No images? Click here
In this edition
Chief Executive's foreword
- DEC Update from Pratima Namasivayam
- Key updates:
- Minister’s speech to ethnic community leaders
- Ministry’s second Regional Initiative for Ethnic Communities Empowerment (RIECE) forum in Hawke’s Bay
- Faith Leaders’ Forum helps strengthen interfaith relationship
- Coming together:
- Lunar New Year celebrated at Parliament
- Eid celebration
- Nowruz Celebration 2025
- Highlights from our Ethnic Communities:
- March 15 engagements and ‘Heavenly Papa Giraffe’ children’s book launch
- Spotlight on other government agencies' initiatives:
- Flu vaccination events for the Asian and other Ethnic Communities
- Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa (Sport NZ) 2026 Graduate Programme is now open
- New Census data 2023 about faith and ethnicity
Chief Executive's foreword
Kia ora koutou,
I hope you and your loved ones are keeping well.
As we head into autumn, a season of reflection and change, we do so in a world that is rapidly shifting.
The challenges we see unfolding globally, including geopolitical conflicts, economic pressures, and the counter-narratives to diversity, equity, and inclusion, are not just distant events. They have real and profound impacts on the wellbeing of every New Zealander.
Many of our Kiwi Ethnic Communities carry the weight of these issues personally, through connections to family overseas, the stories we see in the media, and the ripple effects in our own neighbourhoods. In times like these, it is more important than ever to stand firm in our values of inclusion, understanding, and collective strength.
We must create spaces where every voice is heard, where diverse perspectives are valued, and where we stand together against division.
Individually, this means checking in on one another, staying informed, and fostering conversations that bring people together. Collectively, it means working in partnership across government, community organisations, and civil society, to ensure New Zealand remains a place where everyone feels safe and can thrive.
This first edition of Ethnic Voices for 2025 highlights exactly that: how we come together to empower, uplift, and celebrate our communities.
Over the past few months, we have addressed important social and economic issues. We have celebrated cultural milestones such as the Lunar New Year, Pongal, Holi, Ramadan, and Nowruz. We have reached out to regional communities and remembered the shuhada of the March 15 terrorist attack on New Zealand, which targeted our Kiwi Muslim community six years ago.
The Minister recently delivered his inaugural speech to ethnic community leaders, setting out key priorities for the future. We also held a regional session in Hawke’s Bay to empower local communities. The Faith Leaders’ Forum and the Business Roundtable brought together diverse voices to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead.
One of the initiatives that deeply inspired me was the launch of Dr Maysoon Salama’s Heavenly Papa Giraffe, a children’s book that speaks to the power of cultural identity. Stories like this help shape the next generation with values of acceptance, respect, and inclusion.
As we navigate the complexities of today’s world, I encourage each of you to stay engaged, stay connected, and support one another.
Ngā mihi nui,
Mervin Singham
Chief Executive
DCE Update from Pratima Namasivayam
Continuing our efforts to make data and evidence visible
On the subject of uplifting our communities, many of you will recall that in December 2024, we celebrated the official launch of our Ethnic Evidence report in the Grand Hall of the New Zealand Parliament.
This report is the first of its kind. It makes visible data and evidence on how New Zealand’s 1.1 million Ethnic Community members are doing across economic, social, and cultural domains.
Since then, there has been immense interest from public sector officials, who were the primary audience of the report. Our Analytics, Monitoring and Evaluation team have been invited to and presented to the Ministry for Social Development, Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, NZ Police, Health New Zealand, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport, the Treasury, and cross-government forums such as the Information Group. And we are getting additional requests from Stats NZ, the Reserve Bank, and the multi-agency Housing Statistics User Group.
We couldn’t have asked for a more receptive welcome.
In addition, because data and evidence continue to be key infrastructures that we rely on to improve the experience of our communities, our Analytics, Monitoring and Evaluation team have been working closely with Stats NZ colleagues. On 12 March 2025, Stats NZ published Census data on faith communities for the first time, which is a substantive increase in publicly available data. This makes available faith data by income, employment, occupation, education, tenure and unpaid activities. We collaborated with Stats NZ to increase the visibility and availability of data on faith communities as part of Recommendation 32 of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain. This, along with Ethnic Evidence, delivers to this recommendation.
Resources for our communities on foreign interference
During the ELT roadshows late last year, we talked with you openly about the important work we are doing to engage with our communities to learn about their experiences of foreign interference, how it impacts them and what support they need.
We promised you then that we are specifically working on community resources, and we are delighted to let you know that the first set of resources is now available in 24 languages on our website:
- Foreign interference in New Zealand
- Examples of foreign interference including case studies from the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service
- Your rights in New Zealand
- How to report foreign interference
- Keeping safe online
- Keeping your organisation safe online
- Information about the draft Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill.
These resources have been developed to support communities based on what they have told us about their experiences.
We don’t often publicly talk about what we do in this space to protect the safety and security of the communities we engage with.
Our team is very busy continuing to engage with our communities. You can expect to see more tools, resources and initiatives later in the year.
Pratima Namasivayam
Deputy Chief Executive – Advisory, Analytics and Ministerial
Key updates:
Minister’s speech to ethnic community leaders
On 5 April, more than 150 leaders from across New Zealand’s diverse Ethnic Communities gathered in Auckland for an open kōrero with Hon Mark Mitchell, Minister for Ethnic Communities.
The Minister outlined his key priorities: economic growth, security, emergency management, and social cohesion, and listened to community concerns in a dynamic Q&A.
The event highlighted the strength of Ethnic Communities and the Government’s commitment to inclusive engagement.
Ministry’s second Regional Initiative for Ethnic Communities Empowerment (RIECE) forum in Hawke’s Bay
On 20 March 2025, we hosted the second RIECE forum in Hawke’s Bay, bringing together Ethnic Communities and government representatives to discuss topics of importance to their communities.
The event featured panel discussions on community safety, family violence, employment, and migrant exploitation prevention. Speakers shared expertise and listened to local insights, fostering understanding and trust.
Click the button below to read the full article on our website.
Faith Leaders’ Forum helps strengthen interfaith relationships
Our recent Faith Leaders’ Forum was held in Auckland on 26 February. It was the fourth forum our Ministry has facilitated, bringing faith leaders from national peak bodies together in one place to discuss topics of shared interest.
This session included a presentation from Immigration New Zealand, which shared information about visas of particular interest
to the group, including culturally arranged marriage visitor visas. They noted the members’ feedback and concerns and agreed to share these insights within their organisation.
We are encouraged by the commitment of the faith leaders to the dialogue with each other. Each interaction helps to strengthen interfaith relationships, which in turn helps to foster social cohesion in New Zealand.
Coming together
Lunar New Year celebrated at Parliament
On 17 February, Parliament celebrated Lunar New Year 2025, the year of the Snake, with vibrant colours, music, and cultural performances.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Hon. Mark Michell, Minister for Ethnic Communities praised the contributions of Kiwi-Asian communities and highlighted the importance of cultural celebration.
Click the button below to read the full article about the celebration.
Eid celebration at Parliament
The Banquet Hall at Parliament came alive on Monday, 7 April, as Hon Mark Mitchell, Minister for Ethnic Communities, hosted a vibrant Eid celebration to mark the end of Ramadan.
Over 160 guests, including Muslim community leaders, MPs, diplomats from Egypt, Kuwait, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Türkiye, and members of the public, gathered for an evening filled with connection, reflection, and joy.
The event marked the first time Simurgh’s “The Light (Alnoor)” was performed at Parliament, and a special moment saw Minister Mitchell gifting Eid bags to the children, bringing smiles all around.
Eid Mubarak from all of us at the Ministry!
Click the button below to read the full article about the celebration and community feedback.
Nowruz celebration 2025
In early March, our Director for National Operations, Kimberley Wu, joined the Nowruz celebration in Auckland. Member of Parliament, Auckland City Council representatives, and various communities gathered to mark this 3500-year-old festival. Over 270 people attended.
Attendees heard stories about Nowruz, its history, traditional dress, the Jashan ceremony, and other cultural practices.
Highlights from our Ethnic Communities
March 15 engagements and ‘Heavenly Papa Giraffe’ children’s book launch
On the weekend of 15 March, communities across New Zealand commemorated the sixth anniversary of the March 15 terrorist attacks. We participated in events in Christchurch and Wellington to honour the shuhada (martyrs) and support survivors.
From the Unity Hui in Christchurch to the Remembering March 15 event in Wellington, and the launch of Dr Maysoon Salam’s 'Heavenly Papa Giraffe' in Christchurch, we reaffirmed our commitment to diversity, unity, and peace.
Click the button below to read the full article on our website.
Spotlight on other government agencies' initiatives
2025 Flu vaccination events for the Asian and other Ethnic Communities
This April, Asian and Ethnic Health Services (AEHS), along with PHOs, pharmacies, and community NGOs, is organising 21 group flu vaccination events in April and May 2025. They will be in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Palmerston North, and Christchurch.
The event flyer is available in multiple languages: English, Simplified 中文, Traditional 中文, Hindi, 한국어 , Tagalog, Thai, Indonesian, Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Japanese.
Most vaccinators are bilingual, and ethnic community leaders or support workers will be available at many of the group events.
Besides flu vaccinations, other vaccines like Covid-19, MMR, Boostrix, and shingles will be available if booked in advance.
For more information and the events schedule, please visit the AEHS website News & Updates, or call the Asian Health Line at 0800 88 88 30 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.00pm).
Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa (Sport NZ) 2026 Graduate Programme is now open
Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa is excited to announce that application for their 2026 Graduate Programme is now open. This paid, 2-year programme offers hands-on experience in sport for recent graduates.
They are looking for passionate rangatahi (youth) who graduated in the last two years with a New Zealand tertiary qualification or higher. Successful graduates will get mentoring and placements at top sector organisations in their second year.
Applications close 5pm, Sunday 4 May 2025.
For more information and to apply, go to https://careers.sportnz.org.nz/?unlistedjob=enqurfj&tracker=592269226
New Census data 2023 about faith and ethnicity
Newly published Census data includes detailed information about faith communities for the first time. We collaborated with Stats NZ to increase the visibility and availability of data on faith communities.
Users can search for data on faith communities by various topics, such as employment, education, and unpaid activities, for both the 2023 Census and previous years. Additionally, the Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity Census data covers ethnicity, birthplace, and languages spoken, grouped by location and Census year.
Stay up to date and connect with us!
Check our website and social media below.
Contact Us
You can reach out to us by email at info@ethniccommunities.govt.nz.
Take care of yourselves, your families, loved ones and wider communities.
Ngā mihi nui,
Ministry for Ethnic Communities
