Warmer welcome planned for migrants to North Canterbury
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Two North Canterbury councils are stepping up their efforts to welcome new migrants.
The Waimakariri District Council has joined with 33 councils, including Hurunui, to be accepted into Immigration New Zealand’s Welcoming Communities programme.
Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon said new migrants faced a number of challenges when settling into a new community.
"We see Welcoming Communities as a means to bridge the gap between newcomers and long term residents, celebrate diversity, and support our new migrants to apply their unique skills, talents and experience to creating more vibrant communities across the district."
The council had already established a migrant facilitator portfolio within the community team back in 2016 in response to the growing number of migrants, particularly in the dairy sector and assisting in the earthquake rebuild.
Now new funding allowed for a half-time facilitator to be employed over a three year period to work alongside migrants, employers and migrant advocates.
Community team leader Tessa Sturley said the money would support the good work already happening in the migrant space.
The community team has already helped to establish the Migrants and Newcomers Network, now known as Glow (Global Locals of Waimakariri), which ran a number of initiatives including English language classes.
Since then the booming hospitality sector and the growing retirement village sector have been "significant employers of migrant staff", Sturley said.
Often the families of migrant workers had limited English making it difficult to find work or integrate into the community.
The Hurunui District Council was accepted into the programme last year and received its initial accreditation in April.
It was now close to completing the first of four accreditation stages, welcoming communities facilitator Natalie Paterson said.
A Welcoming Communities advisory group had been established to complete a stocktake of support available for different ethnic groups and newcomers to determine what was working and to identify any gaps.
A three-year Welcoming Communities plan has now been developed, which was adopted by the council last week.
"We feel it is important to put migrants at the centre of conversations so we can hear their experiences," Paterson said.
Feedback from migrants had already led to extending a driver licensing programme, which supported young people to pass their learners’ license, to migrants.
Even setting up a bank account or enrolling children in school could be a challenge for migrants, Paterson said.
The Welcoming Communities programme supported New Zealanders moving into the district from other parts of the country, as well as those arriving from overseas.
Paterson said conversations had already begun with agencies like the Rātā Foundation to seek funding once the initial seed funding ran out.
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Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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