Media Release

7 September 2015

Multicultural New Zealand publishes report on “Our Multicultural Future”

A report on New Zealanders' observations and ideas about our multicultural future has been published by Multicultural New Zealand. It was launched on 13 August 2015 by Ian McKinnon, Chair, New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO. The report summarises the outcomes of 34 workshops that were held around New Zealand to discuss visions of and barriers to a successful multicultural society, and how we can make it work best for all New Zealanders. The workshops were facilitated by former Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres.

Participants' insights are brought together under five headings: the Treaty, people, communities, institutions and newcomers. One of the key messages is that there is a strong desire across a wide range of people to take forward the Treaty into the multicultural future of New Zealand and to build strong relations between tangata whenua and other ethnic groups.

Multicultural New Zealand is grateful to the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO for the opportunity to engage with such a wide range of people on the question of how we can build a successful multicultural society in New Zealand.

Executive Director Tayo Agunlejika says it is a privilege to be able to provide a platform for ethnic, migrant and refugee communities' collective voices- it is clear from the report that many people still experience racism and racial discrimination. Participants saw education as a driver for change, and having an important role to play in making upcoming generations aware of the importance of the Treaty, cultural diversity, multilingualism and intercultural understanding. They called for further improvements to settlement support, especially in removing barriers to migrants finding work appropriate to their qualifications.

Multicultural New Zealand is committed to taking forward the issues raised in the “Our Multicultural Future” report including cultural diversity in education, ethnic representation on school boards of trustees, local councils and district health boards in the 2016 elections, addressing structural discrimination in government agencies and developing a multicultural strategy for New Zealand.

You can find the full report here: Our Multicultural Future

ENDS

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