Building connected and inclusive communities based on solidarity between tangata whenua and ethnic communities is the focus of the Shaping our Futures Together Hui, September 6, co-hosted by Belong Aotearoa and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

The hui will include keynote speaker, the recently appointed Race Relations Commissioner Mr Meng Foon, plus other speakers highlighting opportunities to strengthen allyship, based on respect, shared and different experiences of injustice and intertwined futures.

Board Chair of Belong Aotearoa, formerly Auckland Regional Migrant Services, Rahul Watson Govindan sees the hui as a platform to inspire cross-cultural mahi.

“Working together we can build a caring and inclusive Aotearoa where many cultures are woven together in a celebration of diversity, connectedness and belonging. When our mahi is underpinned by Te Tiriti, we can strengthen inclusion,” Mr Watson Govindan said.

“In our work, we are seeing a huge appetite for positive change through collaboration. Through this hui we’re excited to be able to share some great examples of partnerships between Māori and ethnic communities that are strengthening inclusion, equity and the wellbeing of communities,” he said.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Aukaha Tauira Experience Shanan Halbert has seen first-hand how diverse communities thrive in a learning environment that is guided by Māori principles and values. He is excited to see how this hui opens up opportunities for these principles and values to lead the way to connection and inclusion in other spaces.

“This hui will be a great opportunity to showcase biculturalism as a pathway to multiculturalism that is led by Māori principles and values. It highlights the very real implications of diversity with a way forward, that respects tangata whenua and non-Māori, saying that yes, together we can shape our future,” Mr Halbert said.

Hui details:

Title: Shaping our Futures Together Hui
Date: Friday 6 September, 2019
Time: 9.15am – 12.30pm (followed by lunch)
Location: Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, 15 Canning Drive, Mangere
RSVP: By 30 Aug 2019 to: communications@belong.org.nz

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