Delivered on her behalf by Ann Dysart, National Manager, Ministry of Social Development

I am greatly disappointed to be unable to be with you in person to celebrate this significant launch.

I was drawn to Ohinemutu, to pay my respects to a remarkable man, someone who could be described as the quintessential New Zealand icon, Sir Howard Morrison.

As I thought of him - and I thought of this important day for the communities of Palmerston North and Feilding - I remembered an advertisement Sir Howard produced back in 2005.   The advertisement read,

"Turn to your neighbour, Pakeha, Maori, Pacific Islander or any other origin and ask, "what can we do together to make our country a nation to celebrate?".

Even in death, Sir Howard has that ultimate gift of bringing people together.

Bringing people together is something this launch knows a lot about.

This launch is a celebration of the journey to improve the settlement experiences of refugees and migrants in Palmerston North and Feilding.

Along the way, you have engaged representatives of local NGOs, government agencies, local government, tertiary institutions and up to around 300 individuals ranging in age from 5 to 80 years from over 25 different homelands.

From what I understand, the project has been enthusiastically embraced from the beginning - mayors and local councils gave their support, working group members and local experts contributed information and ideas generously and focus groups were numerous and eager to participate. 

In many ways you have demonstrated what Sir Howard encouraged us all to do - to look at what we can do together to make our country a nation to celebrate.

In your case, you have been celebrating new lives in New Zealand.   The report that we are launching today, brings together in one place information about newcomer communities across Palmerston North and Feilding.

What is particularly special is that the report is viewed through the lens of ethnic communities.  The distinctive and diverse voice of refugee and migrant newcomers is heard.

The diversity is astounding.

Participants in the focus groups came from homelands in Korea, Myanmar, Bhutan, the United Kingdom, Fiji, Russia, Pakistan, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Colombia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Spain, Macedonia, Hong Kong, Yemen, Cambodia, China, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Philippines and Japan.  There were also separate focus group and report from the local mosque.

With all of these distinct homelands there are obviously many challenges to settlement - challenges which are both shared and separate.

There are of course the immediate concerns of finding a home, a job, a school for your children.

But settling in to a new land is also about making new friends, understanding the language and the nuances of your new country, and always holding true to the essence of who you are.

Importantly, the research is not only about the interventions and information provided to the refugee and migrant communities.

It is also about maximizing the outcomes.

And by far the most significant outcomes are the opportunities for newcomers to find solutions to meet their own needs.

Initially these needs may appear overwhelming.   Often there is a great sense of loss to overcome as refugees for many different reasons are unable to remain in their homelands.

Settlement itself can be a distressing and an exhausting process.  Without specific interventions these communities may be at risk of missing out on job opportunities, vulnerable to racial tension; or violence.

This is a fundamental issue around settlement which I have long been concerned about.

I want to explain this concern through the use of the concept of manaakitanga.

Manaakitanga has many meanings - to entertain, to show respect, to take care of, to give hospitality to, to protect, to support, to show kindness.  

We might say, broadly, that we manaaki our manuhiri - we care for our visitors - but the question I would pose, is whether we see the act of manaakitanga as an act of mutual respect between host and visitor.

In the context of ‘settling in', the challenge was expressed in the way in which coordinators and agencies were prepared to work collaboratively with newcomer communities to maximize the opportunities to contribute to New Zealand society.

It has to be more than simply appreciating the different foods, music and clothing - as distinctive as these are.  

It is also about the satisfaction that can come from new New Zealanders truly feeling welcome, connected and knowing their ideas and perspectives are valued.   It is about appreciating the spiritual beliefs and family values they bring with them.  And it is about embracing difference.

It's a two-way conversation.

So again I want to congratulate everyone involved in this exciting project for making the conversation flow, for supporting the need for both sides to understand the new ones in the neighbourhood.

Some really great things have happened which show me that the strengths and diversity of the families in your communities are being valued.

I'm thinking about initiatives such as:

• A women-only swimming night at Freyberg pool to meet the needs of women from diverse communities;


• The formation of an ethnic committee in Feilding;


• 38 different teams playing in the Ethkick 09 soccer tournament;


• Rainbow praise to celebrate the different faiths in the community


• And the formation of the Palmerston North Forum of former refugees.

This last development has been a great success, pooling the shared knowledge and experience, alongside personal stories about the adjustment made to their new home.

The key to settling in, seems to me, to be in finding occasions to celebrate our unique composition as communities.

Palmerston North and Feilding had already been doing this for some time.   There was the annual Festival of Cultures; a research project on Diversity in the Workplace; even the Palmerston North library should rate a mention for the vibrancy of their welcome to newcomers.

Finally, I thank everyone involved in this project for the generosity of your vision, in sharing your experience with others.

Ultimately while the final report stands as a legacy of your work; the process itself will be recognized for the contribution made to connect communities.

You have opened your arms to newcomers, and made a space for their ideas, their skills and talents and their distinctive diversity to be appreciated.

In doing so you have transformed your communities - which in turn has the potential to create a more open-minded and vibrant nation.

I thank you for answering the question, what can we do together to make our country a nation to celebrate?

Settling in in Palmerston North and Feilding provides us with some wonderful solutions and strategies to demonstrate the art of manaakitanga.  I congratulate you, I commend you, and I wish you all a wonderful night of celebration.