More New Zealand towns and cities welcome migrants
- Confessions Collective
- Feb 7, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 20, 2023
A programme run by New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment welcoming migrants into the local communities has just got bigger.
Online news outlet Stuff reported that five new councils have joined the Welcoming Communities programme, making it one-third of Aotearoa city and district councils that are part of this initiative.
Kaipara District, Whangārei District, Hutt City, Porirua City, and Timaru District are the latest councils to support the creation of welcoming environments for former refugees as well as international students.
Immigration New Zealand general manager of refugee and migrant services Fiona Whiteridge told Stuff the initiative that began five years ago now has 31 councils committed to the inclusion of newcomers into local communities.
“This programme is an incredibly important tool for building strong and connected communities, for making newcomers, no matter their background, feel included, so everyone can thrive,” said Whiteridge.
One of the latest councils to join the programme, Kaipara District Council mayor Craig Jepson said when migrants felt welcomed “they will want to stay and tell their friends about the wonderful place Kaipara is”.
“Migrants play a critical part in keeping Kaipara’s agriculture, and hospitality industries and our health services functioning. They contribute to our economy and make our communities all the richer for their presence.”
Another council in Northland committed to creating inclusive environments was Whangārei District.
Italian Kiwi mayor Vince Cocurullo said he knew what feeling welcomed by local communities meant for families migrating to Aotearoa.
“My family’s story is echoed across New Zealand, in small towns, rural communities and cities throughout Aotearoa. It’s important that newcomers are welcomed to Whangārei with open-minded and open-hearted greetings.
“This initiative will reinforce our natural desire to bring together our resident communities, tangata whenua, and those new to Whangārei,” said Cocurullo.
Hamilton has a Welcome Week
Hamilton City Council is proud to be taking part in Welcome Week 2022 to collaborate with, and celebrate new migrant and refugees to the city, as part of the Welcoming Communities programme.
Welcome Week is a global initiative when cities host events in collaboration with their community groups to celebrate and welcome new migrants and refugees.
Council has been working for several years to make the city, and Council, more open and inclusive while aiming to be part of the Welcoming Communities programme. Late last year, Council adopted a Welcoming Plan and approved $75,000 in the Annual Plan to enable our community groups to help deliver it.
Community Committee Deputy Chair Councillor Kesh Naidoo-Rauf says this programme and being part of Welcome Week are things that will help grow Hamilton into a strong, supportive community.
“This week of events designed to welcome our newest residents will help us make sure that they feel supported, welcomed and part of the community. The wellbeing of our residents is so important, and that includes of those that are new to the city.
Economic Development Analyst Sija Soman discovered just how much Council has our people’s welfare in mind when she made the move from Dubai to Aotearoa New Zealand three years ago.
Ms Soman came to New Zealand to find new challenges and learn new perspectives. As a new immigrant in a foreign country, she quickly discovered a supportive community both at Te Whare Wananga o Waikato (the University of Waikato) where she was studying towards her Master’s in Business Management, as well as at Te Kaunihera o Kirikiriroa (Hamilton City Council) where she now works.
Leaving behind a successful 10-year corporate career, Ms Soman packed up her world and arrived in Kirikiriroa Hamilton ready for a new adventure, with her husband and two-year-old daughter set to follow shortly after. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the world shut down, leaving her in a foreign country with no support network.
Ms Soman said she found a whaanau (family) in some of her fellow students and staff at the University, who greeted her with a hongi (Maaori greeting), asked after her family and even invited her around for Christmas while her family was overseas.
In order to stay in the country, she now calls home, Ms Soman applied for a job at Council. She was taken under the wing of members of the team who lead their Welcoming Communities programme, as well as their Diversity and Inclusion group. She appreciated how open and welcoming the team was.
Selwyn District welcomes newcomers
The Selwyn district in the South Island has been experiencing extraordinary population growth for several years. This was accelerated by the Canterbury earthquakes, with people moving from Christchurch, along with people arriving from overseas to live in Selwyn and contribute to the Christchurch rebuild. The Selwyn population in 2000 was 27,600 and is now predicted to grow to over 79,000 by 2028.
In November 2015, Selwyn District Council adopted its Newcomers and Migrants Strategy after undertaking research and working with a mix of key local community groups and agencies. The Strategy sets the direction and aims to address the needs of people new to the district so that they can settle well and call Selwyn their home.
In 2017, the Selwyn and Ashburton District Councils were chosen to take part in a two year pilot programme call Welcoming Communities. The programme is an initiative of Immigration New Zealand involving nine local councils in five regions across New Zealand. While previous settlement initiatives have focused primarily on supporting newcomers, this new approach creates bridges between the members of the receiving community and newcomers.
In March 2020, Selwyn District Council gained accreditation as a Welcoming Community. The Council was among the first in New Zealand to be accredited as a Welcoming Community by Immigration New Zealand and is looking at more ways to welcome new migrants to the region over the year.
One part of the programme is for each council and community to produce a Welcoming Plan that outlines what action is needed to meet the Welcoming Communities Standard, a benchmark for what a successful welcoming community looks like. The Selwyn Welcoming Plan should be read alongside the Strategy document.
Some of the cornerstone newcomer and migrant programmes that council have launched as part of the Newcomers and Migrants Strategy and Welcoming Plan include:
Meet Your Street is an initiative developed by Council to support local community gatherings. Whether you’d like to run a mid-winter Christmas party, a street summer sports competition or a New Years' get together with your neighbours, we currently have funding available and are offering a subsidy of up to $75 per street gathering through our Meet Your Street funding.
Throughout the summer months, Council also runs street BBQ's for new communities.
Selwyn, From The Land is promotes places to eat, adventure activities and accommodation experiences across the district. Learn about unique artisan products made from the land, walking and biking tracks from mountains to sea and the best places to camp in Selwyn. It’s all right here in your backyard!
The Selwyn Business Directory is an online tool where you have the ability to look up local business in your area. They Directory has a key word search and mapping system to help find what you're looking for.
The Selwyn District Council and the University of Canterbury School of Journalism have drawn together stories of residents, from new arrivals to those whose stories go back over a hundred years. Through these stories and those that are to come in the future we hope to celebrate the diversity of our district and the things we have in common as the many Faces of Selwyn.
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