Kia ora
Despite being the middle of winter, it's been a busy month or so for Multicultural Nelson Tasman. As well as business-as-usual, we have successfully delivered more of our cross-cultural awareness workshops, celebrated Matariki, planted native trees, and supported our MYNTies with their excellent projects - which you can read more about further down in the newsletter. We have also set dates for our festivals for 2022 - with an exciting new venue for the Multicultural Festival.
Unfortunately we also had to bid farewell, and offer a very big 'thank you for the mahi' to our long-serving board member (and Secretary) Melanie McColgan (pictured below with Sir Mark Solomon at the Multicultural NZ AGM last year).
With Mel's departure from the MNT Board in mind, we'd like to remind the wider community that we are always keen to hear from those who may be interested in serving on our Board, and who hold our values of "Unity in Diversity" close to their heart. Expressions of interest in joining the MNT Board can be emailed to: manager@multiculturalnt.co.nz
We hope you enjoy reading our updates and we look forward to hearing from you. Keep in touch with us via Facebook or email to make sure you don't miss what is happening in our multicultural community!
E iti noa ana, nā te aroha
Although it is small, it is given with love.
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| - MULTICULTURAL NELSON TASMAN - |
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Save the dates for our big events in 2022!
The dates for our big events, the Multicultural Festival and the Tasman Asian Night Food Fair are already set for 2022. The Multicultural Festival is locked in for Sunday March 20, 2022 at the new location of Founders Heritage Park. The Tasman Asian Night Food Fair is set for Saturday, 12 February 2022 at the Washbourn Gardens in Richmond.
We will be opening up our registrations for vendors and performers interested to take part at our annual events very soon.
So please keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for more updates!
   
Join the MNT Fundraiser Movie Night - "Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised)"
We are hosting a fundraiser movie night at the Suter Theatre on Saturday, 11 September, where we will screen the exciting new documentary "Summer of Soul" that examines the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which celebrated African America music and culture and promoted Black pride and unity. Although much film footage was shot during this event, it sat unseen - until now. The documentary includes never-before-seen performances by greats including Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B King and more.
We would love to try and raise additional funds for our organisation by having a raffle and are kindly seeking support or donations from local businesses who might have a product or gift voucher to contribute. Please email admin@multiculturalnt.co.nz if you would like to donate something for our Fundraiser - thank you.
If you wish to purchase tickets to "Summer of Soul", please visit: https://suter.statecinemas.co.nz/movie/summer-of-soul. Tickets will be $26, with any profit made going to Multicultural Nelson Tasman.
Multicultural Community Tree Planting in July
After many wet weekends, the weather finally co-operated and we had our Multicultural Community Tree Planting organised together with Nelson City Council and Friends of the Maitai on Sunday, 4 July at Maitai Mahitahi Wetland. This event commemorated the contribution that many different people have made to the vibrancy of the Nelson community. The stories, experiences, and traditions that have been brought here over time come together to create understanding and richness to the people of Whakatu Nelson and New Zealand.
Despite the hard and frosty ground in places (which made digging pretty challenging at times), it was great to see people from different cultures joining and making an effort to participate in this lovely event. More trees will continue to be planted in this special 'multicultural corner' and its location will be marked with a special seat and plaque in the future.
 
Cross Cultural Awareness Workshops 2021 - Next in Motueka
Cross-cultural awareness and competence are increasingly important (and sought after) skills for the workplace and in general day-to-day interactions. In collaboration with our Cross-Cultural Awareness expert and workshop facilitator, Birte Becker-Steele, we have successfully delivered workshops so far this year to stakeholders including: Cancer Society, NMIT, Ministry of Education, Top of the South Neighbourhood Support, with more to roll out until the end of the year for Nelson City Council, Plunket, Victory Community Centre, and the general public. Feedback so far has been excellent, with participants commenting that they had gained much insight and that their learnings would change future interactions with others for the better.
Our next FREE workshop will be on Saturday, 11 September from 9.15 am to 4.30 pm at Motueka Community House.
Get in touch with Ramiesha at admin@multiculturalnt.co.nz if you are interested to join or if you would like to organise a workshop for your organisation.
The 1-day workshop is a great opportunity and valuable source to:
- Understand the relationships between culture, cultural values, communication, relationships, and effective workplace interactions.
- Recognise differing cultural characteristics in yourself and others.
- Value workplace communication and relationship-building.
- Identify ways to further improve your intercultural communication skills.
We would like thank our sponsors, Ministry of Social Development , Department of Internal Affairs and Tasman District Council for making these workshops available and helping us to achieve our aim of "Unity in Diversity".
Multicultural New Zealand presents Te Tiriti-based Multicultural day
Multicultural New Zealand continues to further positive community relations with the launch of a new Multicultural Day this August. MNZ, backed by rangatira (community leaders) in all regions of New Zealand, launches this annual celebration as part of a continued effort to normalise and celebrate diversity in New Zealand within a Tiriti-based framework.
On the last Friday of August (Friday 27th August 2021), people all over New Zealand are invited to bring their cultural heritage into their work and family life. This includes wearing traditional attire, sharing traditional food and music, speaking in their native language, sharing stories from their home or kāinga tipu (ancestral homeland).
Any organisations who wish to get involved or partner for the event are invited to fill in this survey or contact Multicultural New Zealand on events@mnz.org.nz or call 027 519 4765.
Session for Migrants with issues relating to Immigration/Covid19 Border Closures
Multicultural New Zealand is working hard behind the scenes to lobby on behalf of migrants who are struggling with humanitarian issues due to restrictions and immigration policies related to Covid19. Many have been separated from loved ones abroad for a significant amount of time, or have been unable to resume their previous lives and careers in New Zealand. The Chair of Multicultural Nelson Tasman Mary Bronsteter, would like to invite any of those affected in our region to a meeting on Wednesday 11 August from 12 to 2 at the NMIT SANITI office, and to find out ways that MNT can further help support the community.
All students, both past and present who may have issues are welcome to join. If you have any questions please email: admin@multiculturalnt.co.nz
NEW - Multicultural Kai Class and Korero - Starting September 4.
We are pleased to announce our schedule for a taste-bud pleasing "Multicultural Kai Class & Korero" project, and have teamed up with the folks at at Pics Food Factory to get foodies in Nelson Tasman excited about learning some new ethnic dishes - and having a chat about the culture behind the chef at the same time.
Kai and Korero will launch on Saturday, 4 September at noon at the Food Factory (behind Pics Peanut Butter) with Latifa Daoui presenting delicious Moroccan food.
Our second one will be on Saturday, 2 October with Luisa Diaz whipping up Afro-Latino cuisine and Colombian Korero, while on Saturday 6th November, Merouane Rahal will teach some classic French dishes, with a twist.
Space is limited, the event is interactive and you will get to learn to cook the dish as well as eat it, and no doubt enjoy some excellent conversations on the day.
The price is $30 per person which covers absolutely everything, and the class runs from 12-3pm (apx). Get back to us if you wish to join our Kai Class and Korero, email: admin@multiculturalnt.co.nz
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| - MULTICULTURAL YOUTH NELSON TASMAN - |
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The MYNTies have already stepped up work on their new "Random Acts of Kindness" project which they have been planning for the past few months. Their event will be held on Sunday, 15 August at The Wood Retirement Village, Nelson and will involve our MYNTies baking and preparing some food for the residents of the Village, involving them in games and entertainment and generally spending some quality time with them for the afternoon.
This project was inspired by New Zealand's Random Acts of Kindness Day, which falls 1st of September.
Follow updates through our MYNT Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/multiculturalyouthnelson
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In partnership with Top of The South Neighbourhood Support, the Group also designed and produced some lovely little inspirational cards with quotes and/or ideas for random acts of kindness that others can do.
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That's MYNT @ Fresh FM by Nikita Puri
‘That’s MYNT!' is a radio show by the Multicultural Youth group of Nelson Tasman. We have started our show in October 2020 and since, want to entertain our community with a fun mix of interviews, music and chat. The show is broadcast every Tuesday between 6 pm and 7 pm. Tune your radio to 104.8 (Nelson-Tasman)/ 107.2 (Nelson CBD)/ 88.9 (Blenheim)/ 95.0 (Eastern Golden Bay) or visit fresh fm net to listen to our Multicultural show.
For our last radio session, we held an interview with a student from Nayland, Will Irvine. He has been an active member of the Nelson Youth Council for two consecutive years and has also participated in various youth workshops and programs such as the Young Leaders programme by Volunteer Nelson. Will was kind enough to share his journey up till now regarding the project he has initiated, an Instagram page known as, brotalknz, which is a space that is created for boys to share their stories about toxic masculinity and how it impacts their mental health. Will shared that even though it has been a short while since he initiated this page, he has been getting a great response and he is adamant on keeping this on for long term as it is necessary to acknowledge how guys feel too.
Overall it was a great interview and we hope to hear from Will again sometime soon!
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Our MYNTies at Matariki Festival
Multicultural Youth Nelson Tasman (MYNT) together with Top of the South Neighbourhood Support (TSNS) captured the reflections and future hopes of the community at the Matariki Festival held last month at Victory Community Centre. It was nice to see a lot of communities gathering to take photos while celebrating the festival and hanging their community stories at our small Matariki stall.
  
Become a member of MYNT
Do you want to empower other young people to thrive in an environment of diversity, unity and acceptance? Do you want to help us make Nelson Tasman a paradise of unity? Do you have children that would like to get involved with the MYNTies?
We are a group of young people between 14 and 21 living in the Nelson-Tasman region. Some of us have been in Nelson for a long time; some for only a few years. We are different in many ways. We speak different languages. We come from all corners of the globe. And we have different ideas for our community.
Get in touch with us if you require more information or want to join the group
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New Zealand Immigration
Essential Skills Work Visa Changes
On 19 July 2021, changes were made to Essential Skills visas to streamline application processing and increase visa duration. These changes include:
- Increasing the maximum duration of an Essential Skills visa for jobs paid below the median wage from 12 to 24 months
- Removing the requirement to provide medical and police certificates if these have previously been provided to Immigration New Zealand with a visa application, even if they were provided more than 36 months ago.
In addition, if the applicant is remaining in their current full time employment and not changing their role, employer or region of work then,
- the employer will no longer need to meet a labour market test (including a Skills Match Report) and
- applicants and employers will be able to make declarations in place of providing evidence that the requirements are met
For further information visit https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/covid-19/in-new-zealand/visa-information/essential-skills-work-visa-changes
Employment New Zealand
The Government is launching a significant programme of work to strengthen social cohesion in New Zealand and create a safer, more inclusive society.
Government announces support to better protect migrants from exploitation - New measures have come into force on 1 July 2021. The changes are part of a wider Government initiative to combat all forms of exploitation, supported by $50 million in funding over 4 years. The new measures include: a new visa to support migrants to leave exploitative situations quickly and remain lawfully in New Zealand. This visa will be valid for up to 6 months.
A new dedicated 0800 number and web form to make it easier to report migrant worker exploitation. The primary focus of these new initiatives is to make it easier for migrant workers to report exploitation and ensure migrants are able to leave exploitative situations as quickly as possible. The changes will be supported by a substantial increase in funding for compliance and enforcement through Employment New Zealand and Immigration New Zealand. This will help ensure they’re better resourced to respond to reports of exploitation and take action.
For more information visit https://www.employment.govt.nz/about/news-and-updates/support-to-better-protect-migrants-from-exploitation/
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Nelson Tasman Newcomers Network
Multicultural Nelson Tasman has taken on responsibility for coordination of the "Newcomers Network" for the Nelson Tasman region. Sitting with Volunteer Nelson until recently, the national network comes under the wider umbrella of Multicultural New Zealand.
The New Zealand Newcomers Network is a network of groups throughout the country that are involved in welcoming newcomers to a region. It's open to anyone, whether newly arrived from overseas or recently moved within New Zealand. Joining your local Newcomers group is a great way to meet people and make friends in your new community and it’s FREE and EASY!
Let us know if you are new to Nelson Tasman region by emailing nelson@newcomers.co.nz or join our facebook page Nelson Newcomers Network for more updates.
Free Immigration Advice
Sandrine Savarit, Licensed Immigration Adviser, continues to offer free, initial consultations for the general public from our MNT office at 159 Hardy Street. Sandrine will help people to find answers to their questions related to immigration matters and can also assist with immigration form-filling. Please get in touch with us by emailing: admin@multiculturalnt.co.nz if you would like to book an appointment with Sandrine.
Would you like to plant a Microforest?
The Nelson Whakatu Muslim Association (NWMA) is initiating a Microforest in conjunction with Nelson City Council and if anyone with a piece of land approximately the size of 3 car garages would like to plant a Microforest please contact Colin Davis on faricol@yahoo.co.uk
Follow https://www.facebook.com/MicroforestNelson for more details and updates!
Interpreting NZ
If you’re bilingual, are you interested in using your language skills to earn some money in your spare time?
We are looking for people who can speak English and any of these languages: Burmese, Cantonese, Chin Hakha, Karenni, Kayan, Khmer (Cambodian), Korean, Mandarin, Samoan, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish.
Please apply for the Nelson region by filling out an online form:
https://interpret.org.nz/application-form.html
Contact: Sanam Mukhtar
Email: nelson@interpret.org.nz
Call/SMS: 022 412 0163
SPEAK OUT Nelson Tasman
MNT together with Community Law and Nelson Police work together to minimise racist incidents in our community. Speak Out Nelson Tasman (SONT) provides a user-friendly way to report racist incidents. Reports can be made by the victim, a witness or support person on behalf of the victim. Reporting of incidents is important whether or not the victim wants anything done about it as it provides important information to assist the police and other agencies regarding the extent of this problem and ways to address it.
Please do reach out to us if you have any concerns or would like to report anything.
Tel: 0508 (SPEAK OUT)
0508 773 256
For more info, go to our website
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We always appreciate your help
Multicultural Nelson Tasman is an independent charitable organisation that ensures that ethnic migrants and former refugees settle and integrate well, and have opportunities to participate in and contribute to the wider community. Equally, we educate locals and newcomers from different ethnicities to understand each other, learn about and appreciate new Zealand's biculturalism, and the richness and benefits that a multicultural society brings. We advocate unity in diversity.
By becoming a supporter, you'll be helping us to carry out our mahi!
Your participation within our organisation makes the difference! Whatever your age or lifestyle, ethnic background or individual living situation, you can help to make the world a better place and influence the course of society. Your membership, collaboration, insights and/or kind donation will enable us to continue doing our vital work. Only a strong organisation that acts as the voice of many is capable of achieving our common goal! And only through increased funding, we will have the capacity to make this voice heard.
You can support us by becoming a member or simply giving a contribution towards our cause.
Are you an organisation or do you own a local business? You can support us by donating here:
Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi -
With your basket and my basket the people will live!
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Thanks to all our wonderful founders and sponsors.
Your support is kindly appreciated.
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