Race Relations Day 21 March 2015 - Big Change Starts Small

This year’s Race Relations Day theme – “Big Change Starts Small -” – was created by a Vietnamese Kiwi who had lived in Auckland for less than a year when he won last year’s national Race Unity Speech Award. The theme’s te reo Maori theme is the proverb “Itiiti Rearea, Kahika Teitei, Ka Taea” – the smallest bellbird is able to climb to the heights of the tallest Kahika tree.

“Thai An Vo’s winning speech captures the spirit of positive race relations and human rights: Big change starts small. Positive race relations don’t just live in a document at the United Nations – they must live in our communities, suburbs and lives,” said Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy.

“Young Maori and Pacific Kiwis are a growing demographic, with Auckland home to the biggest Polynesian population on the planet. Today one in ten Kiwis are Asian Kiwis, in Auckland one in four of us are Asian.”

“New Zealand is one of the most ethnically diverse nations on earth and yet we are also one of the most peaceful nations on the planet. This is something I’m grateful for and proud of but it’s also something we can’t take for granted,” said Dame Susan.

“While we’ve come a long way when it comes to treating each other with respect, it’s still a work in progress. The Human Rights Commission receives thousands of complaints every year and a third of them are related to racial discrimination: so we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

Every year communities across the country host events – from food fairs to cultural festivals - to celebrate Race Relations Day. Events are often held throughout the year – not always on the 21 March. More information can be found via the commission’s Facebook Pages or website.

The Race Unity Speech Competition 2015 will kick off in March with competitions held in twelve districts across the country, culminating in national finals in Auckland on the 16th May. This year’s theme is “Big Change Starts Small: from Nationhood to Neighbourhood –“Itiiti Rearea, Kahika Teitei, Ka Taea” – the smallest bellbird is able to climb to the heights of the tallest Kahika tree. Please find out more from: http://www.raceunity.co.nz/page/Speech_Awards/ (details for this year will be up soon)

Race Unity Quotes Images “Memes” – this year we will be celebrating the incredible young New Zealanders who took part in last year’s Race Unity Speech Competition by promoting their speeches and memorable quotes. Their Memes will be promoted across our social media channels and able to be downloaded from our website. Schools are also invited to produce their own inspirational memes and send in to us so we can Like and Share.

Social Media Campaign – this year we will be encouraging Kiwis to share their race relations experiences and hopes online via a series of hashtags

Food Culture – a Facebook page to celebrate the cultural foods of all Kiwis will include some well known foodies – as well as some lesser known but very keen foodies. We encourage workplaces and schools to have a shared lunch to celebrate our cultures and favourite foods.

Reporting on Race in NZ – the commission will launch the first annual summary of race relations reporting by the New Zealand mainstream media. Ethnic, religious and other minority groups regularly tell us they are dismayed at their portrayal in the media so we decided to look into this further.

Let’s Talk About Race Relations – individuals, organisations and educators keen to talk about race relations can head to our website and select from a wide range of online resources, websites and articles.

Human Rights Media Internship - continuing our focus on the media the commission will announce details of an internship available to New Zealand journalists where they will have the opportunity to work with a respected, global media outlet’s human rights division.

Race Relations Complaints - the commission will release details of our race related complaints over the past year.

Race Relations Commissioner’s statements – it’s been a busy year for our commissioner Dame Susan Devoy, we will be compiling her various statements, speeches and opinion pieces into a single document that can be downloaded from our website

Every 21st March Race Relations Day marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination remembering forever the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960 when 69 people – including 10 children – were shot dead by their own Police while protesting peacefully against racist apartheid laws.

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