Our work within the communities we serve continues to reap rewards.  We attend and help facilitate a wide variety of events across the motu to ensure we demonstrate genuine solidarity with these communities and the work they are doing to enhance and promote inclusiveness and diversity in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is critical to maintaining the longstanding relationships we have with community groups and NGOs. These amazing people have journeyed with us from the Office of Ethnic Affairs to the Office of Ethnic Communities and championed for us to become the fully-fledged Ministry that we are today. We will continue to build new relationships with emerging communities and organisations for years to come.

I hope you enjoy taking a look at some of the exciting and interesting work we have been involved in over the past few months.

Eid in Parliament

Ministry for Ethnic Communities staff organised this year’s formal Eid al-Adha celebrations at Parliament in July where The Minister of Diversity, Inclusion, and Ethnic Communities Priyanca Radhakrishnan hosted the event.

Eid al-Adha marks the end of hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, and is celebrated by Muslims across the world. Eid is traditionally a time of kindness, manaakitanga, and charity for Muslims.

Just over 200 guests attended the event including community leaders and members, businesspeople, academics, government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and parliamentarians. Emcees on the night were MP Ibrahim Omer and Adibah Khan.

The Prime Minister Rt Honourable Jacinda Ardern delivered her well wishes to the guests via a recorded video message and Minister Radhakrishnan acknowledged the attendees, spoke about our national diversity and the positive outcomes attained from acknowledging each other's cultural celebrations.

It was a wonderful experience to hear the President of The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand Ibrar Sheikh speaking about the unifying power of Hajj and witnessing people from all walks of life worshipping together. Rajaie Ghashi, President of the Islamic Council of New Zealand, referred to the importance of fostering unity in society, and Aliya Danzeisen, National Coordinator at the Islamic Women's Council New Zealand, highlighted that our whānau, community, and society will only function to its true potential with the inclusion and participation of women.

These sorts of events are always well-received, and it is wonderful for us as a Ministry to be part of a formal opportunity to acknowledge Aotearoa New Zealand's vibrant diversity. These functions are also an opportunity for attendees to communicate, learn, and better understand each other through meaningful dialogue.

The Minister also hosts a Chinese New Year and Diwali celebration at Parliament every year.

Asians in the Bay Awards 2022

The Ministry for Ethnic Communities has supported this annual event, now in its 11^th year, for the past two years through the Ethnic Communities Development Fund.

Asians in the Bay Awards aims to recognise the contribution of Asian communities throughout Hawkes Bay in the areas of social, cultural and economic development.

We continue to see and highlight the importance and contribution of Aotearoa New Zealand’s ethnic communities to this country, our Asian communities being a big part. Celebrating diversity in Hawke’s Bay and all that our Asian communities bring us in this region is a cause for continued celebration. These events are ways that the community can celebrate their culture and identity and are also a platform for community stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to connect with one another and share information about the great work they are involved in.

It is a way to show recognition for the many achievements attained by individuals and groups in our ethnic communities and it is always a highlight for the Ministry to be involved in and support events like this – they give us a direct insight into the tangible effects that initiatives like this are having.

Whakawhanaugatanga (the process of establishing relationships) forms our approach with our stakeholders and this event is a true demonstration of that approach.

Congratulations to all the award winners.

New Zealand Bravery Awards

The Ministry for Ethnic Communities was proud to have been involved with and support the New Zealand Bravery Awards in July this year.

The historically significant awards ceremony took place in Christchurch in honour of the Muslim community whose members were targeted during the March 15 terror attack at the Al Noor Mosque.

Three Muslim community members were bestowed bravery awards in recognition of their actions that saved lives on that fateful day.

Two awards were presented by the Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro

Ambreen Naeem received an award that was bestowed posthumously on her late husband, Dr Naeem Rashid, who sadly died during the attack. Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah received an award in recognition of his actions that helped prevent further loss of lives.

The third recipient, Ziyad Shah, received his award at the New Zealand High Commission in Australia where he has now made his home. Ziyad Shah sustained bullet injuries when he used his body to shield another victim.

The Ministry played a prominent role in partnering with Government House to develop the ceremony programme and cultural protocols to ensure the needs of the Muslim community recipients were honoured and respected. It was wonderful to receive a letter from Dame Kiro acknowledging Hisham Eldai, our Christchurch-based Senior Advisor, Strategic Engagement and Partnerships. Dame Kiro said he provided invaluable advice and was a composed and insightful presence on the day. She also thanked the Ministry as a whole for the role we played in supporting the awards.

L to R Hisham Eldai (Ministry for Ethnic Communities), Minister Dr Megan Woods, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster, His Excellency Dr Richard Davies (husband of Dame Cindy Kiro), Dame Cindy Kiro

SHAMA Stakeholder breakfast

The SHAMA Ethnic Women’s Trust is a charitable trust formed in 2002 after the identification of a gap in available services for ethic women and children that are run by ethnic women.

The Ministry for Ethnic Communities has a direct link to this incredibly important work and is now part of a working group formed to support and link SHAMA to men in its new project on healthy masculinity.

It was fantastic to be there when the Hamilton Ethnic Women’s Centre Trust hosted the annual stakeholders’ breakfast recently to share the programmes the organisation is implementing to highlight key achievements and milestones in their support of vulnerable ethnic women and their families.

Pakistan Independence Day Celebrations 2022

Independence Day celebrations are one of the most significant events in the Pakistani community calendar in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Pakistan Independence Day celebrates the anniversary of the formation of the independent Republic of Pakistan on 14 August 1947.

It was a pleasure for us to be part of and acknowledge this year’s celebrations that featured a flag hoisting ceremony, cultural performances and national songs by various groups. The event included highlights of Pakistan’s history, architectural and cultural treasures. The achievements and contributions of key leaders were acknowledged from different communities.

Pakistani New Zealanders are prominent in their efforts to continue to recognise and celebrate their heritage. Preserving their indigenous roots is paramount to many of our Pakistani community in Aotearoa and members of this important community take a tremendous sense of pride in their culture and heritage – a sentiment we wholeheartedly support.

Pakistan Independence Day celebration featuring Minister Radhakrishnan and community leader's

HIP Cards (Hello In A Pack of Cards)

Four teenagers in their final year at Pakuranga College have come up with a truly inspired idea to encourage diversity and inclusiveness in Aotearoa – starting at school.

As part of the long-running Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme that brings alive new, innovative business ideas from our youth, the group has created HIP Cards – Hello In A Pack of Cards, based on a normal pack of playing cards where each card has a unique greeting from around the world (and those ethnicities represented at the school as well). There are 40 different greetings all up including Māori, Hindi, Tongan, and Mandarin.

Eric Irani, Lucas Greenwood, Joshua Hall and Aman Kumar say that growing up in New Zealand with immigrant backgrounds, they realised that culture and diversity is a big part of their lives and that although New Zealand is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, the inclusion of diversity in society has been lacking.

Eric told us that when the group first gathered, they noticed that they were all from different backgrounds and had different cultural identities, yet none of them could greet another in their own native language.

“Our goal was never to make a cool set of playing cards, but to spread the importance of embracing and uniting different languages and cultures. The playing cards just turned out to be an effective means of doing so,” says Eric.

“With one in five kiwis having a different ethnic background, the importance of accepting diversity in our society has never been greater. We hope that through the use of HIP Cards, users can learn different world greetings and draw a link with the cultural designs on the playing cards. We know that accepting people from different backgrounds is a way in which we can dispel negative stereotypes and biases from different ethnic groups.

“We aim to show that it is okay to be different and to be from a different background because at the end of the day, no matter the colour of your skin, or the language you speak, we all have the right to call ourselves “Kiwis”, here in Aotearoa.”

The group aims to get the cards into the New Zealand school curriculum. 

Kia ora Eric and team! The Ministry is thrilled to see such brilliant initiative and insight from Pakuranga College rangatahi. All the very best with your endeavour.

Embracing Cultural Diversity in New Zealand Schools

We were very pleased to have been involved in and to have supported a recent series of nationwide hui by the Education Review Office (ERO) aimed at helping shape a review to accommodate ethnic communities’ needs in schools.

We heard directly from members of ethnic communities about the schooling experiences of their children or grandchildren and their aspirations for an ideal school system. By participating, respondents contributed to ensuring schools better meet the needs of children from diverse backgrounds.

Some of the questions they were asked included:

• What are some of the positive things that are happening in NZ schools?
• What are the main challenges regarding education in NZ schools?
• What are the things you most want to change about the current schooling system?
• What would the ideal schooling system look like in the future?

The information gathered will be combined along with other data such as school case studies and student surveys to create a comprehensive report on how schools can embrace cultural diversity.

The Ministry for Ethnic Communities is very encouraged to know that the ideas and experiences of whānau and students in New Zealand schools is being used to help build an understanding of how schools can better cater for ethnic diversity in the future.

The work the Education Review Office is undertaking can be found here: Embracing Diverse Cultures: Schools’ Practice | Education Review Office (ero.govt.nz).

Connect & Kōrero

We are proud to have supported the first ‘Connect & Kōrero’ that was held in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland recently.

'Connect & Kōrero' is an initiative designed by the Ministry of Youth Development, University of Auckland and its Innovation Unit, delivered by the Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono (IACT). Its aim is for ethnic young people to network and build relationships with government officials.

The idea of regular 'meetup events' was put forward during the co-design phase of the project. The intended outcome is that ethnic youth voices are heard, understood, and included in policy and service design.

The Ministry for Ethnic Communities is very excited to chart the development of an initiative that supports our ethnic rangatahi to make meaningful connections that promote an inclusive Aotearoa where everyone belongs – a concept that forms the basis of our own priorities and strategy.

Yasir Demirbas, Advisor, Strategic Engagement & Partnerships attended and supported the event in early July

Contact Us

Our regional teams are here to help facilitate and encourage inclusiveness and diversity in Aotearoa and to offer support and advice to all of our ethnic communities.

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

Mervin Singham
Chief Executive
Ministry for Ethnic Communities