“I’m proud Labour has candidates like Dr Gaurav Sharma who is prepared to put his hand up to represent his constituency. As I said at the beginning of the year Labour is focused on running a positive and inclusive campaign. We have fantastic Indian candidates such as Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Baljit Kaur and Dr Sharma who I am hopeful will join our team in Parliament after the election,” PM said.
In a first case of its kind in New Zealand, a well-known Kiwi-Indian community leader based in Wellington, Mr Kantilal Bhagabhai Patel, has lost his membership of the Wellington Justices of Peace (JP) Association, after some of his social media posts were deemed anti-Muslim in nature.
One day last year, Narinder Singh Warraich, an immigrant from the Indian state of Punjab, was driving past the famous Hagley Park in Christchurch, when he saw some young boys teasing, bullying, and passing racist slurs towards an elderly Indian men, with a beard and a turban.
If you are near the coast and feel an earthquake that is LONG or STRONG: GET GONE. A tsunami is a series of waves caused by large earthquakes. All of New Zealand’s coast line is at risk of tsunami. A tsunami wave can grow to become a fast moving wall of water.
Have your say about the future of civil defence emergency management in New Zealand. Public consultation on a proposed National Disaster Resilience Strategy for New Zealand is now open.
The strategy sets New Zealand’s vision and long-term goals for civil defence emergency management. It has a strong focus on building community and societal disaster resilience to protect New Zealand’s prosperity and well-being.
Please mail or email submissions to the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management by 5pm, Friday 7 December 2018.
The Waitakere Ethnic Board (WEB) & West Auckland NewComers Network held its usual once a month New Out West meeting with Waitemata Police Detective Senior Sergeant Kelly Farrant presenting the new initiative that are been rolled out in West Auckland.
“Speaking more than one language has enormous cognitive, cultural, social and economic benefits. New Zealand is a diverse country where 160 languages are spoken, and it’s important that what’s being taught in schools reflects that. My Bill would require the Minister of Education to set at least ten national priority languages for schools following public consultation and places a requirement on the Crown to resource teaching these languages in primary and intermediate schools.”
The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM) has enlisted the support and advice of Auckland Emergency Management as it develops a new national public education strategy for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, which is due to be released early next year. The ministry is also providing funding support to a joint project by the Christchurch City Council and Plains FM 96.9 – a community access radio station based there - to develop foreign language emergency messaging for radio.
In an event where Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Ethnic Communities and MP for Mt Roskill, Michael Wood, seems like “the token white guy” - his own words – New Zealand’s diversity would be amply demonstrated. Such was the case on August 10, at the opening of Labour Party’s new office in Maungakiekie, where three of the Party’s MPs - Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki, and Raymond Ho, will now be based.
Democracy in action! MPs from all four major political parties putting their parties stand in front of the New Zealand public on April 27 at the Aurora Centre for Performing Arts. From left - Denis O'Rourke from NZ First, Megan Woods from Labour, Stuart Smith from National, and Kennedy Graham from Greens. Also on stage is350.org organiser Charles Drace. (picture credit: Elizabeth Guthrey)
In what can be termed as an excellent example of religious harmony in New Zealand, and more so, shining a bright light on India's age-old diverse traditions, last weekend, Keralites [those from the southern Indian state of Kerala, also called Malayalis] in Christchurch celebrated Easter, a Christian festival, and Vishu, a Hindu festival, together. First up on Saturday, April 22, was the celebration by the Kerala Cultural Forum (KCF), which was formed in 2009. This was followed by the event on April 23, hosted by the oldest Malayali organisation in the City – since 2005 - the Christchurch Kerala Association (CKA).
Police Commissioner Mike Bush on April 12, announced the numbers of new Police staff each district will get as part of the $388 million investment in Police announced by the Prime Minister in February 2017. The investment will see an increase of 880 sworn and 245 non-sworn staff over four years. Sworn staff will be recruited over the next four years from July 2017, with approximately 220 new additional recruits added per year. The first phase includes the recruitment of 220 constabulary staff. The first wing to include new recruits funded through the investment package, Wing 308, will start on July 10, 2017. These 80 recruits will graduate in October, 2017.
The Lyttleton Summer festival went through the course of the February month and the first week and a half of March. In all, there were ten events that celebrated the artistic and diverse culture that Lyttleton had to offer. The festival took over half a year to organise. Interestingly, the event was organised through the Lyttleton Time Bank, which is used by the community to trade their skills, instead of dollars. Also, time credits are used as payments. One of the event organisers Jill larking said, “It was great we could use the time bank because that meant we got community involvement and feedback through their members.”
The Human Rights Commission’s That’s Us anti-racism campaign has reached almost 2 million people (1.9 million) and engaged with more than 600,000 people since its launch on the September 1, 2016. That’s Us is New Zealand’s first nationwide, anti-racism campaign with its first stage focused on sharing the stories of everyday Kiwis.
"Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust (MSSAT) started in 1991 in Christchurch when a client asked his Counsellor how he could go about meetingother men who had experienced similar childhood trauma. Together they formed a support group and in 1997 members of that group registered MSSAT as a Charitable Trust. In recent years MSSAT has been instrumental in the establishment of MSSAT Auckland and MSSAT Waikato who both operate as independent Trusts but with the same principles and objectives of MSSAT. Support groups for male survivors, their parents and partners are held in Nelson and Wellington. All MSSAT organisations offer one to one, peer and group support for survivors and their significant others. Group support and the validation from other men is very empowering for recovering survivors. As abuse usually takes place in isolation healing works well with others."
The Parliament on March 15, passed Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill through its third reading, which will establish a new legal framework for the Whanganui River, Te Awa Tupua. It recognises the river as an indivisible and living whole from the mountains to the sea. Te Awa Tupua will have its own legal identity with all the corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a legal person.
In conversation with Dame Susan Devoy, Race Relations Commissioner, and Rakesh Naidoo, her Strategic Advisor on race relations
Mollie Howarth's involvement with CAB is almost a decade old; six years out of which, she has been the Christchurch manager of the organisation. Now, she heads a team of two part-timers, and 105 trained volunteers, all of whom team up to operate three branches and two satellites help desks across the city. “What we do can best be summarised as a personalised information help desk, which is open for anyone in New Zealand. You may be on a work visa, resident, citizen, or just a visitor, our trained volunteers are always at hand to provide the desired information to the best of their abilities,” she says.
'Towards sustainable futures through multilingual education' - This is the theme of 2017 celebration of the International Mother Language Day, which falls on February 21, as recommended by UNESCO.
The Human Rights Commission has called on New Zealanders to stand alongside Muslim New Zealanders in the wake of the United States ban on immigration from some Middle Eastern nations.
“So many of us are feeling helpless but the one thing we can do is let our own decision makers know that we will not allow hatred and intolerance to spread and become normalised here at home: Not in our New Zealand,” said Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy.
This Friday, November 25, was White Ribbon Day, a UN-recognised international day urging all to eliminate violence against women. It all came about through a men’s movement in Canada drawing attention to the issue in 1991 that led to the UN designating a world day to call on global efforts to tackle the issue of gender-based violence.
Women in crisis can call 24 hours 7 days a week, 0800 SHAKTI or 0800 742 584
or
Email: sawc@shakti.org.nz
or
Visit shakti.org.nz
"I am a competent confident New Zealand-born Kiwi woman. Yet, I too stayed in a violent relationship for six years. Thus, I can feel what all domestic violence victims feel. I also understand why some women choose to stay in a violent relationship. First - is the feeling of guilt. That somehow women start believing it's their fault. Second - is the shame of explaining to everyone why they put up with such abuse. Third - is after a while women loose confidence and their sense of individuality. Fourth – is hope. Hope that things will change. Hope that the man will realise his mistake. That's why organisations such as Shakti do such an amazing job. This is a cross-party issue and I believe the Justice Minister Amy Adams is doing a good job handling it."
Dozens of people took a seat on a blue ‘Smile Couch’ at the Ashburton A&P Show last month to find out more about the Ashburton District Council’s Start with a Smile campaign. The campaign, which launched in September, aims to make Mid Canterbury feel like home for the many newcomers who are choosing to live and work in the district.
The Labour Attache from the Philippines Embassy in Australia was in Christchurch recently to generate awareness about the workers rights in New Zealand. We present below some parts of his presentation.
No Limits director and Ara Institute of Canterbury Pasifika Liaison Sela Faletolu-Fasi (inset with mic), performing with young Pasifika performers at the YMCA theatre in Christchurch on November 4. The show which has been performed by the team since last four years is known to leave audiences in tears when the reality of challenges Pacifika youth face hits home. After the show, former mayor Garry Moore complimented the young performers saying, "I have never contemplated suicide in my life. So to see what all our youth face while tackling the hardships of life is an eye-opener." Councillor Glenn Livingstone added, "We hear you. Now is the time all of us - the decision makers - sit together to find a solution to this problem."
She was in Christchurch recently to attend an open forum organised by Nicky Wagner, MP for Christchurch Central, to address the issue of recent spike in aggravated robberies targeting dairies and liquor stores. Natu Rama, President of the city-based Indian Cultural and Social Club, who led a delegation of Indian shop-keepers at the workshop, was present at the forum along members from Community Patrols and the top brass of Canterbury Police. This included Canterbury District Commander Superintendent John Price, Acting Inspector Paul Reeves, Detective Inspector Tony Hill and Acting Superintendent Peter Cooper.
I also want the Council's decision-making to be more open and transparent through the engagement and consultation with residents.
The biggest private sector union in New Zealand, E tū, has suspended a staff member and unionist, after a female business owner has come forward with allegations that the E tū representative had demanded sexual favours from her, in return for settling her worker exploitation case in which he [the E tū representative] was involved as a mediator. Confirming this was Bill Newson, E tū National Secretary, who said, “I can confirm that I have received a complaint making serious allegations against one of my staff.”