Ministry for Ethnic Communities

Congratulations to the more than100 youth who took part in the Race Unity Aotearoa Speech Awards 2024, including the finalists who delivered their speeches at the finals on Sunday 👏🏾. We are proud to have sponsored these awards since 2009 and are always impressed by the speeches. This year was no different. The seven finalists, representing high schools throughout New Zealand, shared their ideas and insights on how Aotearoa can move towards being a racist-free country. Kimberley Wu, our Northern Director, Strategic Engagement & Partnerships, represented our Ministry on the judging panel and had the pleasure of listening to the powerful and passionate speeches. Year 12 St Mary’s College student Jessica Tupa’I was named the Race Unity Speech Awards National Champion for 2024 and received the Tohu Raukura ā-Motu – New Zealand Police National Champion’s Award. She also received two Special Awards: the Tohu Māramatanga – Bahá'í Community Award for Insight and Tohu Auahatanga – Speech NZ Award for Delivery. Year 13 Otago Girls’ High School (tag) student Tanya Moeono received the Tohu Whetumatarau - Ministry for Ethnic Communities Award for Vision - helping to envision Aotearoa’s future as a multicultural society founded on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Tanya’s speech used a metaphor of water drops, rivers and the ocean to highlight inclusivity and unity. Kimberley said Tanya’s speech was poetic, inspiring and spoke to something we can all visualise and aspire to. Thank you to the Awards' Founding Partner New Zealand Baha'i Community, NZ Police and all the other partner agencies and volunteers who are dedicated to these Awards, and congratulations once more to all the finalists. We are inspired by your passion for race unity and encourage you to continue sharing your ideas for a socially cohesive and inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand.

We are pleased to support this one-day governance training workshop for ethnic communities. The workshop will upskill people to be able to serve on boards, and will feature a session with our own Liz Chin, who leads our Nominations Service.   Find out more about the workshop, which will be held in Wellington on 18 May ➡ https://lnkd.in/g8C6iSgA   Please note, there are 10 discounted price tickets available for people from charitable organisations.

Announcement! We're teaming up with the New Zealand Centre for Digital Connections with India to bring you a must-attend session at #NZTechweek! Join us for "Inspiring Stories, Inspiring Women: From COBOL to Cloud to CleanTech" as we shine a spotlight on the incredible journeys of women of Indian origin in Wellington's digital and IT sector. Get ready for a fireside chat filled with inspiring stories, challenges, and triumphs from these trailblazing women. Date: Thursday, 23 May 2024 Time: 4:00 pm – 7:30 pm Venue: L2, Urban Hub, 318 Lambton Quay, Wellington Central Secure your FREE ticket now ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gf3eHMHj Learn more about the session on the Techweek NZ website ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gW7VzeYk Don't miss out on this empowering event! Let's celebrate the remarkable contributions of women in digital services in New Zealand together! #WomeninTech #DiversityinTech

Minister Melissa Lee hosted a vibrant Eid al-Fitr celebration at Parliament. It was an evening filled with warmth, joy, and a beautiful showcase of unity. Guests from diverse communities across New Zealand mingled and shared stories, setting the tone for an inclusive gathering. From recitations of the Quran to poetry and inspiring speeches, the evening was a true celebration of culture and faith. The highlight of the evening was enchanting Nasheed by more than 20 talented children from the Abu Bakr Siddique Madrasah of Lower Hutt Mosque. Thank you to all who joined us in commemorating this special occasion. Together, we reaffirm our commitment to fostering understanding, respect, and unity in New Zealand. Find out more about the event on our website ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dEM_VGKA Check our Facebook album for more photos ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gSFaJ-Xe With- FIANZ, Islamic Council of New Zealand - ICONZ, Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand (IWCNZ). #EidAlFitr #UnityInDiversity #CelebratingCulture

Learn how to manage stress and build resilience in our free mental health workshops run by Blueprint for Learning. These online and in-person workshops are reserved for ethnic communities. Spaces are limited so please register today to secure a spot. ◾ MH101® workshop for Ethnic Communities – online, 7, 8 and 9 May (10am-12/12.30pm) ➡ https://bit.ly/3xT6iuR ◾ MH101® workshop for Ethnic Communities – in person in Dunedin, 9 May 2024 (9am-4.30pm) ➡ https://bit.ly/4bd8PP5 ◾ Weathering the Storm – in person in Napier, 24 May 2024 (10am-2.00pm) ➡ https://bit.ly/4aUpcjO ◾ MH101® workshop for Ethnic Communities – in person in Hamilton, 2 July 2024 (9am-4.30pm) ➡ https://bit.ly/4aUa9GS

We extend warm wishes to New Zealand’s Jewish community as they observe Pesach, or Passover. We hope you enjoy this time together. Chag Pesach Sameach!

Mentee applications for the 2024 Multiethnic Young Leaders NZ 3 Kapu Kawhe ™ (3 Cups of Coffee) Mentorship Programme are now open! The short-term programme pairs ethnically diverse young leaders in the formative years of their careers (mentees) with experienced New Zealand executives and directors (mentors) for ‘three transformative conversations’. Mentees then support the development of young, diverse leaders by having 3 cups of coffee with a student leader in tertiary education or their final year of high school (student mentee). Applications for the 2024 programme close at midnight on Sunday 12 May, 2024. Check out Multiethnic Young Leaders website for more information and to apply: https://lnkd.in/dFtuMK5V

If you need language support when calling a government agency, you can request an interpreter. Being connected to an interpreter is free. We have created an interactive scenario to show how this process works. It explains how to ask for an interpreter, and what the interpreting process involves. It also provides tips to help you effectively communicate when using an interpreter. This resource is available in English and 20 other languages on our website: • Arabic ➡ https://bit.ly/3xInALk • Chinese (Simplified) – Voiceover in Mandarin ➡ https://bit.ly/3Q8BLjg • Chinese (Traditional) – Voiceover in Cantonese ➡ https://bit.ly/49H2N87 • English ➡ https://bit.ly/3Jqwf7K • Farsi ➡ https://bit.ly/3JrasN4 • French ➡ https://bit.ly/3JpWzyI • Gujarati ➡ https://bit.ly/3UoiyML • Hindi ➡ https://bit.ly/3vYm1Z2 • Indonesian ➡ https://bit.ly/3JresNS • Japanese ➡ https://bit.ly/3QaZCi1 • Khmer ➡ https://bit.ly/3JpWOd6 • Korean ➡ https://bit.ly/3vN0eDO • Portuguese ➡ https://bit.ly/3xRlCIn • Punjabi ➡ https://bit.ly/3xJDLYR • Somali ➡ https://bit.ly/3xEBL3P • Spanish ➡ https://bit.ly/4aFxJHg • Tagalog ➡ https://bit.ly/4aFy1xF • Tamil ➡ https://bit.ly/3Upgmov • Thai ➡ https://bit.ly/3W68auq • Urdu ➡ https://bit.ly/3W0qc1a • Vietnamese ➡ https://bit.ly/4d6nblW

Have you checked out our inaugural 2024 edition of our Ethnic Voices Newsletter? It wraps up our work during the first quarter of this year. Check it out here http://bit.ly/4apW5od

We wish our Muslim communities and everyone who is celebrating a wonderful Eid al-Fitr! The sighting of the crescent moon last night signals the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fast and prayer, and the start of Eid al-Fitr. The festival is a time to celebrate, spend time with family and friends, share food and pray together. We hope you enjoy this special time 🌙.