12 June 2020

Kia ora koutou

I am really excited to be on board as the Executive Director of the Office of Ethnic Communities. Over the past two weeks, I have been learning all about the work of the Office and its work towards the vision of “Flourishing ethnic diversity; thriving New Zealand”. One of my first priorities is to start connecting with community leaders throughout Aotearoa New Zealand to learn more about your communities and their needs, and the work you do. I have had wonderful support from many people already, and I am looking forward to building connections and relationships with diverse ethnic communities throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

On Tuesday, we marked a big milestone in our collective effort against COVID-19, as we moved to Alert Level 1. This move to our “new normal” is a testament to the efforts and sacrifices made by our team of 5 million over the past few months. I want to acknowledge that the past few months have not been easy for many people and that full recovery will take time. We will continue to work with you and your communities to understand your needs and provide you with the information and support needed. Please continue to get in touch with us at ethnic.communities@dia.govt.nz.

Last week, recipients of the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours were announced. I wish to extend a warm congratulations to everyone from our ethnic communities who received an honour for services to your profession, community and Aotearoa New Zealand as a whole. If you know someone who you think is deserving of a Royal New Zealand Honour, you can make a nomination for the New Year's Honours lists. More information can be found here.

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

Ethnic Communities Development Fund update

The Ethnic Communities Development Fund has $4.2 million available annually for initiatives led by ethnic community groups. The current priorities are to support ethnic communities as they navigate the impacts of COVID-19. This includes projects and activities that support alternative means of staying socially connected, employment initiatives, and community resilience and recovery.

The change in priorities has given organisations the opportunity to apply for operational grants, as well as funding to meet emergency needs. It also gave groups the ability to re-purpose funding already allocated pre-COVID to meet their needs in the pandemic situation.

There has been lots of interest in the Fund under its new priorities, which is great. The panel that assesses funding requests has made recommendations on 45 requests between 6 May and 10 June 2020. A total of 38 organisations have been either partially or fully funded. Our website has a list of organisations funded.

We are excited about the projects coming through, and welcome ethnic community groups to apply for funding at any time.

For more information, visit the “Fund” tab of our website. We have also made multi-lingual videos about the Ethnic Communities Development Fund and how to apply.

United for recovery COVID-19 Alert Level 1

On Tuesday, 9 June, Aotearoa New Zealand moved to COVID-19 Alert Level 1, signalling a move to “the new normal”. Although restrictions on our borders will remain, most other measures introduced in the past few months will be lifted, including limits on mass gatherings such as religious gatherings, weddings and funerals.

Over the past few months, we have been encouraging everyone to visit the Government’s Unite against COVID-19 website. As we move into recovery, a replacement website has been launched to Unite for the Recovery, Kia Kotahi mō te whaioranga. It has information about the support available for physical, mental, and financial wellbeing of everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as information about Life at Level 1.

What Alert Level 1 means for the Office of Ethnic Communities

The move to Alert Level 1 means that most of us will be returning to our offices in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch from 15 June 2020. It also means that we will be able to connect again more in person with each other and the communities we serve, which we are really looking forward to!

The in-person connections have already started. For example, last week, the Hawkes Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management team hosted a hāngī (food cooked in an earth-oven) for members of its Network of Networks, which provided community support over Alert Levels 3 and 4. Rizwaana Latiff, one of our Engagement and Diversity Advisors is part of the Network. She said “this is the first time that some of us actually got to meet face to face from weeks of seeing each other on Zoom or on phone calls.” You can read more about the Network of Networks in this Hawkes Bay today article.

Photo: Members of the Hawkes Bay Civil Defence and Emergency Management Network of Networks

Other updates

• The New Zealand general election is approaching and will take place on 19 September 2020. The Electoral Commission is recruiting for a variety of roles to support the 2020 General Election. More information on the roles and how to apply is on the Electoral Commission’s website.

• The Aotearoa 2020 Vision project is asking people about their vision for Aotearoa New Zealand. The project, which is supported by the National Iwi Chairs Forum and JR McKenzie trust, aims to unite whānau, communities and people to contribute to a vision for Aotearoa New Zealand to aspire to. Working together will create more diversity and understanding between the different communities and will give a unified purpose for everyone. You can share your vision and find more information on the Aotearoa 2020 Vision Facebook page.

• The Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand has recently been acknowledged in Parliament and by the New Zealand Police for their impressive contributions to the community during COVID-19, including the distribution of over 25,000 food bags. You can read about the Society’s contributions – and those of other Indian sub-continental community organisations – in this piece in The Spinoff.

• Wellington City Council’s Social and Recreation Fund is available to social and community groups in the region for providing services and meeting additional demands as a result of COVID-19. You can find more information on the Council’s website here.

• The Auckland Council is asking residents for their input on the 2020/2021 Emergency Budget, which sets out how the Council will respond to the financial impact of COVID-19. You can have your say until 19 June 2020. More information is on the Council’s website.

• The Kia Kaha Queenstown Lakes Community Hub is open in the Queenstown Events centre. The ‘pop up’ hub will provide accurate, independent information and advice regarding immigration, repatriation, employment, finance, community connection, wellbeing and welfare needs to all members of the community. You can find more information about the Hub here.
   

• From 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2022, a range of vocational training programmes and apprenticeships will be fees-free. You can find out more on the Unite for Recovery website.
   
• Work Connect is a free programme from the Tertiary Education Commission to help migrants prepare for the New Zealand job market. The programme is available in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Christchurch. You can find more information about the programme here.