said: "Tennis is my calling. I have some unfinished business I would like to take care of in the next two years."
Chang, who was on court soon after arriving yesterday, is
one of the most popular visitors.
He dragged in sellout crowds when he was last here and won over the public with a series of gutsy, never-give-in, battles.
"I played some tough matches here last time," he said. "It's nice to be back and I'm sure this tournament will again prove to be a good lead-in to the Australian Open.
"I feel fresh after having 2 1/2 months off. If I'm not fresh, something is not right.
"Given the standard of the field here, you are going to find out very quickly how good you are."
Chang, who sneaked back into New Zealand for a bit of fishing in the Bay of Islands after playing in the 2000 Australian Open, said: "There is another wave of young players coming through.
"The depth is getting deeper and deeper. There are a lot of talented up-and-coming players out there."
Chang had an end-of-year entry ranking of 94 - his lowest since his first season in 1987 - and needed a wildcard to get a start in the main draw of next week's tournament.
Top seed Marat Safin kept organisers guessing yesterday when he did not arrive on scheduled early flights. He got here in the evening.
The four wildcards for today's qualifying tournament were given to New Zealanders Simon Rea, James Shortall, Robbie Cheyne and Alistair Hunt.
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