Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

First joint meeting for NZ Bhutanese Societies held

First joint meeting for NZ Bhutanese Societies held

Maintaining their cultural identity, raising occupational skills and helping Bhutanese women get their drivers’ licence are just some of the issues discussed at the first joint meeting of the Bhutanese Societies of New Zealand.

Representatives from Nelson and Palmerston North were hosted by the Christchurch Bhutanese community in late February, with the discussion chaired by the President of the Bhutanese Society of Christchurch, Bashu Dev Mishra.

The group passed twelve resolutions covering current concerns and common issues for Bhutanese people settling in New Zealand.

Chairman of the Nelson Bhutanese Society, Govina Regmi says some of the resolutions will be worked through within the Bhutanese community, however many of them require external assistance.

“For instance we need to develop more intercommunity communication, so we have resolved to share items for a newsletter and teaching materials for our Nepali language classes,” Govinda says. “However, there are several areas where we need to enlist the support of various agencies, both government and non-government.”

Bhutanese refugees approved for residency fall under the Refugee Quota Programme, and in 2008 New Zealand made a commitment to resettle 750 Bhutanese refugees over a five-year period. That number has almost been reached, so the group has passed a resolution appealing to the government to review the situation.

“We feel we are the minority of minority groups and because we are such a small group in New Zealand, we are worried about our extinction,” Govinda says.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Another concern is the preservation of the Bhutanese documents, such as citizenship cards, land tax receipts and so on, that refugees bring to New Zealand. An archive is to be set up for this material so it will be available for future generations if they want to search where they came from.

Govinda says the period of mourning within Bhutanese culture also requires greater awareness, especially by employers.

“The mourning period may span from three to thirteen days,“ he says, “and while we are not asking employers for more paid bereavement leave than is legally allocated, we would like some flexibility around using annual leave or leave without pay.”

Other resolutions made by the group appeal to the government for more on-the-job training, flexibility in payment options for New Zealand Citizenship applications and initiatives to encourage young Bhutanese to become involved in sporting activities.

New Zealand has had an annual refugee resettlement quota of 750 places since 1987. Quota refugees are given permanent residence on arrival in New Zealand and spend their first six weeks at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre.

The Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan lies between India and China and is made up of several ethnic groups. It has generated one of the highest numbers of refugees in the world in proportion to its population. Since 2008 a resettlement process has seen many thousands of Bhutanese refugees from the camps in Nepal being re-settled primarily in the USA but also in Canada, Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Norway. www.bhutaneserefugees.com

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.