Fezeela Raza OEA Asian Discrimination in NZ

Fezeela RazaPrincipal Advisor

Office of Ethnic Affairs

Panel DiscussionDiversity Forum, 2010

Asian Peoples in New Zealand: Confident, Equal and Proud: and Discriminated Against?

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Findings: Experiences of Discrimination

• Many New Zealanders believe that NZ’s relationship with Asia can be beneficial economically, however it may also bring unwanted changes to NZ

• Asian New Zealanders experience more discrimination than other New Zealanders and the main areas relate to public harassment, employment & workplace

• Chinese & Korean respondents had experienced the most discrimination by young people in public spaces

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Discrimination & Employment

• Asian migrants have the highest levels of unemployment compared to other New Zealanders

• Sri Lankan migrants reported that they believed that race, colour, accent and ethnic name all contributed to discrimination in employment

• Research by the University of Auckland School Of Business show Asian migrants with foreign qualifications and ethnic names fared worst although NZ-born Asians also faced discrimination

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Impacts of Discrimination

• Overall these experiences did not always affect Asian migrant’s quality of life or general perceptions of NZ

• Older and new Chinese migrant communities demonstrate different integration strategies.

• NZ needs migrants, however the benefits of migration are impacted by discrimination ie leads to poor health and well-being outcomes for migrants

• Social cohesion can be promoted in a number of ways including equal employment outcomes

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CONTEXT: Latest projections

Ethnicity 2001 2006 2026

European or other (including New Zealander)

79% 77% 69%

Māori 14% 15% 17%

Pacific 7% 7% 10%

Asian 5% 10% 16%

Census 2006

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Ratio of newcomers to host community

OECD Factbook 2009

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5

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15

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25

30

35

40

Foreign-born population as a percentage of total population, 2006

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North & South magazine, December 2006

Turban-wearing Sikh removed from Qantas flight, TV3, 16 March, 2007

Asian community Anti-crime march, Auckland, July 2008

Pressure points

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Responses around the worldIt is a good thing for any society to be made up of people from different races, religions and cultures

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NZ Oz Sw Sp Nl Fr Lx UK Dn Fn It Pt Ir Bl Ge Aus Gr

Countries

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nta

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Ag

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nt

Presentation by C Ward & A Masgoret (2004),

Attitudes towards Immigrants, Immigration, and Immigration Policy in New Zealand

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Aetiology of Discrimination

• Inter-Group Contact and Relations

• Lack of Intercultural Knowledge/Competency

• Social Policy Environment

• Economic Drivers

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Tackling Discrimination

Three pronged approach:

• Legislation

• Government and Societal Measures

• Individual and Community

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OEA Approach

• Intercultural Competency and Dialogue

• Promoting the Benefits of Diversity

• Building Community Capacity

• Ethnic Responsiveness and Access to Services

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Priorities for the Office of Ethnic Affairs

1. Maximise the talents, skills and connections of ethnic people for economic growth

2. Empower ethnic communities through increased government responsiveness

3. Maintain New Zealand’s reputation as a model of social harmony

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Intercultural competence

“Being interculturally competent or aware doesn’t mean knowing everything about every culture. It is, instead,

respect for difference, eagerness to learn, and a willingness to accept that there are many ways of viewing

the world”

Brenda Rodriguez

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IAC Training and Dialogue

• Focus on Government agencies

• Range of organisations including NGOs

• Train the Trainers

• Authentic Dialogue Programme Educational Institutions

• Visibility Initiatives

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Benefits of Diversity

Advice on how to maximise the benefits that ethnic diversity brings to the workplace

• Diversity Management Programme

• Recruitment and retention

• Riding the Wave Publication

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Changing Paradigms?

Strengths Vs Deficit Models

“New Zealand’s diversity is not just an inescapable reality-it is a lifeline to the world and can be a launch-pad for recovery. Embracing diversity is not just a luxury for the good times. Now, of all times New Zealand simply cannot afford to let its many talents go to waste.”

Phillipe Legrain 2009

Parliamentary Speech

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Promoting Benefits of Diversity

Platforms for diaspora ethnic communities to engage with mainstream businesses

• ASEAN Business Leaders’ Forum

• “Dancing with the dragon” Chinese Business Community Forum

• Business Leaders’ India Forum

• Trade & the Muslim world & Halal economy

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Community Capacity Building

• Building Bridges Programme (nationally)

• Employment and Economic Development Workshops

• Health workshops

• Access to Justice, Law & Order

• Support for Ethnic Women’s Groups

• Visibility Projects

• Ethnic media training and mainstream media engagement

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Looking Forward

• Intersectoral collaboration

• Social Marketing campaigns

• Authentic dialogue-youth

• Host community awareness

• Research