Hon Chris Carter
Minister for Ethnic Affairs

15 October 2007 Speech

Address to the 12th International Metropolis Conference: Wellington

Good morning and Kia Ora Koutou to everybody. I especially want to welcome delegates who have come from the Metropolis Conference in Melbourne and have joined us here at Te Papa for Metropolis Plus, a chance to hear about how New Zealand is developing policies and programmes to foster a society which is increasingly multi-ethnic, multi religious and multicultural.

For those of you who attended the Metropolis Conference in Melbourne last week, I hope you will have gained the impression from the speech that I gave; that New Zealand is a country that feels very comfortable with diversity. I am a Minister in a Government that recognises that the only way a successful multiethnic society can evolve is by providing leadership in making all of our citizens comfortable with diversity. We try and do this by promoting the cultural and economic vitality that diversity can bring to our society.

I came away from Melbourne with a clearer understanding of the similarities and contrasts between New Zealand and others. In particular, it was interesting to discover how very similar New Zealand’s historical experience has been to that of Canada’s. Both countries from their modern beginnings have been faced with the challenge of dealing with pluralism. In Canada, Francophone culture and language was accommodated. In New Zealand, the treaty signed in 1840 between the British Crown and Maori meant successive colonial governments had to deal with two strong, confident cultures living in one land. I believe that New Zealand’s history of biculturalism has given us flexibility and receptiveness in dealing with diversity which has meant that the challenges of building a modern, multiethnic society are being achieved.

This conference is designed to give you a more in-depth look into the unique way in which we approach migration and diversity in New Zealand, and the strategies we’ve developed to try and successfully manage cultural diversity. Scrolling behind me is a series of images which reflect the modern diversity of our country.

Just how diverse is New Zealand today?

The 2006 population census revealed that almost 23% of New Zealand’s population was born overseas, one of the highest rates in the OECD, and that there are now over 200 different ethnic groups which call New Zealand home.

Auckland is by far our most diverse city, and incidentally, is more diverse that any Australian city – a fact that may surprise any Australians in the audience this morning. On the one hand, Auckland is commonly referred to as the ‘Pacific Capital of the World’ due to its large Pasifika population and on the other, almost 19% of its population identify as Asian.

At a national level, this last group has increased in size by almost 50% in the 5 years since our last Census in 2001, and includes three of our biggest ethnic groups: the Chinese, Indian and Korean communities.

Our Māori and Pasifika communities are also on the increase in size. In 2021, using population projections, it is estimated that those identifying as Maori will account for 17% of New Zealand’s population, Pasifika peoples for 9%. In comparison, Asian communities are expected to make up 13%.

And what of the Anglo-Celtic majority? Due to a falling birth rate, New Zealanders of British extraction are a group shrinking in population. In 1991, this group constituted 83% of the population. By 2001, this percentage had fallen to 79%, and in 2006, to 67.%.

The growth in New Zealand’s ethnic communities is largely the product of immigration. Getting immigration policy right has not always been easy.

In 1881 New Zealand passed the Chinese Immigration Act. It required every Chinese person arriving in New Zealand to pay a poll tax of 25 pounds, which was increased to 100 pounds in 1896. The aim was, quite simply, to stop Chinese coming to New Zealand. It wasn’t waived until 1934 and wasn’t officially repealed until a decade later. In 2002 the Prime Minister Helen Clark gave a public apology to the Chinese Community for the historic wrong associated with the poll tax.

The Labour-led Government set up a $5 million trust fund to help promote Chinese identity and language in NZ. This Trust known as the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust has seven Trustees, all of whom are descended from original poll tax payers. The Trust has already funded an amazing variety of projects which help to promote a better appreciation of the role Chinese New Zealanders have played or are continuing to play in the evolution of our country.

Connecting our Diverse Communities

Creating and building the connections between ethnic groups are the focus of a major government initiative called “Connecting NZ’s diverse Communities” This strategy aims to foster opportunities to connect diverse groups.

The programme is structured around five work areas and aims to:
• strengthen intercultural relationships;
• address discrimination and promote respect;
• improve connections with cultural identity;
• build capacity and develop communities; and
• build our knowledge base in this area.

Working towards these goals are a number of government agencies, collaborating on more than 60 short, medium and longer term initiatives that make up the Connecting Diverse Communities work programme. A public consultation is currently being held around New Zealand, where people of all communities are invited to share their views about how communities can be better connected, to identify local issues and possible responses to these.

Connections between different communities are also at the heart of initiatives such as Islam Awareness Week. This is a week-long programme of initiatives developed on an annual basis, to raise awareness of Muslims in New Zealand and to create opportunities for dialogue between people from Muslim and other communities. It is a community-based project, implemented with support from central government – a partnership that happens readily in New Zealand, and of which we are justifiably proud.

In 2007, Islam Awareness Week included open days at mosques, where people of diverse cultures and faiths were invited to enter these places of worship in their local neighbourhoods. We have seen this kind of activity have a profound effect in breaking down stereotypes and facilitating intercultural acceptance and a recognition of the strength inherent in our diverse population.

In addition the Government has sought to send a message to all New Zealanders that religious diversity is now part of the fabric of NZ society. For the last 5 years the Prime Minister has opened each year major events at our Parliament celebrating the Hindu Festival of Diwali and the Moslem festival of Eid. Helen Clark has wanted to send a message that New Zealand’s Government now regards these important religious days as just as legitimate as traditional events like Christmas and Easter.

The Prime Minister is a very regular attendee at an enormous range of different ethnic events and festivals. She has a special relationship with the young Afghan men who came to New Zealand from the Tampa refugee boat. Helen Clark has attended on a regular the basis, the annual Tampa reunion and has a special relationship with the Tampa boys. One of the images on our screen shows Prime Minister Helen Clark with some of the Tampa refugees.

In New Zealand, we believe that engaging with all young people about cultural diversity is also essential. We are doing this in a number of ways, but a good example is the ‘Portraits: Youth’ publication. This booklet, bringing together images of young people from many different ethnic backgrounds and showcasing their experiences, is about encouraging discussion about and between all New Zealanders. Many of the photos that have been appearing behind me on the screen are from ‘Portraits’.

The book has proved very popular with schools and feedback has indicated that discussions have blended natural curiosity, honesty and fair-mindedness as young people look at themselves and each other. It also reveals the common ground between young people of different background...

A second ‘Portraits’ booklet is due to be launched soon, and this time, will be accompanied by an education kit, to facilitate and encourage deeper discussion about language, stereotypes, and the benefits of our diversity.

Work on the international stage

Given our multi-level approach to managing diversity, New Zealand is involved in a number of international forums in order to keep abreast of global perspectives on diversity and share information on related issues with our trading partners and neighbouring countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Most notably, our Prime Minister, Helen Clark, hosted the Asia-Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue meeting in Waitangi earlier this year, which saw a number of countries come together to consider issues of religious diversity.

At the East Asia Summit, New Zealand is also promoting discussion on how the UN Alliance of Civilisations initiative can be taken forward in the region. This global initiative seeks to establish greater respect between civilisations, cultures and religions, to reject extremism in any society, and to strengthen social cohesion.

Conclusion

Diverse communities no doubt see our national identity differently, but at the core of it, New Zealand is an environmentally conscious, non nuclear , multi-cultural, nation which was founded on the basis of two very different cultures having to learn to live together.

As a centre-left Government we have made a conscious decision that the only way a multiethnic, multicultural population is going to prosper and thrive is by embracing diversity and promoting its cultural and economic opportunities.

New Zealand, a nation sometimes called the “Sweden of the South Seas” has a strong liberal tradition. We were the first country in the world to give women the vote; we were the first country in the Southern Hemisphere to grant full civil and legal rights including civil union, employment and property protection to same sex couples; and we were one of the first countries in the world to establish a comprehensive welfare state.

I hope we will be a country that will be able to make all of it’s people comfortable with religious and ethnic diversity. It has been my pleasure to share with you this morning the New Zealand government’s approach.

Thank you.

ENDS

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