On this page
Our work
We work with communities, government agencies and other organisations to strengthen the wellbeing of ethnic communities in Aotearoa New Zealand.
What we do:
- Advise on the impact of government policies on ethnic communities and look for opportunities for positive change
- Improve how the public sector responds to the needs of ethnic communities
- Understand what ethnic communities need to succeed and communicate this to the government
- Support ethnic communities to achieve their goals
We want to help create real change for ethnic communities in New Zealand. By working together and sharing knowledge, we can support ethnic communities to thrive in New Zealand society.
Our values
Our priorities
To understand what ethnic communities want us to focus on, the Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities ran a series of targeted workshops in April and May 2021.
Based on the results of the workshops, Cabinet agreed the Ministry’s priorities are to:
- Promote the value of diversity and improve the inclusion of ethnic communities in wider society
- Ensure government services are provided fairly and are easily accessible for ethnic communities
- Improve economic outcomes for ethnic communities and look at the barriers to employment
- Connect and uplift ethnic community groups
To learn more about the workshops, and the goals and priorities of the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, check out the following links:
Engagement on the Ministry for Ethnic Communities
Our journey
To mark our second anniversary, and to hold ourselves to account, we looked back at our work over our first two years as a Ministry.
Read about our journey so far by clicking the links below.
Explore our Ministry's work in this interactive diagram (PDF)
Read 'Our Journey, two years on - achievements 2021-2023' (PDF)
Our strategy
Our strategy builds on what our ethnic communities told us we should focus on in our first few years. Our ethnic communities and stakeholders told us they wanted to belong, to contribute, and be seen as strong contributors to Aotearoa New Zealand's growth and future.
Click the link below to read our full strategy.
Strategy 2022 - 2025 - A pathway to an Aotearoa where ethnic communities feel at home.
Our strategy:
- Outlines the plans and actions we will work on until 2025
- Sets out how we will work with government agencies, the private sector, and others
- Aims to turn our priorities into real pieces of work that will benefit our ethnic communities
- Describes how we want to celebrate and promote the value of ethnic diversity
Our plans
As part of our strategy, we are also working on the Kia Toipoto Action Plan. Kia Toipoto is a Public Service Commission plan to reduce gender, Māori, Pacific and ethnic pay gaps in the public service.
Read our Kia Toipoto Action Plan
Find out more about Kia Toipoto on the Public Service Commission website
Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi
An important part of our role is to honour the Crown’s responsibility to act in a way that is in line with Te Tiriti o Waitangi Aotearoa. We have included work in our strategy that aims to strengthen relationships with tangata whenua and increase understanding of te ao Māori.
Watch the videos below to hear more about the strategy from our communities, our Minister, Hon Priyanca Radhankrishnan, and our Chief Executive Mervin Singham.
Our Executive Leadership Team
Mervin Singham, Chief Executive
Fleur Murray, Deputy Chief Executive, Systems, Capability & Programmes
Pratima Namasivayam, Deputy Chief Executive, Policy and Analytics
Berlinda Chin, Acting Deputy Chief Executive, Strategic Engagement and Partnerships, and Chief Advisor
Our Minister
The Minister for Ethnic Communities, is Hon Melissa Lee.
Our history
Plans for the Ministry started in 1995, with the Ethnic Affairs Desk within the Department of Internal Affairs. Since then, the organisation has grown, both in size and work.
In December 2020, Cabinet agreed the Ministry for Ethnic Communities would be created from 1 July 2021.
Click on the link below to see the main points in our journey to becoming a full Ministry.