24 April 2020

Welcome to our newsletter

Kia ora, this newsletter will be coming your way every few weeks with key information about Covid-19 and what it means for you, your families and communities.

Please forward this email to anyone who might find it useful.

We know this is an uncertain time for many of us as we prepare to move to Alert Level 3 at 11.59pm on Monday 27 April. This email focuses on letting you know where you can find information about the move to Level 3, including what will and won’t be allowed. In the meantime, we are still at Level 4, so please stay home and save lives.

This week signals the start of Ramadan. With mosques closed under Alert Levels 3 and 4, Ramadan will look different to usual here and around the world. I want to recognise the resilience of New Zealand’s Muslim communities in adapting and keeping connected during this challenging time.

Finally, I want to let you know that an appointment has been made for the Executive Director of the Office of Ethnic Communities. We are pleased to welcome Anusha Guler onboard and she will be joining the team in June. Anusha is passionate about the community and public service and is looking forward to working alongside you to make a positive difference for ethnic communities across New Zealand.

Caroline Bridgland
Acting Director, Office of Ethnic Communities

Where to get information about Alert Level 3

When we move to Alert Level 3, there will be a number of changes that will be important to be aware of.

Your first port of call is the Unite against Covid-19 website: www.covid19.govt.nz. We will also be updating the Covid-19 page of our website with key information for ethnic communities as we move into Alert Level 3.  

The government has written some “Golden Rules” for life at Level 3, which state what is required of us all. The guidelines for Level 3 will be translated into 23 languages and will be available on the translations page of the Covid-19 website in the coming days.

We recommend you check the translations page regularly for additional content about life at Alert Level 3 and share these with your communities!

Where to get help if you need it

• If you, your family, or community needs help, we have made videos in a range of languages about Helplines you can call. Further information about what to do if you need essential supplies is available at the Unite against Covid-19 website. If you cannot find the help that you need, please contact us at ethnic.communities@dia.govt.nz and we will do our best to assist you.

• We want to remind you that interpreters are available for most government telephone services. To request an interpreter: call the government service you require, ask for a telephone interpreter, say the language you want, and wait to be connected.

• It is important that anyone with symptoms of Covid-19 call Healthline or their doctor immediately, whether you have a current visa or not. Healthline is free — call 0800 358 5453. Please note District Health Boards are not allowed to share any information about the immigration status of individuals with Immigration New Zealand. Your treatment will be in complete confidence. Your personal information will not be passed on to other agencies.

Ethnic Communities Development Fund unites against Covid-19

The Ethnic Communities Development Fund is uniting against Covid-19. The priorities for the fund have been realigned to support ethnic communities while they navigate the impacts of Covid-19. 

The Ethnic Communities Development Fund is now available for projects or activities that provide alternative means of staying socially connected, employment initiatives, and community resilience and recovery. 

More information about the types of projects that can be funded, along with information about how to apply, is on the Fund tab of our website.

We encourage all community groups with an idea about a project that can be carried out for their communities to get in touch.

Our website also provides information for groups who already have funding or made a request before 1 April 2020.

Quick links:

• Information for Muslim communities about Ramadan during Covid-19. Translations will be available next week in Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Dari, Pashto, Somali, Bengali, Indonesian.

• Immigration New Zealand has a Covid-19 Migrant and Refugee page on its website, with information for Settlement service providers, Non-Government Organisations, community groups, or individuals who work with or know recent migrants and/or former refugees.

• The Ministry of Culture and Heritage has made a number of suggestions of alternative ways to commemorate Anzac Day on Saturday 25 April, as regular services will not be going ahead. Etka NZ has prepared this short Shradhanjali (Tribute) to honour and remember our ANZACs and to recall the Indian troops of WW1.

• The Human Rights Commission has a page on its website about Responding to Racism, including what to do if you have been the target of racial discrimination and need assistance.

• If you want daily Covid-19 updates, you can sign up for this daily newsletter from the Government’s Unite against Covid-19 campaign.

• Follow us on Facebook for regular Covid-19 updates.