25 August 2020

Kia ora koutou katoa,

Although COVID-19 continues to dominate our world I must begin by acknowledging this week’s sentencing following the Christchurch terror attacks. While sentencing will hopefully bring some closure, for the victims, their families and our wider Muslim whānau the events of 15 March 2019 remain real and raw. The restrictions on numbers in court, imposed by COVID-19 must have added to the stress.

I was inspired by the dignity, courage and forgiveness of those who lost loved ones, speaking in court yesterday. This will be a difficult week for many and our thoughts and prayers are with all those living with the aftermath of one of the darkest days in this country’s history. Kia kaha and know that people across Aotearoa New Zealand are walking beside you and thinking of you.

COVID-19 Alert Levels

Auckland will remain at Alert Level 3 until 11:59pm on Sunday 30 August and then, subject to the situation with COVID-19 cases, move down to Alert Level 2. Auckland checkpoints will also be removed at that point and inter-regional travel will be possible.

As an extra safety measure, under Alert Level 2, gatherings in Auckland will continue to be limited to 10 people, with funerals and tangihanga limited to 50 people.

The rest of the country will remain at Alert Level 2, and Alert Levels will be reviewed again before Sunday 6 September 2020. 

The other main point announced yesterday was on face masks/coverings. From 11.59 pm on 30 August, we will all need to wear a face mask/covering when using public transport, taxis and Ubers. I know that the lack of definite rules on wearing face masks/coverings had been frustrating for some, so having clarity is good.

We know where we are and what we have to do for the next few days. That said, I’m aware that continuing to live under some restrictions will be frustrating, particularly for those in Auckland. Let us hope the situation is short-lived and we can all return to more normal lives soon.

Support available

In the meantime, there is a range of support available including:

• Financial help  
• Health and wellbeing support
• Help with food.

Please share this information with the communities you work with and represent. If people do need help it is there for them.

Support for community groups

One final thing I wanted to highlight are the funds available to community groups for initiatives that support the rebuild and recovery from COVID-19.

The Community Capability and Resilience Fund, managed by the Ministry of Social Development went live on 1 August and is available for the next two years. It’s targeted towards initiatives that support priority groups including ethnic communities.

The Ethnic Communities Development Fund is also open for applications that help ethnic communities recover from COVID-19. It supports a range of work and we gave money to help 188 projects last year. You can find more information on our website.

We are here to help

As ever, we are here for you. Please contact us if you need help. Below is a list of our Regional Managers.

Northern Region (upper North Island)
Nandita Mathur - 027 299 8031

Central (central and lower-North Island)
Natasha Narayan – 027 268 5153

Southern Region (South Island)
Shane Whitfield – 029 200 4625

You can also contact us by email at ethnic.communities@dia.govt.nz

Take care of yourselves, and each other.

Ngā mihi nui
Anusha Guler
Executive Director, Office of Ethnic Communities