Office of Ethnic Communities Update Flourishing ethnic diversity; thriving New Zealand What's been happeningThe Office of Ethnic Communities is government's authoritative advisor on ethnic diversity in New Zealand. Our Purpose is that Ethnic Communities are strong and the benefits of ethnic diversity for New Zealand are realised. Minister's UpdateRamadan came to an end on the evening of 14 June, signalling the start of Eid ul-Fitr. This time of year is particularly special for our Muslim communities, and it’s a good opportunity to acknowledge the Muslim New Zealanders who have made Aotearoa their home. Director's UpdateKia Ora! Welcome to the June edition of our monthly newsletter. While winter has well and truly settled in, the Office of Ethnic Communities remains as busy as ever. Do you have strong governance experience?The Office of Ethnic Communities is looking for ethnic people with strong governance experience to join our Nominations Service database. Government has a commitment that State sector boards are representative of the diversity and demographic make-up of New Zealand, including gender, ethnicity, age, and geographic location. Fund dates for 2018 are set.The dates have been set for the 2018 Ethnic Communities Development Fund. The fund will open for requests on Wednesday 15 August 2018 and close at midnight on Wednesday 26 September 2018. There is one funding round a year. Suffrage 125 spotlight: Archna TandonThis year marks the 125th anniversary of the women’s suffrage movement, which gave all women in Aotearoa the right to vote. Archna Tandon migrated to New Zealand in 1990, from Delhi, India. Her experiences as a migrant inspired her to establish the Canterbury Indian Women’s Group, and encouraged her involvement in Shakti, an ethnic women’s support group. Shakti supports women to overcome barriers associated with migration, as well as to end all forms of violence and discrimination against migrant women. Health scholarships awarded in ChristchurchOn 31 May, Pegasus Health and Workforce Development awarded scholarships to 23 students from diverse backgrounds to study nursing, medicine, or applied health. Two recipients of a scholarship were Seungjun Lee (known as Steve) and Phillipa Muza.. Would you like to subscribe?Keep up to date with our projects and ethnic diversity issues by subscribing to our contact list. You will receive details about stories, events and community news by email. This includes our monthly newsletter the OEC Update. |