mid canterbury newcomers network...4 coordinators report i am happy to share my first report as...

Mid C

Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network

Annual Report 2015/16

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Contents Chairperson’s Report ............................................................................................................................................3

Coordinators Report .............................................................................................................................................4

About the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network ................................................................................................6

Our People …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7

Highlights……………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..9

Financial Information ........................................................................................................................................ 10

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Chairperson’s Report

I have much pleasure bringing this report of another successful year of operation for the Mid Canterbury Newcomer’s Network. We began the year with Louise Glennon working very capably in the Co-ordinator’s role. We were sorry to see her move on to another employment opportunity, and are thankful for her contribution to the Newcomer’s Network. The interim role was filled very efficiently by John Hobbs on a part-time basis while a replacement was sought. John kept all necessary tasks on track, ensuring the database and website were updated, newsletter published and key connections with other agencies maintained. Thank you John!

Following the interview process, the Board were able to appoint Sophie-Claire Violette, from a number of very good applicants. She has brought considerable passion for newcomers and initiatives to the project. This augurs well for future growth and effectiveness in meeting the needs of newcomers to this district. She possesses a keen interest in people from all backgrounds in life, and is already making a considerable impact in the community.

This past year has seen us enjoy continued favour from funders, which has left us in a good position at the end of the financial year to consider increasing the number of hours we can employ the Co-ordinator.

Membership of the Governance Group has enjoyed some very capable additions after last year’s AGM, and we are looking for a similar outcome this year. It’s not always possible to retain people representing a cross-section of community agencies and interests on the committee. However, we do understand the value and commitment of these volunteers to the governance role of this great and much needed service to newcomers. We welcome recommendations from anyone who may suggest people with an interest in, or connection to, newcomers and migrants.

Re-location to the new Community House for our Co-ordinator to be based from, and a meetings venue, has been particularly pleasing for the Board. This places our Co-ordinator with ready access to many other community agencies for support and net-working at this central location. We wish to express our thanks to Safer Ashburton and their staff, for their very active role in supporting the work of Newcomer’s Network this year. Finally, as Chairperson, I express sincere thanks to those who have made the service and the projects work so well this year. To the Board members, staff and volunteers, I say congratulations and thank you for a successful year and a job well done.

Rob Davison

Chairperson

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Coordinators Report

I am happy to share my first report as Co-ordinator of the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network with you all.I was appointed as the new Co-ordinator for the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network in July 2016. Louise Glennon had been the previous Co-ordinator and held the position for two years. This period was marked by many successes and some challenges. Louise implemented many great ideas and consistently grew our community. Some of the key elements on her agenda were strengthening our administrative structure, growing our database, engaging with more newcomers, reaching out to newcomers currently living in rural areas, creating a community event where our community could meet and engage with the different cultural backgrounds that it consists of and addressing the lack of access to practical information about settling in. This report is therefore as much an acknowledgement of Louise’s successes in dealing with these issues as it is a celebration of the achievements of the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network between 2015 and 2016.

2015 - 2016 was a period of transition and expansion for the network. We recognised that there was a gap between migrants and newcomers to our district and the accessibility to practical information they relied on to help them with that transition. This trend was particularly relevant to rural areas where we identified pockets of newcomers who were isolated, and felt alienated from the rest of the community in consequence. We responded by putting together a comprehensive welcome pack and creating a rural mailer in conjunction with our board. The welcome packs are filled with useful information from a range of stakeholders and sources relevant to the settling in challenges faced by newcomers. Our collaborators include the Ashburton District Council, the Adult Learning Centre, the Ashburton Police, Experience Mid Canterbury and Plunket and the range of information provided covers active religious groups, healthcare facilities, education providers and their contacts, driving tips, service groups, health and safety advice, among other things. These have been distributed throughout the year through several channels such as real estate agents, schools, citizenship ceremonies and community events and are also available to be picked up at Community House.

One of the year’s highlights was beyond doubt the very successul “Race Relations Day”, a joint event with the Ashburton Youth Council with funding from Safer Ashburton to celebrate the ethnic and cultural diversity that enriched our town last summer. We were lucky enough to be supported in this project by members of the Rural Canterbury Primary Health Organisation, Ashburton District Council, and the Multicultural Bite in the organisation and execution of this event. Read more about it in the “Highlights” section of this report.

Louise left the Newcomers Network on this great note in May and the Newcomers Network began its transition into yet another new chapter. John Hobbs, then coordinator of Think First and who now sits on our Governance Group, stepped up as the acting coordinator in order to keep things ticking along. In July, I joined the Newcomers Network.

This new position gave me the opportunity to build on the knowledge and experience that I had gathered after moving to Ashburton and working on a personal project entitled “Crossing The Bridge: Exploring identity and belonging in Ashburton’s Migrant Community”. At that time, the Newcomers Network, with the help of the Governance Group had worked on creating an opportunity to build on the strong foundations that Louise had instilled to make its work more relevant to the changing demographics of this town and take the Newcomers Network further into the community. With my training as a Cultural Anthropologist, I hoped that I could bring a fresh perspective into the ways these goals can be achieved. I also looked forward to contributing a different dynamic in leading the ways in which the network engaged with the social experiences of migrants and newcomers in Ashburton.

I have now been in this role for four months and I believe that we are on the right track. We have built on our previous experiences and also responded to new and existing challenges in creative ways. Over these months, I have looked within the organisation to select existing projects to focus our energy on and further develop. Staying in tune with the urgency of providing our community with practical, relevant information, one of my ongoing projects has been to grow our monthly newsletter and involve collaborators from different organisations ensuring we have a variety of engaging and informative content.

The Hakatere Marae Komiti, the Citizens Advice Bureau and Kiwi English have jumped on board with columns about tikanga Maori and the history of Hakatere Marae, rights and responsibilities and short English classes.

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We also have guest columnists such as members of Rural Canterbury Primary Health Organisation, the Canterbury Clinical Network and businesses such as Real Estate New Zealand and not to mention migrants and newcomers themselves. Our monthly newsletter now benefits from the regular sponsorship of Revive Hair and Beauty Spa, Safer Ashburton and Real Estate New Zealand. With this suppourt we have been able to print more newsletters to a higher standard meaning we are able to reach out to a wider audience.

We also continue to develop the strong relationships that exist between the Ashburton Newcomers Network and other organisations such asthe Ashburton District Council to raise community awareness about the Newcomers Network. Earlier this year we collaborated with the Council toset the tone for and create a visual campaign around “Start with a Smile Ashburton”. Working in closer partnership with established community influencers has helped us shed light on the many ways in which the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network can contribute to and influence the culture and practice of multiculturalism and diversity in our community. These values have been at the centre of my work since I started in July.

There have, of course, been ongoing challenges. Some; that were acknowledged in our last report, continue to drive our work. For instance, while we have begun finding solutions to rural isolation, some of the pressing issues affecting migrants and newcomers such as self- empowerment,barriers to gaining work and health and well-being remain. These are on top of our list of priorities for 2016-2017.

As we approach the end of 2016 and prepare for 2017, we celebrate past achievements and new beginnings. We will continue to channel this drive to positively contribute to, and advocate for, cultural diversity in the district. The core mission of the Mic Canterbury Newcomers Network still stands: To support migrants and newcomers to find their place, settle in and thrive in our community.

Sophie-Claire Violette

Coordinator

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About Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network

“To support migrants and newcomers to find their place in the Ashburton District and settle and thrive in our community.”

The work of the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network supports migrants and newcomers who have settled into the Ashburton District and would like to make a home on our community. We offer practical help. We collect information that is relevant and useful to migrants and newcomers and distribute this information to our communities. We connect migrants and newcomers with one another and with the local community. Our goal is to create a culture of understanding and acceptance in Ashburton so that people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds will feel welcomed by our community as a whole.

Our History

Over recent years, New Zealand has become home to an increasingly diverse range of people and communities from different cultures. Many of these new settlers are migrants seeking new opportunities in New Zealand, while others are refugees who, for different reasons, are unable to remain in their homelands. For anyone settling into a new country, there are the immediate concerns to contend with – finding a home, a job and schools for your children. Beyond these initial fundamentals, there are ongoing challenges such as making new friends, understanding the language, accents and different ways of your new country and finding the confidence and support to maintain and enjoy your own culture in theis new setting. It is for these reasons that Newcomers Networks were established.

In 2004, Family & Community Services, Ministry of Social Development established Settling In, an initiative to help migrants settle successfully in New Zealand.

In the 2005 ‘Settling In Nelson-Tasman report’, isolation,settling into a new community and making friends were three of the issues identified. To address this problem, the first Settling In supported Newcomers Network was set up under the auspices of the Nelson Multicultural Council in 2006. Members loved it and the idea spread.

As of May 2016 there are Newcomers Networks in just under 40 locations – Whangarei, Hibiscus Coast, Albany, Kaipatiki, Auckland, East Auckland, West Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Paeroa, Morrinsville, Hamilton, Manawatu, Western Bay of Plenty, Katikati, Rotorua, Wellington, Hutt Valley, Nelson, Motueka, Blenheim, Picton, Westport, Greymouth/Reefton, Hokitika, Rangiora, Christchurch, Sumner, Rolleston, Leeston, Mid Canterbury, Timaru/Aoraki, Geraldine, Waimate, Waitaki, Cromwell, Dunedin, Eastern Southland, and the Chatham Islands, with more planned around the country in the future.

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Our Purpose

From the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network Inc. Strategic Plan 2015 - 2016 . . .

Vision Statement:

Through our total commitment to newcomers we work to create and nurture a culture of understanding and acceptance in Ashburton so that people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds will feel welcomed by our community as a whole.

Mission Statement:

To support migrants and newcomers to find their place, settle in and thrive in our community.

Definition:

A safe, secure and supported community is one where all people feel included and are happy and healthy.

The Vision, Mission and Definition underpin the following Objectives:

1. Development of a culture of respect and integration of different cultures through public education 2. Encouragement of migrants and newcomers to participate actively in their community. 3. Positively advocating for a culture of acceptance and understanding of multiculturalism and diversity.

Our Structure

Summary of the structure of the organisation

Legal Name Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network Incorporated

Type of Entity / Legal Basis Charitable Trust and Incorporated Society

Registration Number CC29982 (Charities Commission)

IRD Status Tax Exempt (76-012-717)

The Board

The Board consists of Rob Davison (Chairperson), John Hobbs (Ashburton District Council Representative), Brenna Russell (Rural Canterbury Primary Health Organisation Representative), Kevin Clifford (Safer Ashburton General Manager), Jo Luxton(Headstart Early Childhood Learning Centre) and Fleur Mulligan (Community Representative). Rae Magson is in the paid role as Secretary/Treasurer.

Management

The New Zealand Newcomers Network Incorporated contracts Safer Ashburton to employ and manage the Coordinator.

Reviewer: Jim F Lischner

Bankers: Heartland Bank, PO Box 313, Ashburton 7740

Our Funding

Successful applications for financial support to continue its work have resulted in the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network being funded by the following organisations in the 2015-16 year:

Ashburton District Council

Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS)

Settling In

Ashburton Licencing Trust Lion Foundation

Four Winds

The Lottery Committee

Funding applications are also made to the Community Trust of Mid and South Canterbury and Creative New Zealand as required.

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Volunteer Support

The volunteers which support the work of the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network are the Board members, two volunteers who run our regular events and migrants and newcomers.

Strength lies in differences not similarities.

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Kevin Clifford

Kevin has been a trustee on the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network since its inception, coming on board to support the trust with employment, and other associated areas. Kevin has worked in the non-profit sector for the last 15 years and currently manages Safer Ashburton, a medium sized community service provider delivering a host of programmes across the Ashburton District. He has also been involved with a host of other organisations at both a governance level and as a volunteer. Kevin is able to bring his range of skills and experiences in this sector into his role as a trustee for Newcomers Network.

Our People

Rob Davison

Rob was born in Ashburton and has lived all his life here apart from two years in the UK.

Serving for more than 30 years as a minister with two churches here in Ashburton has

made him passionate about the welfare of all people in this District. He has served on

many community organisations and projects and is currently the chairperson of the Mid

Canterbury Newcomers Network after having been involved with the organisation’s

structure since its inception.

Rae Magson

Rae is the Secretary/Treasurer of Newcomers Network Governance Group, Ashburton District Neighbourhood Support Inc as well as several other organisations for Safer Ashburton. This involves attending all the meetings, writing up the minutes, sending out the agenda and looking after the finances.

John Hobbs

John is a representative from Ashburton District Council and works as the Council Community Development Advisor. Over the years he has intermittently worked as the Newcomers Network administrator during his previous role at Safer Ashburton District.

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Our People

Fleur Mulligan

Fleur has been a member of the Newcomers Network since 2014, at times being the

Council representative. Fleur has a public policy background and previously worked for

both central and local government and is able to bring range of skills and experiences

to her role as Trustee. She is also volunteers for a number of other local organisations

at a governance level.

Brenna Russell

Brenna is the Community Connector for the Rural Canterbury PHO and works alongside

rural residents in the Ashburton District, including newcomers and migrants; to make

sure they are connected to local supports and networks. She has a thorough knowledge

of the social, recreational, health and support options that are available in Ashburton,

through community engagement and strong connections with many community

organisations in the district. She has been on the Board of the Mid Canterbury

Newcomers Network since 2015. She brings to the board a rural perspective on the

needs of newcomers and migrants in the district, as well as a knowledge of

services/resources that are available to people that live in remote rural areas of the

district.

Jo Luxton

Jo moved to Ashburton, from the North Island 20 years and has been involved with local

people and groups as much as possible since. She now owns and operates an Early

Childhood Centre in Hinds, which has a large population of newcomers from other areas

of New Zealand and overseas. Jo is also involved in several other organisations such as

Community Properties Incorporated, Hinds & District Citizens Association at

Governance level and in the past she has spent time working with youth in the district

as a Cub/Scout leader. Jo is able to draw on all her skills and experiences to deliver sound

judgement to the Newcomers Network Committee.

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Our People

Janice Lauriston McKay

Janice is from Hamilton and moved to Ashburton a few years ago with her young family.

She is the owner and founder of Heart PR, a media and public relations management

agency with a strong community focus. She began volunteering for the Mid Canterbury

Newcomers Network since August 2016 and has been instrumental in creating new

relationships between the Network and trailblazing organisations such as NZ Farming

Mums. She has also uses her expertise in media and public relations to create new

avenues to promote the Newcomers Network and grow our community.

Iris Van Asperen

Iris has been an advocate of cultural diversity and integration all her life. She has

dedicated her time and energy to the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network for four

years now and has been running the coffee morning groups. She considers herself an

ambassador for our community and wants migrants and newcomers to feel welcomed

and loved when they come to Ashburton!

Sophie-Claire Violette

Sophie-Claire is from the island of Mauritius. She migrated to New Zealand in 2011 and completed a B.A Honours in Anthropology at the University of Canterbury. She moved to Ashburton in 2014 and has been working for the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network since July 2016. She hopes that her background in Anthropology will serve to uncover and respond to cultural and social patterns that have influenced the way in which the community of Ashburton welcomes and integrates migrants. She also aims to grow the profile and reach of the Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network to serve as an example of the possibilities which lie in having an organized and well-funded structure in place to help migrant and local communities coexist and work together towards a common good.

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Highlights

2015 Highlight | Race Relations

Every 21st March, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination marks the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre when 69 black South African citizens - including

10 children - were shot to death by their own Police for protesting against racial apartheid laws. In New Zealand, communities across the country host hundreds of

events on and around the 21st of March to mark Race Relations Day.

We organized our community event at the Ashburton Domain on the 18th of March under the theme “Welcoming Diversity”. It was held in partnership with the Ashburton Youth Council, with funding from Safer Ashburton and the support from members of Rural Canterbury Primary Health Orgnisation, Ashburton District Council and Multicultural Bite Ashburton.

The Mid Canterbury Newcomers Network created a concept around the event and the action plan. We also provided resources, infrastructure and signage as well as being hands on in the organisation and coordination of volunteers, performances, attendees and catering on the day. We had a great turnout with over 150 individuals and families turning up to enjoy a free vegetarian curry or spit roast as well as cultural performances and entertainment organised by our cultural rich community. There was a great mix of cultures and also of newcomers and locals keen not only to learn from one another but also to get know their neighbours and other people new to the area.

This is a great example of our community’s commitment to adapting to the social and cultural changes we are an intrinsic part of. The immediate outcomes were that individuals and families broke down cultural barriers and actively sought to engage with one another and learn about the wide range of cultures now represented in the Ashburton District. Long term outcomes included that the Newcomers Network was successful in promoting inter-cultural awareness and encouraging newcomers and locals to get to know each other and celebrate all the cultures that now make up a kaleidoscopic community.

New Zealand is one of the most ethnically diverse nations on earth. It is also one of the most peaceful. The change in our society has happened very fast, in less than a generation. Our newest Kiwis come here, as we all did once, as migrants or refugees.

Our biggest challenge is how we choose to live our lives and what kind of country we let New Zealand become. These are the values we sought to energize with Race Relations Day.

A satisfying piece of work for me as the Co-ordinator and I am pleased to report that we are on track for a Race Relations Day 2017.

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2016 Highlight | AMAN “Ashburton Muslim Association Incorporated”

Aman means peace, security, safety and protection. AMAN also stands for the Ashburton Muslim Association, which organized itself and began its work fostering a well connected and active Muslim community in Ashburton this year. After going through some challenges, AMAN approached the Newcomers Network to reframe the dialogue around Islamic faith and Muslim culture in Ashburton. The ultimate goal has been to create a place for AMAN in Ashburton’s social landscape and secure a semi- permanent space for worship and community-building by June 2017.

We worked with AMAN to create a holistic approach to Islamic faith and Muslim culture that could be presented to the local community. Together, we discussed some of the existing cultural concerns and formulated a commitment to building bridges that acknowledged and respected the many communities and identities involved. We then developed an action plan centered around community-engagement. Over a period of four months we worked on raising awareness about AMAN and alsonewcomers and existing inhabitants of Ashburton who belong to, and have identified with, the Muslim Community. We profiled the organisation in our newsletter and also helped organise a big meat donation which corresponded with Eid al-Adha, the traditional Muslim "Festival of the Sacrifice" during which every Muslim family sacrifices a sheep to their God and then divides the meat obtained among themselves and family, friends and people in need equally. Last month, our sustained efforts culminated in a hui held at Hakatere Marae. This exchange of cultures; a first for Ashburton, lent itself to AMAN’s the Newcomers Network’s and the Hakatere Marae Komiti’s respective commitments to develop stronger relationships between cultures and build bridges between religious and spiritual beliefs in Ashburton and beyond. This particular event is one that we are proud of, and hope to extend to other cultural groups and organisations based in the Ashburton District.

We continue to work with AMAN towards achieving their most important goal, which is securing a semi-permanent/ permanent location for the organisation to set up a cultural centre and centre for worship in Ashburton.

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Financial Information

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Statement of Financial Performance

MID CANTERBURY NEWCOMERS NETWORK INC.

STATEMENT OF INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR TWELVE

MONTHS

ENDED 30 JUNE 2016

INCOME: 2015/16 2014/15

GST Refunds 1743 1972

Interest 64 27

Lion Foundation 7627 10000

Four Winds Foundation 3520 0

Department Internal Affairs 5290 10235

COGS 3450 0

Comm. Trust Mid & South Cant. 5000 5000

26694 $ 27234

Loss for Year (4126)

$ 30820 EXPENDITURE:

Safer Ashburton District 26822 11280

Insurance 334 316

Charities Commission 51 51

IRD – GST 0 925

Ash Courier (Advert AGM) 43 0

Rent 3000 0

Lion Foundation Refund 570 0

Ash Guardian (Advert AGM) 0 68

30820 12640

Profit for Year 14594

$ 27234

MID CANTERBURY NEWCOMERS NETWORK INC.

Current Assets at 30 June 2016

Bank of New Zealand Cheque Account $27616.91

Less Cheque – Safer Ashburton 4966.19

$ 22650.72

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Notes

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