Mayor launches migrant welcome guide

Mayor launches new edition of welcome guide for migrants

Mayor Bob Parker is hosting a reception on 18 March to launch the latest edition of the New to Christchurch? Useful tips for Migrants.

This booklet is produced by the Christchurch City Council to equip new migrants with the information they need to better understand the city and its services. The guide forms a part of the several important informational and support services offered to new settlers by various agencies around the city.

Mr Parker says Christchurch is steadily becoming much more cosmopolitan – “a truly diverse compendium of different ethnicities and cultures. This diversity is a sign of our strength and success.”

Migrants are often faced with many challenges when settling in an unfamiliar environment. The guide takes steps to address that by helping migrants grasp issues and benefits relevant to enjoying Christchurch, he says.

The updated version features a new cover to tie-in with the Welcome to Christchurch Safer Students project and will be translated into Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Arabic, Thai and Nepali to reflect Christchurch’s growing ethnic diversity.

Nepali was selected for translation to recognise the needs of the Bhutanese refugee-background people who have been settling in Christchurch since 2008. The Council considered a translation for the significant numbers of Indian and Filipino settlers arriving but their requirement for first language was mitigated by the prevalence of strong English skills.

In 2006, there were approximately 161 different ethnic groups living in Christchurch. Since 1991, Asian peoples in Christchurch have grown the most in number, with an increase of 20,439 people, equating to a growth of 330 percent.

“Apart from enhancing the vibrancy of the community, migrant entrepreneurs bring new, emerging businesses. The increasing numbers of small-business start-ups associated with our migrants generate employment and are one of the catalysts of economic growth,” says Mr Parker.

This migrants’ guide launch on 18 March at the Council Chambers also marks Race Relations Day which falls on 21 March. Council staff will celebrate language diversity and clear communications for the week leading up to Race Relations Day.

ENDS