Shanti Niwas First Annual Day Celebration

It is an honour and a privilege to be among the members of the Shanti Niwas Group and all of the honoured guests, supporters and friends.

I am doubly happy to be here today because of the two roles that I play – Minister of Immigration and Minister for Senior Citizens.

The opportunity to join in these celebrations is important for both portfolios. As Minister of Immigration it is an acknowledgment of the need to support the whole family in the context of long-ranging settlement policy and the need for appropriate family reunification policies. As Minister for Senior Citizens, it is an acknowledgement of the strong Indian cultural values upon which the centre is based -–and we know how important it is to respect those cultural values in providing appropriate support for our senior citizens.

I am really proud to be part of this coalition government and to have as a Prime Minister, Helen Clark, who has shown her absolute commitment to the ethnic communities of New Zealand. Helen Clark is the first Prime Minister to appoint a Minister of Ethnic Affairs, in line with our pre-election commitment to give New Zealanders many diverse ethnic communities a voice at the Cabinet table – I refer of course to the Hon George Hawkins, MP.

As Minister of Immigration I am committed to positive settlement and resettlement outcomes. I truly believe that the only way to measure the quality of an immigration policy is the quality of the settlement outcomes. This Government really does care what happens to our new migrants after they arrive and settle in New Zealand. We want it to be a welcoming place that values the diversity of our many ethnic communities. I say I am Minister of Immigration and the Minister for Senior Citizens – the fact is that I am the advocate for Senior citizens – I am your voice at the Cabinet table.

Today's celebration reminds us that we all have a lot to learn from each other. I am working on a positive aging strategy – based on well-being, intergenerated activities and participation – the need to ensure that an ethnic perspective is brought to this work is highlighted today.

Can I congratulate Mrs Bjaj and all the other individuals and organisations for the work they do, and for allowing us to share this special day with you. Families are important and it's great to see all the generations here today.