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14 October 2020
Kia ora koutou
I hope you, your families, loved ones, and wider communities are well.
It’s been a little while since our last newsletter and this issue sees a return to our more traditional format – covering a broader range of topics than COVID-19. That’s still an important subject and we’ve covered the latest information. But there’s plenty of other things to tell you about. You’ll find news about the work we’ve been doing, updates on our team, and a list of key dates and events that are coming up.
Let me start by telling you about some new recruits to the Office. One of my goals coming into the role was to put a strong leadership team in place. We’ve been well-served by people in contract and acting roles but it’s important to have stability so we can provide a consistent and effective service. With that in mind, I’m delighted to announce two new, permanent appointments to our leadership team.
Firstly, Imran (Alex) Shahryar-Davies will be joining the Office of Ethnic Communities in the role of Manager Applied Policy on 2 November. This is a key position within the Office of Ethnic Communities and crucial for the delivery of a number of policy initiatives in the future.
Alex joins us from his most recent position as Unit Manager Governance at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other senior appointments with the Ministry, the UK Cabinet Office, the Office of the Chief Trade Adviser in Vanuatu, and the Ministry of Finance in Sierra Leone to name just a few.
Our other new leadership team recruit is Tania Chin who has just started as my Principal Advisor. She comes to us from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, having worked as a Senior Legal Adviser, Senior Policy Officer, and served a tour as the Deputy Consul-General in Hong Kong. Tania has also worked in criminal policy at the Ministry of Justice and the Law Commission. She has experience in leading and contributing to the development of New Zealand’s international and domestic policies. She enjoys traveling (pandemics permitting) and eating, preferably both at the same time. She is an avid cricket fan and a life-long learner of languages. Tania is excited to be joining the Office of Ethnic Communities and looking forward to contributing to its important work.
We’ve also recruited two new Senior Policy Analysts to further strengthen the team.
Martine Udahemuka will be joining us on 27 October. She joins us from the Tertiary Education Policy team at the Ministry of Education. Previously, Martine was a Research Fellow with Education: the NZ Initiative so has an impressive background in data and research. Martine also volunteers her own time and skills working directly with refugees to assist them in their settlement experiences.
Ruohan Zhao has just started having joined from her role with the Treasury, where she was a Vote Analyst for Economic Development, Small Business and Commerce, and Consumer Affairs. She also worked on firm support measures and was previously a Vote Analyst in the Housing Team. Ruohan is passionate about social inclusion and on reflecting diversity in policy development. She also has strong interests in arts and literature, film, and gender studies.
Finally, I’d like to introduce Frank Helden, who has joined the team as my Executive Assistant. Frank first came to Aotearoa New Zealand in the 1990s from his native Germany, where he had worked as a junior researcher for the German state government of North-Rhine Westphalia. After running his own business here for a decade, he travelled to Australia, where he worked for several NGOs and managed Amnesty International’s Queensland/Northern New South Wales branch office.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Natasha Rickett for providing leadership to the policy team and dedication to the role of Manager Applied Policy for the last year. Those of you who have had the chance to meet Natasha will know what a formidable talent she is. Natasha will be handing over to Alex and is with us until 19 November.
In addition to recruiting, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with a number of you at the events I’ve been at recently. It’s always a pleasure to meet different people and I’ve been spoiled with invitations.
One that I found really thought-provoking was a panel discussion on The Girmit Legacy: Negotiating Identity. Girmitiya were indentured Indian labourers whom the British Empire sent to Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa, and the Caribbean to work on for the benefit of European settlers. The session considered topics like what it means to be Indian, how some people historically suppressed their cultural and ethnic identity to fit in, and how, outside of India the caste system had less meaning. As an Indian from South Africa, this resonated with me. I too sought to fit in. I know from conversations with members of New Zealand’s ethnic communities that this ‘strategy’ of fitting in can be a difficult one. I’d like to think there’s room in this nation’s culture for us to celebrate our heritage and still be proud New Zealanders. It’s what we should strive for.
Ngā mihi nui
Anusha Guler
Executive Director, Office of Ethnic Communities
Our recent work
The value in voting
Voting is one of our most fundamental democratic rights in Aotearoa New Zealand. Many members of our ethnic communities are voting veterans and participating in elections is second nature to them. But for newer migrants, especially those from countries with different political systems, a general election can be daunting.
We know a lack of understanding about the voting process can be a barrier to participation, so for the last few months, we’ve been working with the Electoral Commission to do something about it.
We’ve helped run a series of workshops across the country for those who want to know more about how elections work in Aotearoa New Zealand. Some of the sessions were face to face while others had to be via Zoom because of COVID-19 restrictions.
In Auckland, Zoom sessions were run in multiple languages including Filipino, Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, Urdu, Hindi, and Cantonese. In Wigram, an electorate with a high proportion of Chinese-speaking communities and relatively low voter-registration, a ‘how to vote’ workshop was run. This included a video walk-through of a voting location and had Mandarin and Cantonese interpreters available to help. Sessions have also been run for ethnic youth.
We’ve had very positive feedback with several attendees immediately enrolling to vote and four people getting temporary paid work with the Electoral Commission. We were also able to connect the Electoral Commission to potential new voting locations within the South Island and as a result, several new venues, including the Linwood Mosque and Wharenui School are being used as voting places this year.
Information on elections, registering to vote and the system of Government in New Zealand is available at the Electoral Commission website.
As well as voting to choose the next Government, the 2020 General Election includes the opportunity for people to vote in two referendums:
- Cannabis legalisation and control
- End of life choice.
The first referendum will give the public the opportunity to vote on whether the recreational use of cannabis should become legal, based on the proposed Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill.
The second referendum will ask the public to vote on whether the End of Life Choice Act 2019 should come into force, giving people with a terminal illness the option of requesting assisted dying.
The detail of the legislation is clearly significant as people need to understand the specifics of what they are voting for or against. Full information, including the proposed legislation, is available at https://www.referendums.govt.nz. Information is also provided in several languages including Simplified Chinese, Hindi, and Korean.
Whangarei Multi-Ethnic Collective
Recently we were delighted to help set-up the Whangarei Multi-Ethnic Collective. It’s a partnership between local ethnic community members, Whangarei Police, Whangarei District Council, Immigration New Zealand, the Office of Ethnic Communities, and Multicultural Whangarei.
It’s one of the first multi-agency groups for ethnic people in New Zealand. The aim is for local and central Government agencies and groups to meet with ethnic community members and get their perspectives and ideas. This feeds into Government policymaking and the design of services. The concept of getting ethnic communities to input into Government decision making is one we’re keen to promote – greater community involvement means better design.
The Whangarei Multi-Ethnic Collective was launched with an induction day on 10 September at Whangarei Police Station. Amrit Melant Senior Advisor Northern Region (pictured below) represented the Office of Ethnic Communities. There are currently 10 ethnic community members in the Collective, selected via an expression of interest process and this number may be added to in the New Year.
Ongoing support for our Muslim Communities following the Christchurch Mosque attacks
The mental and physical scars of the Christchurch Mosque attacks are still very real for our Muslim communities. In recent months we’ve continued to support victims and their families, including during the recent sentencing.
On 24 September we continued that support when the Prime Minister unveiled a plaque in memory of the 51 victims of those terrible events.
COVID-19 information updates
Auckland now at Alert Level 1
With the change to Auckland’s COVID-19 Alert Level, all of New Zealand is now at Alert Level 1. It feels like we’ve weathered another storm and I’d like to say thank you to our team, our colleagues across Government and especially to ethnic community members across the country. It was a stressful time, especially for Auckland, and as with the first wave of COVID-19 we saw many acts of kindness and people supporting one another.
Keeping safe
With COVID-19 still prevalent around the world, we continue to face the risk of another outbreak in New Zealand. Please remind the communities you represent and work with to help keep everyone safe by:
- Staying home if you’re sick
- Getting tested if you have COVID-19 type symptoms
- Keeping track of where you’ve been
- Washing your hands.
Assistance for foreign nationals extended
The Foreign Nationals Support Programme Visitor Care Manaaki Manuhiri has been extended to 30 November.
The programme provides assistance to people in New Zealand on temporary visas who cannot easily get home and are experiencing serious financial hardship. This includes help with meeting basic needs such as food, accommodation and medical care. To date over 7,000 people have received assistance from the programme.
More information on what people are eligible for can be found on the COVID-19 website.
Meet the team
Prior to the recent wave of COVID-19 cases, we’d began sharing profiles of the Office of Ethnic Communities team members. People have asked for more so we’ll continue the tradition, starting with Tin Ma Ma Oo, a Diversity and Engagement Advisor in our Northern Community Engagement Team.
Tin Ma Ma was raised in Thailand by Burmese former refugee parents who left Myanmar fleeing civil unrest and came to New Zealand when she was 13 years old. It was at that age that she started her formal education, and now she holds a BA with double majors in Political Science and Employment and Organisational Management, and a BA with honours in Political Science with a focus on Public Policy, both from the University of Auckland.
She joined our team at the start of August, bringing with her a wealth of experience acquired during eight years of public service and decades of volunteer work with refugee-led NGOs. Her work and research on refugee issues have taken her to the United Nations in Geneva and to other countries in the Asia Pacific and Europe, where she has advocated on the wellbeing of refugees and the challenges they face. She is also a social entrepreneur, having started two ethical businesses and a charity over the last two years.
Her work is driven by a passion to serve ethnic communities, and her principles in life are: Look after others and the universe will provide; live life with a purpose and never take anything for granted; be grateful for what you have and always have a loving and forgiving heart.
Look out for more team member profiles in future.
Upcoming events and key dates
October
- 17 October - Navratri
- 18 October - Birth of the Báb
- 18 October – Malaysian Cultural Celebration - Christchurch
- 19 October - Birth of Bahá’u’lláh
- 24 October - Zambia Independence Day
- 25 October - Dussehra
- 26 October – Austria National Day
- 28 October - Mawlid
- 28 October – Czech Republic National Day
- 29 October – Turkey Republic Day
November
- 1 November – All Saints Day – Day of the Dead
- 1 November – Algeria National Day
- 2 November - Anniversary of the Crowning of Haile Selassie
- 3 November – Republic of Panama Independence Day
- 9 November – Cambodia National Day
- 13 November – World Kindness Day
- 14 November – Diwali
- 15 November - Jain
- 18 November – Latvia Proclamation of Independence
- 18 November – Oman National Day
- 19 November – Monaco National Day
- 22 November – Lebanon Independence Day
- 28 November – Albania Independence Day
- 28 November – Timor Leste Independence Day
- 30 November – St Andrews Day
- 30 November - Guru Nanak Ji’s Birthday
