Ethnic service providers recently shared some of the challenges they and their communities experience during an engagement with Hon Mark Mitchell, Minister for Ethnic Communities.
About 50 representatives joined the Ministry and Minister for an open conversation in Manukau, Auckland, on Saturday, 5 April. It was an opportunity for the providers to share their experiences with the Minister, who took on the Ethnic Communities portfolio earlier this year.
The meeting followed an earlier engagement between the Minister and ethnic community leaders. In that engagement, the Minister shared how his Ethnic Communities portfolio relates to his other portfolios, including Emergency Management and Recovery. He also outlined his priorities for his Ethnic Communities portfolio: economic growth, security and resilience, emergency management and social cohesion.
The meeting was also a chance to share information, strengthen collaboration and begin problem solving. It extends on earlier engagements we have hosted, bringing ethnic service providers together to meet with former ministers and our Executive Leadership Team.
A range of providers joined us for the meeting. They work in areas including social, health and mental health services. Some support communities by ethnicity or region, as well as Rainbow communities and senior citizens.
The Minister thanked the providers for their leadership in economic, social and cultural cohesion during emergencies.
He said outstanding leaders are essential to solving challenges. It was important Ethnic Communities were recognised and supported to deal with these challenges, he said.
The Minister invited them to share feedback with him and reiterated during the session that his door is always open.
Questions ranged from access to funding, representation in decision-making and policy, and how to build resilience. One leader shared how the Rainbow community sometimes experiences their own ethnic community turning against them and faces poor mental health and social cohesion issues.
It was important people worked together to build tolerance and understanding, Minister Mitchell responded.
Providers shared their concerns about a lack of investment in their organisations and a mismatch in skills and education with employment. One asked how he was going to make sure structural barriers were addressed, to which the Minister responded it was his job to look into them if brought to his attention.
The providers and the Minister called for ongoing, open conversations to continue the kōrero, build relationships and strengthen collaboration.
The session ended with presentations from Ministry of Social Development, Te Kāhui Kāhu, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Auckland Emergency Management. Agency representatives shared information about their work and took questions from the service providers.
