Positive Contributions to Race Relations (April 20
Human Rights Commission
Te Kahui Tika Tangata
On the
Bright Side
April Paenga Whäwhä 2004
Kia ora. Here are this month's acknowledgments from the Race Relations Commissioner for positive contributions to race relations in New Zealand.
Oceania Media Ltd
For the first issue of
Spasifik, a new bimonthly magazine about Pasifika people and
issues, March 2004. Editor and former sports journalist
Innes Logan, his wife Anne, and Sales Manager Canada Alofa
have spent six months with a small team preparing for the
launch of this lively new glossy showcasing Pasifika peoples
and their stories. It ranges from art and sport to
personalities and politics, and is a welcome addition to the
stable of magazines that make our various vibrant cultures
accessible to a wider New Zealand and international
audience. The next issue is due out in early May. Visit
their website at www.spasifik.co.nz
Tu Mai Media Plus Ltd
For five years of successful publication of Tu Mai
magazine, March 2004. Editor Ata Te Kanawa says she can
empathise with the "passion, pain and poverty" that the
birth of Spasifik involves, having launched Tu Mai five
years ago at Te Papa Tongarewa. The popular monthly
magazine reached its fiftieth issue in February, and
although it is primarily focused on Maori stories, it has a
philosophy of promoting good race relations and sharing
cultures. Its 50th issue affectionately floats the notion
of a future "polyeurasian" culture to encompass the main
cultural components and peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand.
"The company also has a working relationship with Radio Niu
FM. Their website is www.tumaimagazine.com
Mana Productions Ltd
For the publication, for over a decade, of a quality
bimonthly Maori magazine accessible to all New Zealanders.
Mana is a high quality glossy periodical that has been on
the newsstands since 1992/93, and is now up to its 57th
consecutive issue. It has set the standards in both
journalistic content and presentation for others to match.
It is produced by the same pioneering grouping (including
Mana Maori Media) that has brought us Mana News on
National Radio since 1990, and now also produces The Mana
Report, Mana Tangata, Mana Korero and The Mana Show.
Details of all their products are available at
www.manaonline.co.nz
Stratford District Council
For their Race Relations Day Programme, March 2004. Many Councils around New Zealand organised Race Relations Day activities for staff and their communities, and it is a sign of the growth in the importance of the day that a district council like Stratford should have such a varied programme. The Mayor presented prizes to nine school and kindergarten children who had entered a Council sponsored art competition on the theme of "Take A Walk in Someone Else's Shoes", and their artwork was on display in the Percy Thomson Gallery throughout the school holidays. The Stratford Library also participated with a display of cultural items and books, and the Information Centre had a map on which people could pin their countries of origin. Said Mayor Brian Jeffares: "We want to recognise and celebrate that we are a community that comes together and is very proud of our diversity".
Hedi Moani Charitable Trust and the New Zealand Baha'i Community
For the Hedi Moani Memorial Secondary School
Speech Awards in association with Race Relations Day 2004.
Following regional heats in Auckland, Hauraki, Waikato,
Gisborne, Manawatu, Nelson/Marlborough, Canterbury and
Otago, six finalists from throughout New Zealand gave
wonderful speeches on race relations at Milford School in
Auckland on 27 March. The competition has grown further
each year, and now attracts entrants from throughout New
Zealand. The awards are made in memory of Hedi Moani, an
Iranian architect who spent the last sixteen years of his
life in New Zealand, and was completing a PhD in religious
studies when he died. He was actively involved with the
Maori community, and had developed a special relationship
with the people of Ratana Pa. Winners on the night were
Riddhi Gupta (Pakuranga College), Althea Carbon (Burnside
High School) and Samuel Christopher (Te Awamutu College).
Winning speeches are to be broadcast on Radio New Zealand at
a later date. For more information visit www.bahai.org.nz
Logan Park High School, Dunedin
For the Race Relations Day Assembly, March 2004.
Schools all over New Zealand took part in Race Relations Day
activities. For Logan Park, this year's Race Relations Day
assembly was the fourth year that they have participated.
If you think only Auckland is diverse, then picture an
assembly at Logan Park where students from more than 30
different cultural and ethnic backgrounds celebrated by
wearing national costumes and speaking to their classmates
about diversity and race unity. Among the ethnic groups
represented were New Zealand Pakeha and Maori, Samoan,
Niuean, Cook Islands, Fijian, Papua New Guinean, Cambodian,
Malaysian, Austrian, German, English, Welsh, Scottish,
Japanese, Tibetan, Filipino, South African, American,
Canadian, Dutch, French, Brazilian, Australian, Korean and
Chinese. Head Girl at Logan Park is Yeshe Dawa, a Tibetan
New Zealander, who was also a finalist in the national Hedi
Moani Speech Awards. The school's website is
www.lphs.school.nz
Circolo Italiano, Wellington
For the Wellington Italian Festival,
28 March, 2004. The annual Italian Festival, held at the
Overseas Passenger Terminal, has become a major fixture on
the Wellington calendar, and attracts thousands of
Wellingtonians each year. This year was no different. The
weather was perfect and the day was filled with Italian
treats, including sumptuous food and wine, a huge selection
of products for sale, excellent holiday and travel advice,
and entertainment. For the adults, the spaghetti eating
competition went down very well - definitely a crowd
pleaser! There was also a children's show, with Italian
songs and dances led by the members of the Club Garibaldi
children's classes. The event is organised by the Circolo
Italiano di Wellington, which was founded in 1946. It is
one of two Italian Clubs in Wellington, the other being the
Club Garibaldi (for people of Italian descent). The
Circolo, which is open to everyone, promotes Italian
language and culture, through language classes, film
evenings, travel events and other activities. Their website
is at www.circoloitaliano.org.nz
The Auckland Somali and Afghani Communities and the Umma Trust
For organising a forum on working with Muslim communities, 14-15 April 2004. Over two hundred people attended this forum, which outlined Islamic beliefs, issues facing Muslim New Zealanders and particularly refugees, and models of working in partnership with Muslim communities. There are only about 25,000 Muslims in New Zealand, but apart from their common religion they come from over forty different countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific as well as the Middle East. Workshops covered the integration of Muslim families into mainstream service provision, education, settlement and resettlement, and social services and employment. Although many Muslims have come here in the past decade or so (and in many cases as refugees), there are also some who have been here for generations, and a highlight of the conference was the story told by 66 year old Mohamed Mussa, reputedly the first Muslim to be born in New Zealand after his parents migrated from Gujarat, who grew up in the predominantly Maori community on Matakana Island. It's tougher being a Muslim in New Zealand today, he said. The forum was held at the Zayed School for Girls in Mangere, a new secondary school. Noticeable was the fact that all the school's signage was tri-lingual - in Arabic, Maori and English. A report of the workshop will be available from jenny.janif001@msd.govt.nz on request.
Paekakariki Informed Community Inc
For producing a lively monthly community newspaper, including the use of te reo Maori. Paekakariki Expressed is yet another community paper that is showing up its big media cousins by including te reo in its monthly publication through both a monthly feature and using Maori numbering for its issues. This non-profit paper is a lively forum for community debate and carries news on local sport, culture, conservation history and civic issues. It's up to issue rua tekau ma waru, long may it continue!
Human Rights Network Aotearoa Trust
For the weekly HRN bulletin and website
providing current information on human rights and race
relations activities and resources. The idea of the Trust
was mooted in 1998, at the time of the fiftieth anniversary
of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human rights,
to fill a need for information and discussion of human
rights in New Zealand. They work wonders on a small budget,
producing a very professional weekly email bulletin and an
increasingly comprehensive website. The website is
currently being upgraded further. Membership is free, but
the Trust welcomes donations. Visit the website at
www.humanrights.net.nz
For news about race relations visit the Human Rights Commission website
(www.hrc.co.nz
If you do not wish to receive future
copies of On The Bright Side please email fionar@hrc.co.nz.
Previous editions can be found at
http://www.hrc.co.nz/index.php?p=13789#3.