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NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2021
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Kia ora
As we take on more projects and commence planning our big events for next year, it has been a busy couple of months for Multicultural Nelson Tasman. Due to the recent lockdown, our staff had to work from home for nearly three weeks and unfortunately it also meant that we had to cancel the Fundraiser Movie Night "The Summer of Soul" and also the Te Tiriti-based Multicultural Day that we planned to celebrate at the MNT office.
Of course during this time we also had the shocking supermarket terror attack in New Lynn, Auckland - which left some members of our local Muslim community genuinely fearful of retaliation. We called for and facilitated an urgent meeting via Zoom, which was attended by New Zealand Police and a variety of ethnic and religious community members and agencies. Those present discussed the impacts of such attacks on our wider community, on our tamariki and our rangatahi. As a result of the meeting, we sent out a press release and a letter to schools in the Nelson Tasman region to remind of available support and also to encourage open conversations about racism and discrimination.
Our cross-cultural workshops continue to be well received and under Level 2 protocols we successfully delivered two over the past month - one for NMIT and another public workshop at the Mapua Community Hall - for those based in Tasman.
The MYNTies enjoyed having some fun together his month with group bonding activities, including volleyball and bowling - sadly we had to bid farewell to one of our founding members of MYNT, Krutika Mishra.
We held our first Multicultural Kai Class and Korero last Saturday with Luisa Diaz at the Food Factory Nelson. We were somewhat restricted to a small closed group due to Level 2, however everyone enjoyed both the kai and the korero and we are now looking forward to our next sessions.
In a couple of weeks we will partner up with the Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tahono (IACT) to host a hui focused on how individuals and oragnisations can work collaboratively and proactively to support diversity and unity and challenge racism and discrimination across the Nelson Tasman region. You can find out more about this further down.
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!
He taonga rongonui te aroha ki te tangata
Goodwill towards others is a precious treasure
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| - MULTICULTURAL NELSON TASMAN - |
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Neighbourhood Support New Zealand (NSNZ) Partner 2021 Award to MNT!
Earlier in the year Multicultural Nelson Tasman won the Neighbourhood Support New Zealand (NSNZ) Partner 2021 National Award which we were unable to accept in Wellington in person due to Alert Level changes. This was awarded to MNT on Tuesday, 28 September at the Greenmeadows Centre. We would like to thank Neighbourhood Support New Zealand and also Top of the South Neighbourhood Support for your appreciation. We look forward to more future collaboration.
 
This was awarded by the Neighbourhood Support New Zealand (NSNZ) Chief Executive Officer Tess Casey (pictured middle) and their Community Advisor Kelsey Scarr. We invited MNT former Manager Maria Busching to receive the award as she has played a major role for this collaboration last year.
Multicultural Festival and TANFF 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!
    
Multicultural Kai Class and Korero with Luisa Diaz presenting Afro-Latino cuisine
We had our first Multicultural Kai Class and Korero last Saturday launched at the Food Factory Nelson, with Luisa Diaz presenting Afro-Latino cuisine. The presentation was amazing and the food was something completely new for most of us there.
We had a kind of Ceviche soupy dish with fish, prawns capsicum cooked with coconut milk. She also made some purple onions marinated with lemon, salt and hot water. Luisa also made some deep fried plantain which were so delicious, and went well with traditional lemonade made from sugar cane.
We would like to thank The Food Factory for providing us with the best kitchen and also for the lovely Pics Peanut Butter samples. Thanks to all the participants and we hope everyone enjoyed our first Kai and Korero.
We look forward to our next Kai and Korero!
    
IACT Hui - Working Collaboratively to support diversity and unity in the Nelson Tasman region
The Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tahono (IACT) is partnering with Multicultural Nelson Tasman to host a hui focused on how individuals and organisations can work collaboratively and proactively to support diversity and unity and challenge racism and discrimination across the Nelson Tasman region. This hui will be held on Monday,18 October at Victory Community Centre. Space is very limited due to Level 2 restrictions and RSVP is necessary.
Participants in this hui will include individuals and organisations that are already actively working to support diversity and unity, those that would like to expand ongoing efforts and also, those that feel they could offer support in some way.
This half-day hui will be facilitated by two IACT facilitators with support from Multicultural Nelson Tasman. The hui will be action-focused. Following the opening mihi, we will:
● Share with each other how we encounter and challenge racism and discrimination in our work.
● Identify opportunities to weave together our efforts, so as to amplify impact.
● Identify specific action points that we can take forward, both individually and collectively.
Cross Cultural Awareness Workshops 2021
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-Steel, we have successfully delivered workshops this year to many stakeholders, the most recent one being the Public workshop at the Mapua Community hall last September which was funded by the Tasman District Council.
  
Get in touch with Ramiesha at admin@multiculturalnt.co.nz if you are interested in organising a workshop for your organisation or if you would like to attend to one of our public workshops.
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".
Next Multicultural Kai Class and Korero- Moroccan cuisine
Haven't you always wanted to learn to cook a Moroccan dish from a Moroccan? Now is your chance!
After the successful launch of our first "Multicultural Kai Class & Korero", we would like to remind you about the next session coming up on Saturday,16 October with Latifa Daoui presenting Moroccan cuisine. It's great opportunity to learn some new ethnic dishes, whilst having a chat about the culture behind the chef at the same time. Latifa is well-known in her community for her wonderful cooking. We will all be entertained with not only amazing food, but also great stories.
Space is limited (we will be following L2 protocols), 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 at The Food Factory, 11 Findlay Place, Stoke. 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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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 5 pm and 6 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.
Over the last few weeks our MYNT group has recorded a few interesting and exciting episodes for our radio show "That's MYNT". During the lockdown, we decided to take a break from our line of taking interviews for the ongoing segment "Nelson's Journey" and come together as a group to talk about how our lockdown was going and what kind of challenges we were facing as students. It was a fun change as this was just a session with a chill atmosphere where our group members discussed about their day-to-day lifestyle and played some great songs.
In order to keep our segment on track, we also conducted an inspiring interview with NMIT's Student and wellbeing coordinator, Sally Scott. The lovely conversation held with Sally included the kind of jobs she does, which is supporting the students who are studying at NMIT with any kind of mental stress. Sally talked about how important it is to take care of ourselves and our mental health during difficult times such as lockdown, and she also gave some wonderful tips on how to do that, which might be of quite useful to our youth community.
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MYNTies Spirited Conversations are postponed!
MYNTies were planning to join the Spirited Conversations event at Yaza Cafe at the end of this month, however now it is postponed to a future date due to Alert Level restrictions.
The MYNTies are hoping to to speak about what they do for the community to achieve unity in diversity. They are planning to discuss what projects they have done so far and how they enjoy youth volunteering. This also includes their cultural aspects, values and beliefs, annual celebrations, food facts, role of family and their own experiences of culture shock.
We will let you know once the date is confirmed for Spirited Conversations.
So please keep in touch https://www.facebook.com/multiculturalyouthnelson!
We are recruiting new members for 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!
We would also like to thank our sponsors, The Department of Internal Affairs, Nelson City Council and Ministry of Social Development for supporting us to work towards our vision of creating a paradise of unity in Nelson Tasman.
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New Zealand Immigration
New 2021 Resident Visa
On 30 September 2021, the Government announced a new one-off residence visa pathway for some temporary work visa holders currently in New Zealand. Some critical purpose visa holders arriving in New Zealand between 30 September 2021 and 31 July 2022 on long-term visas may also be eligible for this new visa. Partners and dependents can be included as part of these residence applications.
Eligibility:
Applicants must have met the criteria on 29 September 2021.
To be eligible you must:
- have been in New Zealand on 29 September 2021, and
- be on an eligible visa or have applied for an eligible visa on or before 29 September 2021 that is later granted.
You must also meet ONE of the three criteria:
- have lived in New Zealand for three or more years, OR
- earn at or above the median wage ($27 per hour), OR
- work in a role on a scarce list.
If you meet the criteria for eligibility but are in Australia and have been unable to return to New Zealand by 29 September 2021, you may be considered eligible.
For eligible visa types and more information visit https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/already-have-a-visa/one-off-residence-visa
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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. We have sent out our first newsletter welcoming the Newcomers.
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 (or if you know someone who is) 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.
Latin America & Spain Film Festival 2021
Multicultural Nelson Tasman, Nelsonson Dance & Entertainment and NMIT are very proud and excited to announce our 2nd Latin America & Spain Film Festival (LASFF) in Nelson.
LASFF is a cultural event dedicated to contemporary cinematographic productions from Latin America and Spain. It is also a non-profit event which aims to bring together Latin America, Spain and other New Zealand communities through the big screen.
The Opening Night of this event will be happening on Friday 22nd October at 7 pm @ NMIT Nelson - The Peruvian embassy is in charge of the city of Nelson. On this opening its representatives will come from Wellington to give us the official initiation of this beautiful festival. This will be a beautiful GALA night, where attendees will be welcome with a traditional Peruvian drink; followed by the screening of the Peruvian film (with English subtitles).
For movies, screening and venue information please visit lasffnz.co.nz.
We would like to congratulate our friends at Cultural Conversations for becoming a fully registered Charity! They are doing some amazing work in Nelson, which recently included holding Q and A sessions with different members of the Nelson community. Mohammad Aboubakr and Sadia Tahir (both Nelson-based Muslims) made themselves available to answer some tough, and sometimes awkward questions about the Islamic faith - with the hope of breaking down barriers and dispelling myths.
You can read the article on "Cultural Conversations: Asking awkward questions about Islam following the Auckland supermarket attack" by Sally Kidson, for more details.
Casual task-based opportunity for people who can speak English and any one of the following languages.
Burmese, Cantonese Chin Hakha, Karenni, Kayan, Khmer (Cambodian), Korean, Mandarin, Samoan, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish
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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