Ethnic communities
The ethnic sector is made up of people whose culture and traditions distinguish them from Māori and Pacific people, and from the majority of people in New Zealand.
New Zealand's ethnic communities comprise Chinese, Indians, Latin Americans, Greeks, Koreans, Arabs, Somalians, Iranians, South Africans, Russians and many more. The sector includes migrants, refugees and people born in New Zealand who identify with their ethnic heritage.
The Office of Ethnic Affairs works alongside these communities providing advice and community capacity building opportunities to increase their civic participation in New Zealand society.
Working with ethnic communities involves developing and maintaining good working relationships. Participation exercises should be timely, well planned and inclusive.
Some basic tips
- Learn about ethnic communities' worldviews and settlement history.
- Do not make assumptions.
- Take time to find the right contacts and the best way to work.
- Use facilitators skilled in intercultural communication.
- Use interpreters and translate documents if necessary.
- Explain the purpose of the participation and how ethnic input will be used.
- Observe important customs and spiritual protocols.
- Recognise the importance of community institutions, such as places of worship.
- Remember to thank those who participate.
Office of Ethnic Affairs
The Office of Ethnic Affairs (OEA):
- provides advice and information on working with ethnic communities
- has resources of interest to people working with ethnic communities.
Ethnic Perspectives in Policy is a useful resource that outlines:
- government's policy objectives for the ethnic sector
- guidelines for consultation, policy development and agency responsiveness
- key factors to consider when working with ethnic communities.
OEA runs training courses in Ethnic Perspectives in Policy (EPP) and Intercultural Awareness and Communication (IAC).
EPP training is designed to give policymakers a deeper understanding of the ethnic sector in New Zealand. It includes tools and best practice models to ensure policy is developed that responds to the needs of all New Zealanders.
IAC Programme participants develop and enhance core intercultural competencies, including cultural self-awareness, cultural literacy, and building cross-cultural bridges to engage with other communities. Although primarily aimed at the Public Service, the programme principles and content are transferable to the private and non-profit sectors.
Standards for engagement when working with refugee background communities
Standards for Engagement: Guidelines for Central and Local Government, and NGOs Working with Refugee Background Communities is published by ChangeMakers Refugee Forum in conjunction with government and non-government agencies.
ChangeMakers Refugee Forum is a Wellington-based NGO run by people from refugee backgrounds to represent the views of refugees and build the capacity of refugee-background communities in the greater Wellington region.
Standards for Engagement outlines ways government agencies can successfully engage with refugee-background communities. It covers:
- meaningful participation
- partnerships
- planning together
- information sharing
- feedback
- monitoring and evaluating the ‘engagement’ throughout the process.
