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. Director's UpdateI am thrilled to bring to you my first newsletter as the Director of the Office of Ethnic Communities (Te Tari Matawaka). To those who have already reached out to me, thank you for the warm welcome and for being generous with your thoughts and knowledge. I look forward to strengthening relationships and meeting many more communities in the coming weeks. Multicultural Festival Celebrates Chinese New YearThe Multicultural Festival in celebration of the Chinese New Year Gala Performance showcased the cultural diversity of the local talent. It provided an opportunity to enjoy cross-cultural performances with beautiful costumes from communities in the Wellington region. Portuguese in Aotearoa 1826-1886Hilda McDonnell is a former librarian with a fascination for social history. Her commitment to preservation and passion for history lead her to write Portuguese in Aotearoa, an investigation into the lives of early settlers originally of Portuguese nationality. Ministry of Youth Development fund openingThe Ministry of Youth Development are set to open two new funding streams: Youth Development and Youth Enterprise and Entrepreneurship. We would like to encourage young people from ethnic communities to take the opportunity to apply for the funding. Suffrage 125 Fund celebrates women artists of diverse cultural backgroundsThe new Suffrage 125 Arts Fund, part of the Suffrage 125 commemorations, is led by the Ministry for Women in partnership with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. The Fund supports high quality arts projects that recognise the contribution to women’s rights, by women from diverse cultural backgrounds. Farewell to Tayyaba KhanThis week, we bid farewell to our colleague, Tayyaba Khan, who is moving on from the Office of Ethnic Communities to explore new adventures. New Family Violence Law takes effectStrangulation or suffocation, coerced marriage or civil union, and assault on a family member have been introduced as amendments to the Family Violence Act 2018. Now, these behaviours are prosecutable under the Act as practices of family violence. Changes have also been made to help reduce trauma and improve the court experience for victims of family violence. Office of Ethnic Communities civic participation projectThe Office of Ethnic Communities concluded in December the face to face consultations for our civic participation project. We spoke to more than 300 members of ethnic communities across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to understand their views and experiences. Farewell to Vivien VerheijenMany of you will know Dr Vivien Verheijen, Senior Diversity and Engagement Advisor, who has been with the Office of Ethnic Communities for 11 years. She recently completed her doctorate and is moving on to new ventures. Congratulations Viv, and we’ll miss you! Cherry Blossom Festival and Art Salon held in AucklandAuckland’s Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple held its annual two day Cherry Blossom festival to welcome spring. The event coincided with international Vegetarian Day with a variety of food stalls for the community to experience. Visa processing moves onlineImmigration New Zealand Auckland Central Visa Services counter services at 280 Queen Street is now closed closing permanently. There will be no drop box at this location. The 4th Halal Tourism and Hospitality SymposiumThe Halal Tourism and Hospitality Symposium was held with over 100 people attending. The symposium aimed to help people to understand the economic benefits of promoting New Zealand as a Muslim-friendly destination. Auckland Regional Migrant Services (ARMS) RebrandingThe Auckland Regional Migrant Services (ARMS) held its annual general meeting. Showcasing some of their 2018 highlights, to share their new name, and their strategy going forward. Japan Festival celebrates Wellington and Sakai's sister city relationshipThe sixth biennial Japan Festival Wellington had something for everyone – food, performances, art, workshops, poetry, and activities for kids.The festival aims to share Japanese culture with New Zealanders, strengthen the ties between Japan and New Zealand and celebrate one of the diverse cultures which help to enrich New Zealand. 'Double Bond' between Hungary and New ZealandThe Embassy of Hungary hosted an exhibition of art, titled ‘Double Bond’, by New Zealand-Hungarian artists. The exhibit explored the connection between the two countries using a range of genres including painting, photography and sculpture. Nine artists from a range of backgrounds, ages and artistic expressions participated in the exhibition. Getting to know Anita BalakrishnanWe welcomed our new Director, Anita Balakrishnan, to the Office of Ethnic Communities on 3 December 2018. To get to know Anita better, we asked her a few questions: Volunteers build resilient communitiesInternational Volunteer Day takes place each year. Led by the United Nations, International Volunteer Day is an opportunity for volunteers and organisations to celebrate their efforts, share their values, and promote their work within communities. Sport NZ Seeks Ethnic Communities' Input into Sport Integrity ConsultationSport New Zealand (Sport NZ) recently launched a nationwide public consultation on their review into sport integrity, and they want to hear from you! 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. |