Kia ora
As this is our first newsletter in this (not so) new year, we would like to wish all of you a happy and healthy 2021 🍀 We hope that this year will be filled with joy and hope despite the ongoing challenges the worldwide COVID pandemic imposes on us, our families and friends. We also wish that we will continue making progress in regards to our efforts for a more inclusive multicultural society and preserving our natural environment for future generations.
One step into this direction is the upgrade of the Office of Ethnic Communities to a Ministry from the 1st of July this year. After years of ongoing debate and expressions of goodwill, the installation of a Ministry of Ethnic Communities is a big step towards more clout and visibility of the challenges and opportunities faced by ethnic communities in Aotearoa.
For the team of Multicultural Nelson Tasman, 2021 has started off very busy. Thanks to an ongoing containment of COVID in New Zealand in the first weeks of the year, we were fortunate to celebrate our annual Tasman Asian Night Food Fair (TANFF) with around 2,000 lovely visitors at Washbourn Gardens in Richmond on Saturday, 13 February. We engaged with government officials during the Nelson hui following the Royal Commission of Enquiry reports into the March 15, 2019 Mosque attacks in Christchurch, and continuously engage with stakeholders to advocate for a society in which we all feel part of and can contribute to.
While we happily look back at TANFF, we simultaneously look nervously at the most recent raise in Alert levels in New Zealand in response to new community cases in Auckland. Not only with regards to our Multicultural Festival which we would like to celebrate with our community on March 28 and had to cancel in the last minute in the past year due to the very first COVID outbreak. We are also concerned about how the pandemic has changed the world we are living in and continues to affect all of us in different ways.
We would like to encourage you to keep talking with rather than about each other, to remain open to other people's views and opinions, to be respectful with and kind to each other.
We will keep you updated about our Multicultural Festival on our facebook and website hoping to celebrate Unity in Diversity together with you very soon!
Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa
Let us keep close together not far apart
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| - MULTICULTURAL NELSON TASMAN - |
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Tasman Asian Night Food Fair (TANFF) 2021 - a multicultural event full of shared joy and
     
*photos by Rachel Hampton
For the fifth year in a row, we celebrated our diverse Asian cultures in Nelson Tasman and the start of the Chinese New Year with a colourful mix of food and performances during a beautiful summer evening at TANFF in Washbourn Gardens, Richmond. 16 food vendors from all parts of Asia served delicious ethnic food - from curries over dumplings and fried bananas - and members of our community presented traditional and modern interpretations of their cultures during a number of individual as well as group performances throughout the evening.
It was a pleasure to celebrate the cultural diversity in such a lovely environment which we are especially grateful for during times, when celebrations in other countries are put on a halt due to COVID.
We want to express a heartfelt thank you to our Sponsors, in particular the Office of Ethnic Communities (DIA) and Tasman District Council, our wonderful Volunteers who helped us tirelessly throughout the day and ahead of the event, our collaborators/subcontractors, the TDC parks and facilities team for always maintaining the gardens in a great state and most importantly, we thank all the food vendors and the amazing performers who made this day a rememberable one for everyone that came through their hard work and by shared their culture.
Multicultural Festival is Coming Soon!
Let's celebrate the beauty of cultural diversity in our community together on March 28th!
 
Save the date
Join us to gather alongside music, dance, food, arts and crafts, and family fun @ the Multicultural Festival on Sunday, 28th of March 2021, from 11 am to 4 pm at Victory Square.
Bring your plate, cutlery and cup to savour food from around 40 tantalizing international food stalls from all continents, gather your family and/or friends to watch our multicultural performers, and stroll along the square to discover arts and crafts and get informed about what is happening internationally in Nelson 💃🍜🍧💡🤩
We will have COVID protocols in place and encourage participants to scan the QR codes which will be placed around the event area. In case of a change in Alert levels (2 and higher), we will have to cancel our festival.
Join us to celebrate 'Unity in Diversity'!
Cross cultural awareness workshops
Do you or your organisation require assistance in cross-cultural communication? Would you like to increase your knowledge about other cultures or improve the relationship with clients or colleagues?
Get in touch with us if you would like to organise a training tailored to your organisation's or businesses needs!
We offer 1-day in-house or public workshops where participants can learn how to communicate more effectively across cultural boundaries.
The workshop is a great opportunity and valuable source to understand the relationships between culture, cultural values, communication, relationships, and effective workplace interactions. Recognize differing cultural characteristics in yourself and others. Value workplace communication and relationship-building. Identify ways to further improve your intercultural communication skills.
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| - MULTICULTURAL YOUTH NELSON TASMAN - |
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A Good Bye from MYNTies
At the start of this year, some of our (founding) MYNT members have left the group for new endeavours after graduating from High School.. We would like to thank Krutika Mishra, Ruby Vidgen, Iris Garstang, Gulliver MacDonald and Victoria Cockerell for participating actively in our multicultural community, bringing valuable insights to the work of our organization and contributing the time and skills for the benefit of the Multicultural communities in Nelson Tasman. Thank you for being great sports! We wish you all the very best and good luck for your future endeavors.
That's MYNT @ Fresh FM
‘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 broadcasted every Tuesday between 6:00 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.
MYNT summer holidays
Some of us gathered during our summer holidays to discuss future activities, get creative and help MNT organise the Tasman Asian Night Food Fair.
We grabbed some brushes and painted this wonderful peace sign that was made for MNT several years ago during our hot summer vacation. It was truly satisfying :) We also supported our 'seniors' during TANFF - helped with decorations, waste management and some performances during the event. It was a great occasion to get involved! Join us if you'd like to get involved too!
   
Become a member
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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Updates from the political Aotearoa around diversity
Royal Commission of inquiry Engagements
Following the Royal Commission of Enquiry reports into the March 15 2019 Mosque attacks, government officials and agencies have engaged to discuss the findings and 44 recommendations with the public during engagements around the country. MNT participated at the Nelson hui on February 18th together with members of our multicultural communities to assist the Government’s response.
The engagements are currently ongoing and being led by Minister Andrew Little and Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan with support from a number of government officials.
The Office of Ethnic Communities becoming a Ministry
The Office of Ethnic communities will become the Ministry for Ethnic Communities on the 1st July 2021. After several expressions of intents over the past years to upgrade the upgrade the Office of Ethnic Communities to a Ministry, it finally becomes reality! This upgrade is one of the results of the Royal Commission of Inquiry reports as well as the consequence of the increasing diversity of our population and the needs of New Zealand’s ethnically diverse and multi-faith communities. The Ministry will have its own Chief Executive, and a new level of mandate, mana and influence.
COVID 19 vaccine roll out
OEC is working with the Ministry of Health to make sure communications regarding the COVID 19 vaccination roll out are effective and clear for communities.
Resumption of refugee intakes in 2021
Quota refugee arrivals were places on hold in New Zealand in the past year due to the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. Only very few emergency cases referred by UNHCR (the United Nations refugee agency) arrived in 2020 (Emergency cases are those who are facing an immediate life-threatening situation or are likely to be subject to deportation, detention or imprisonement). As of the start of 2021, New Zealand’s Refugee Quota Programme has resumed, and small groups of refugee families have arrived for resettlement from mid-February 2021.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has been working alongside government agencies to put in place requirements to resume resettlement of refugees when international travel and transit is considered safe, and with health protocols organised in relation to COVID-19. The first families arrived in mid-February and completed a 14-day stay in government managed isolation facilities on their arrival
The planned arrival dates for cohorts will be staggered to ensure that spaces at managed isolation facilities are available. Each cohort will be around 70 people, and following their time at a managed isolation facility, will stay at Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa (Māngere Refugee Resettlement Centre) for the reception programme.
Incorporation of Aotearoa New Zealand's histories in our national curriculum - Have your say
The Ministry of Education is currently looking into how our history is taught in NZ schools as they have found that many young people leave school without being fully aware of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories. They haven’t learned where we have come from or the way people have experienced our histories differently. The Ministry of Education has partnered with a wide range of people to design the draft Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum content. The purpose is to refresh the national curriculum to ensure it supports languages, identities, cultures and wellbeing for all students in NZ.
Testing of the content is underway in schools and public engagement on the content and an online survey is open until 31 May 2021. All feedback will be considered before the content is finalised. More information on this can be found here: https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/changes-in-education/aotearoa-new-zealand-histories-in-our-national-curriculum/
Me mātai whakamuri, kia anga whakamua - To shape New Zealand’s future, let’s start with the past
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NEWS from Victory Community Centre (VCC)
Victory Community Centre (VCC) is a Community Centre located in Nelson's multicultural Victory Village which offers a range of health services, a large programme of activities and events, advocacy and support for community members and a place to gather and meet other people from the Victory area (Nelson South) and beyond. Multicultural Nelson Tasman and VCC have been working closely together over the past years.
We congratulate Jenni Bancroft to her new role of Victory Community Centre Manager since January 2021. Jenni previously worked as our Community Navigator since 2019 and has vast knowledge working in the migrant/former refugee space.
Norma Sequera is starting her new role as Community Navigator from today, 1 March 2021. The Community Navigation service provides signpost and pathway support for Nelson newcomers, especially from migrant and former refugee background. The focus is on connecting newcomers with local activities and services that can make life more enjoyable and/ or provide practical support. Norma will be looking from VCC as her regular base and will be available for consultations from the MNT office one day a week.
We are looking forward to continuously working with Jenni and the VCC team to help make Nelson a more diverse and inclusive place!
COOKING with Neighbours - JOIN US and TSNS for Neighbours Day Aotearoa
Top of the South Neighbourhood Support (TSNS) is keen to celebrate Neighbours Day Aotearoa together between 20 - 30 March 2021 with Multicultural NT members. It is a great opportunity for neighbours of all backgrounds, ages and cultures to get together, connect and get to know each other a little better.
TSNS and MNT are currently organising a cooking with neighbours event on Saturday, 27 March 2021 from 2pm to 4pm at Victory Community Centre. Get in touch if you would like to meet your neighbours while learning how to cook a new dish from another country! RSV necessary as spaces are limited!
If you are interested in getting involved, and getting a $40 meat or bakery voucher, become a free member of TSNS at tsns.org.nz, and request a voucher by filling in this online form. For enquiries email admin@tsns.org.nz
Nelson Cancer Society offers support for everyone
Cancer affects people from all walks of lives, cultural backgrounds and ethnicities. Our friends from Nelson Cancer Society offer all sorts of advice, support and free services to anyone living in Nelson who is affected by cancer or wants to prevent cancer.
Nelson Cancer Society also help you with questions around the recently introduced free bowel screening for people aged between 60 and 74 and give advice on free breast screening for women aged between 45 and 69. Get in touch with the team from Nelson Cancer Society if you are affected by cancer and seek support.
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. For more info, go to our website or contact us.
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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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