Intercultural capability and language work
Intercultural capability is the ability to communicate and work across cultural boundaries. Our intercultural capability and language work is to help improve the design and delivery of, and Ethnic Communities access to, government services.
Key resources produced during the 2023/24 financial year include:
- eLearning for public servants on accessing and using interpreting services
- Resources for communities on accessing interpreters
- Multilingual greetings
- Support materials for agencies to identify language needs.
Our eLearning modules were accessed over 2,000 times. We ask users to participate in a voluntary survey. The survey was completed by 138 people, with 93 percent saying they were likely or very likely to recommend the course to others.
Emergency preparedness and response videos
Data shows that Ethnic Community members are among the least prepared for disasters and emergencies.
We therefore worked with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to create a series of videos. The videos help communities understand how to prepare for different disasters and emergencies, what to do when they happen, and what to do after they occur.
There are eight videos, each focusing on a different aspect of disaster and emergency preparedness and response. The videos include:
The videos are available in English and have also been translated and voiced into 20 languages.
Ongoing collaboration with agencies to improve the accessibility and consistency of ethnicity data in the system.
We have worked with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to start publishing regular Asian and Ethnic Communities Labour Market Statistics Snapshots, which show employment data trends. This provides visibility of the contributions by Ethnic Communities to New Zealand’s labour market.
Improving access to data and insights about Ethnic Communities
In 2024, we started developing an Indicators Report to improve access to data and insights about Ethnic Communities. Our aim is to strengthen the evidence base across the public sector by providing baseline data on the needs and contributions of Ethnic Communities in New Zealand.
This report will be the first of its kind. This work will improve the visibility of Ethnic Communities in existing data and improve the collection and reporting of ethnicity data at more disaggregated levels.
Policy-makers will be able to draw on robust evidence and insights into Ethnic Communities.
Indicator Report engagement session in Wellington, moderated by Professor Dr Edwina Pio.
Key milestones completed by 30 June 2024 were:
- A stocktake of available data
- New methods, in collaboration with agencies, to make more data available about Ethnic Communities
- Use of research evidence to address data gaps
- Engagement with researchers and community peak bodies to provide context to the data.
The report is expected to be published in late 2024.
Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) videos
Vaccination rates have dropped in New Zealand, putting the community at a high risk of a measles outbreak. We needed to raise awareness about measles and make the information available to as many people as possible.
We worked with Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora to produce a video series on the MMR vaccine. The videos explain what measles is, how to protect ourselves and our families and where to access reliable health information.
We have removed language barriers by producing the videos in English and 20 languages so more people, particularly those from Ethnic Communities, can access this information.
The videos were shared widely with community leaders and organisations across the government sector and the health sector. They were featured on social media, in various newsletters, and played on screens in hospital waiting rooms.
The videos were released on 29 May 2024 and had been viewed more than 74,500 times by the end of June 2024.
Our objective
To empower Ethnic Communities and ensure that language is not a barrier to accessing government support by raising awareness of government interpreting services.
Improve access to government services by:
- lifting the public sector’s intercultural capability skills
- meeting diverse language needs of New Zealand’s population.
What we did
Resources for both the public sector and the general public include:
- Interactive guides in 21 languages outlining the process of requesting interpreters
- Flyers with instructions on accessing interpreting services when calling government agencies in 26 languages (interpreting services are not limited to these languages)
- Social media to promote interpreting services in 26 languages
- Posters and flyers to help government services (for example, Civil Defence centres) identify language needs
- eLearning for public servants to improve understanding of the role of interpreters and how to access and use them when helping members of the public.
What was the result
The resources were produced and promoted shortly before this report. It was too early to determine their impact.
We will continue promoting them to reduce barriers to accessing government services.
What this means for all New Zealanders, including our Ethnic Communities
These resources aim to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of government services for all New Zealanders. They provide crucial language support for Ethnic Communities, a significant and growing segment of our society.
Figures
Since 1 January 2024, hundreds of people have viewed our ‘Language support’ pages. The most popular languages are English, Simplified Chinese and Japanese.
Many agencies requested the public-facing eLearning modules for their in-house online training. We will continue to promote these resources and monitor use.
Next: Priority 3. Improving economic outcomes, including addressing barriers to employment.
Previous: Priority 1. Promoting the value of diversity and improving inclusion of Ethnic Communities