10 March 2021

Kia ora koutou katoa,

It was huge relief to see COVID-19 Alert Levels drop on Sunday, especially for our colleagues and communities in Auckland. It seems that we've been dealing with nothing but COVID-19 in the last few weeks but we've been busy with a lot of different work.

We will of course keep you up to date with any COVID-19 developments. In the meantime, the primary source of information remains covid19.govt.nz

Work to set up the new Ministry for Ethnic Communities by 1 July is well underway. There will be more significant things to  announce, and discuss with you shortly. I will ensure we share everything as soon as we can.

Later in this edition of Ethnic Voices you'll find more information on some new programmes and other things we've been working on. But I'd like to start by acknowledging the upcoming second anniversary of the Christhchurch Terror Attacks.

15 March 2019 was a life-changing day for too many of our population. 51 people lost their lives and for their families and those wounded, the physical and mental scars remain. It's easy to forget just how traumatic and devastating the terrible events of 15 March 2019 were. 

A memorial service is planned for 13 March and the Prime Minister and Minister Radhakrishnan will attend. Our team in Christchurch has been busy helping to organise this important event. Plans to hold a service in 2020 were sadly disrupted by COVID-19 so this weekend has extra significance.

Following the Royal Commission of Inquiry's report, work has started to deal with the issues raised, and make Aotearoa a better, more tolerant and more inclusive place. That work will continue.

For today I'd like to highlight something special - a Muslim community led campaign called 51 Minutes of Kindness. 

It's an initiative to honour and remember the 51 victims of the 2019 Christchurch terror attacks. The Quran reminds us that good and evil are not alike, and when faced with evil we should repel it with good. And as Martin Luther King Jr famously said, hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.

51 Minutes of Kindness is an opportunity for you to share a moment of aroha and kindness with those around you - doing something quintessentially Kiwi to remember those we lost. 

You can find out how to get involved on the campaign Facebook page.

Take care of yourselves, and our particular thoughts and prayers go to our Muslim communities ahead of 15 March.

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

Our recent work

New Ethnic Communities Graduate Programme 

We've set up a new Ethnic Communities Graduate Programme. Working with other Government agencies we can offer skilled graduates from our ethnic communities  a meaningful first employment opportunity in the public service. 

The Programme directly addresses the low representation of ethnically diverse employees and the barriers they face to access employment in the public sector. It aims to achieve that by offering a targeted pathway into the public service, with the expected benefits of improving its representativeness and broadening its cultural competency.

Applications for the programme are now open, and are welcome from graduates who:

• Identify their ethnicity as Middle Eastern, Latin American, African, Asian, or Continental European;
• have obtained a qualification at the bachelor’s level in NZ or overseas within the last 2 years;
• have the right to live and work in New Zealand; and
• are looking for their first employment opportunity in the public service.

Graduates will enter Public Service agencies in two 18-month intakes, the first of which is scheduled to start in July 2021. Available roles will be focused on either public policy, policy-related functions, or the delivery of high-quality and efficient public services. It is anticipated that the positions will be mainly Wellington-based, with some positions located in Auckland and Christchurch.

Graduates who come through this Programme will be set up to influence and drive change that directly affects ethnic communities and the whole of New Zealand society.

Applications close at 5pm, Thursday 25 March 2021.

For more information, including how to apply, please visit our website.

New Ethnic Communities Digital Inclusion Fund

We've recently set up a new fund to help increase social participation through digital technology and applications are now open.

The Fund aims to ensure ethnic communities can fully participate in Aotearoa New Zealand by increasing their confidence using digital technologies.

Applications are open until 28 April 2021.

The first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown brought to light the already significant impact of digital exclusion for our ethnic communities. During the escalation of COVID-19 Alert Levels, the Government relied heavily on technology to share crucial public health information. However, some community members were unable to access the information.

This is an existing and ongoing concern for ethnic communities and its impact goes beyond the pandemic. The inability to fully participate in an increasingly digital world further exacerbates challenges already experienced by ethnic communities, such as accessing jobs and training, and staying socially connected. This is why this Fund is so important.

The priorities of the Fund are to ensure that our communities:

• Have the skills and digital know-how to use digital technology and the internet in ways that are appropriate and beneficial;
• are motivated to understand how digital technology and the internet can help them connect, learn or access opportunities;
• trust the Internet and online services, have the confidence and digital literacy to manage personal information; and
• understand and avoid scams, harmful content and misleading information.

You’ll find more information on our website. 

Survey - your experiences of COVID-19

We're asking people from our ethnic communities to share their perspectives, experiences and concerns regarding the challenges they are facing due to COVID-19.

COVID-19 is likely to exacerbate inequalities that already exist in society. Some of the immediate impacts, including effects on employment, are well known; but we want to ensure that ethnic communities’ perspectives and concerns continue to shape the government's response to, and recovery from the pandemic.

To this end, we've designed a survey to capture a snapshot of the experiences and concerns of ethnic communities in relation to COVID-19.

The survey is available online and will be open until 26 March 2021.

To access the online survey please click on the following link: Office of Ethnic Communities COVID-19 Survey - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YX6PXMJ

Any information provided in this survey is anonymous and will be used for research purposes only.

Other news

Women in Governance Awards 2021 now open

Entries are now open for the Women in Governance Awards 2021. 

The Awards recognise and celebrate innovation, excellence, creativity and commitment to diversity.

There are a number of Award categories you can nominate people for so, if you know someone whose work should be recognised now is your chance.

More information on the Awards is available at the Governanace New Zealand website.

Commerce Commission wants to hear from ethnic communities

We know the views and needs of ethnic communities are not always properly represented. That's why we were delighted to hear from the Commerce Commission. They're running a study into whether competition in the grocery sector is working well and want to make sure ethnic communities voices are heard. 

Groceries are an essential purchase for all New Zealanders, as well as a major expense for households, with more than $22 billion spent at New Zealand supermarkets and grocery stores in the past year. 

As part of its study the Commission is running a short online survey to inform next steps. If you have a few minutes and want to make your voice heard you can complete the survey at www.comcom.govt.nz/groceries/consumer

It closes at 5pm on 25 March.