We're a multicultural nation

At present, 28 percent of us identify as coming from a non-European migrant background Narayanan says.

A 2021 MNZ initiative has already seen Multicultural Councils across the country celebrating a Te Tiriti-based National Multicultural Day on the last Friday of August, he says.

On that day MNZ encourages migrants to make their heritage visible by wearing cultural clothing, sharing traditional food with friends and colleagues, and speaking their native language.

A specific day off to visibly celebrate our different cultures would allow us to "thank our ancestors" Narayanan says.

He also suggests a second paid day off could be considered so New Zealanders could celebrate an event that is culturally significant to them.

This could - for example - be taken on a religious holiday that is not otherwise celebrated as a public holiday in New Zealand.

Rather than a set day, people would be able to choose when to take this day off and have it written into their contracts for work.

"New Zealand would be the richer for it" and "ethnic communities will flourish" he says.

Taking the suggestion to Parliament

Rather than celebrate this year's Te Tiriti-based National Multicultural Day last Friday, MNZ decided to celebrate it at Parliament last Monday so he could introduce his proposal to our politicians.

Minister for Ethnic Communities Melissa Lee joined the celebrations saying she is proud of New Zealand's diversity which continues to develop and expand.

"There is immense value in the many cultural celebrations that are already being held around New Zealand throughout the year" she says.

Cultural celebrations "help to grow social cohesion in New Zealand" which is "already very multicultural, with more than 160 ethnicities represented".

Lee is encouraging MNZ to make a petition to Parliament about its proposal, where democratic processes would debate and decide the outcome.

Just what that outcome will be is open to speculation.

It's likely though that the ACT Party will hesitate because of the cost to business.

It could involve sacrificing a current paid public holiday.

As it is, ACT wants to get rid of the 2 January holiday to allow for Matariki, which was introduced as a new holiday in 2022.

Source

• 1News

Our diversity is reflected in these 10 names, according to the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Jeff Montgomery.

The most common surname across New Zealand last year was Singh, with just under 400 babies registered under that name.

That's about 400 of the over 58,000 babies born last year.

Singh's led the way for a while now. But where the most common surnames registered in 2019 were Singh, Smith, Kaur, Wilson and Williams, Patel now makes it into the top five instead of Wilson.

There was some regional variation with Patel being the most common family name in Wellington, and Singh in Auckland and Bay of Plenty, while Smith took out top spot in Canterbury, Otago, West Coast and Southland.

Montgomery says the emergence of names such as Singh, Kaur and Patel reflected both immigration and religious affiliation trends.

In addition, he notes some new family names were hyphenated while other parents chose to "create completely new ones."

Anusha Guler, executive director of the Office of Ethnic Communities points out the diversity reflected in the list.

"The list of the most common surnames for 2020 is yet another indication of Aotearoa New Zealand's thriving diversity."

"This is good news, as diversity in our communities helps make New Zealand a more culturally rich, innovative and connected place."

Most common family names in New Zealand:

Singh — 398

Smith — 319

Kaur — 274

Patel — 204

Williams — 198

Brown — 194

Wilson — 179

Taylor — 152

Thompson — 148

Anderson — 143

Most common surname by region:

• Northland - Smith

• Auckland - Singh

• Bay of Plenty - Singh

• Waikato - Smith

• Gisborne - Allen, Brown, Kemp, Williams

• Taranaki - Smith

• Hawke's Bay - Singh

• Manawatu-Whanganui - Anderson

• Wellington - Patel

• Nelson - Marshall, Taylor, Smith, Stewart, Thompson

• West Coast - Smith

• Canterbury - Smith

• Otago - Smith

• Southland - Wilson

Source

• Scoop
• TVNZ
• NZ Herald
• Image: Otago Daily Times

This follows the passing of a motion at the church's annual Bose ko Viti conference at the Centenary Church in Suva last month.

The president of the Methodist Indian Division, Reverend Emmanuel Rueben, supported the proposal to teach the language but proposed an amendment.

He suggested educating students in the customs and traditions of Indo-Fijian also be included in the Davuilevu Theological College's programme.

The church sees this as important because of the number of Indo-Fijians who are members of circuits headed by leaders not well versed in Indian traditions and culture.

The Indian Division of the Methodist Church of Fiji has eleven circuits with more than 3000 members.

Reverend Tevita Vanua said they needed to teach students and pastors the Indo-Fijian language, so it could make their church services easier to understand.

He said looking back at open-air sessions, Indo-Fijian brothers and sisters would often attend the service but the message was not delivered in the language they understood.

Secularism and postmodernism were having a powerful impact on the church's growth according to the church's president Reverend Dr Epineri Vakadewavosa.

In his opening address, he said Pacific Methodist leaders had been deliberating seriously on how best to advise local churches to withstand the challenge of declining membership.

"There is a very real need to revisit the first church in Jerusalem and recapture what we have lost," he said.

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• fijisun.com
• fbc.com.fj
• Image: fijisun.com.fj

The ruling comes after the board received a complaint that a TV advertisement for Griffins' Toffee Pops had "offensive dialogue with racist overtones". Continue reading

And a single Gospel passage about casting out nets was decisive for Fr Austin Fernandes in his vocational journey.

Korean-born Fr Park and Indian-born Fr Fernandes were ordained at St Patrick's Cathedral on July 16 by Auckland's Bishop Patrick Dunn.

They are the first of their ethnicities to be ordained as priests in Auckland, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world, said Bishop Dunn.

"Here in the diocese we come from many different cultures, many different languages, many different families, but we share one gift: the beautiful gift of the priesthood," said the bishop at the ordination.

Bishop Dunn said it was consoling that although the diocese had lost two of its older priests in recent days, Msgr Lui Tevaga and Fr Ivan Lunjevich, "we are now ordaining their replacements."

Fr Marchellino Park

Fr Park said he entered the seminary in Korea at age 12. However at 17 he changed his mind and went to university instead and also did his military duty.

He had an aunt in the Sisters of the Divine Master in Auckland. She said Bishop Dunn invited him to New Zealand to explore the possibility of priesthood.

Fr Park said he stayed with Msgr Brian Arahill at Remuera parish in 2008 to learn English. He moved to Holy Cross Seminary, but only to study English.

In December 2009 though, he had what he called a big accident in Auckland. "Three people beat me up. They wanted my money. I was in a coma for a couple of days and then I was in intensive care for a couple of days as well. Some people thought I would die. Thank God I'm still alive," he said.

It was while he was lying in his hospital bed that he thought about his life. "I realised that God gave me my second life. I wanted to offer it to him. I want to use it for him. He was calling me to be a priest and to serve his people," he said.

The robbers were caught by the police. As part of restorative justice, he met with the man and came to forgive them. "They said they were sorry. I think some were sincere. I told them I came here to forgive them in my heart. After that I felt more at peace," he said.

Fr Austin Fernandes

The first inkling of a call from God happened at a retreat in India in 2000 for Fr Austin Fernandes.

"I wouldn't say it was a calling as such, but that retreat changed my life," he said.

Fr Fernandes, 45, migrated to New Zealand in 2003 and worked for an engineering company. Around 2005 or 2006 Fr Fernandes said he explored an option to be a permanent deacon, with help from Msgr Arahill. But a spiritual advisor suggested he look at priesthood.

After reading the Gospel passage where Jesus told Peter to cast the net into the sea, even though Peter had spent the night failing to catch fish, Fr Fernandes decided to enter the seminary.

This was despite some misgivings about how his family would react.

"Mum was very happy with my decision," he said. Fr Fernandes said he would be a priest not of a particular community, but a priest ‘for everyone', a spiritual father.

The families of the two priests travelled from their respective countries to celebrate the occasion with them.

Used with permission from NZ Catholic newspaper.

Archbishop Peter Loy Chong celebrated a Mass to commemorate the first anniversary of the Agape Ministry for Ethnic Outreach for the Archdiocese of Suva.

Members of the Indo-Fijian, Sri Lankan, Korean, Filipino, Tongan, Samoan, Rotuman and Gilbertese communities were part of the occasion.

Tongan national Lupe McGoon said the event was a celebration her whole family was part of.

"This is a very wonderful thing to celebrate, I am Tongan and my husband James is Part-European and this ministry has really welcomed us without any differences," Ms McGoon said.

The Archbishop said, "The mission of this ministry is to reach out to the many small ethnic communities, welcoming them into the Catholic family, giving them a sense of belonging and supporting them in their need,"

Source

• fijitimes.com
• Image: divinemercycongressnz.com

The theme will be the stars of midwinter: Ave Maris Stella - Matariki.

Matariki is the Maori name for the seven-star constellation that rises in the north-east before dawn in late May / early June.

In Western astronomy it is known the Pleiades, and it forms the shoulder of Taurus the Bull.

The festival will take place in St Patrick's College hall in Kilbirnie.

It will begin at 10:00am with a formal ceremony, and conclude at 6:00pm.

The Catholic Community of Wellington is a microcosm of New Zealand Society.

Along with the Tangata Whenua it includes people who have come to New Zealand from many different parts of the world, Dutch, Samoan, British, Tongan, Chinese, Polish, Tokelau, French, Indonesian, Kiwi, Indian, Italian, Korean, German, Filipino and many other places.

All of the these ethnic communities have been invited to showcase their cultures.

During the day there will be a programmed series of events that will give an opportunity for each of the ethnic groups to demonstrate or perform some aspect of its culture.

The St Mary of the Angels choirs will also be involved.

The organisers are asking for a response from all of Wellington's parishes and communities.

Anyone one who is interested in taking part can contact Robert Oliver:
robert.oliver@paradise.net.nz
04 934 2296;
021 0257 4375

Source

• Supplied
• Image: Farm4.static.flickr.com matervictoriae.altervista.org

The forum's theme is Migrant and refugee employment.

Valuing diversity is a key issue, given the rebuild being undertaken in the Canterbury region and increased recruitment of migrant workers to help drive the rebuild.

The forum will include a variety of keynote speakers, a number of special topic sessions focusing on key race relations issues, and will conclude with the 2014 New Zealand Diversity Awards.

The forum is preceded by the 2014 Diversity Youth Forum. Find out more

He says schools with ethnic names are not fully inclusive of other races but schools with religious names are OK.

Speaking at Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School prize-giving ceremony in Voloca, Dreketi, he said, "Take for instance this school (Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School) — it does not limit students because of their religion, in fact it takes all races and children of different religious backgrounds."

In 2012 all schools in Fiji were requested by the Ministry of Education to remove ethnic words from their names.

In May 2012 Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Doctor Brij Lal said 10 schools with which described themselves in ethnic terms had already changed their names and had been issued with new registration certificates.

Source

• FBC+
• Fiji Times
• Image: Embassy of Japan in Fiji

A number of themes are emerging at the hui, such as which urupa the person should be buried in and how to deal with arguments over the way they should be honoured, commission legal and policy advisor Mihiata Pirini says.

A better outcome can often be achieved if funeral directs tell a family to come back when they have reached a final decision, rather than listening to the first whanau that expresses their opinion, Ms Pirini says. continue reading

His father had migrated to New Zealand from China in the late 30s and ran a fruit shop with Barry's grandfather. He brought his wife and an infant Barry over from Hong Kong in the 1950s.

They rejected Sue out of fear for their grandchildren. What would Asian-Jewish-European children look like? And where would they fit in?

Sue's Jewish grandfather had fled Europe before World War II to the corner of earth farthest from Hitler's Germany. She understood what it meant to be different.

She liked all the things that made Barry Chinese: the language, the food and the culture.

"I had awareness of difference, so it was shocking to be road-blocked with our relationship like that. It was about cultural difference," Sue said.

Then, one day, before the couple left for their OE, Barry's mother told him that when they returned they would accept Sue into the family.

But with more than 10 per cent of New Zealand identifying with more than one ethnic group, the grandparents were right. Sue and Barry's children have had to negotiate difficult issues of identity growing up in New Zealand.

Their eldest daughter, Nicky, who is "very obviously Eurasian", has struggled with her ethnic identity.

"She has never managed to not be Chinese. She has wanted to be white, but she can't get away from looking and feeling Chinese," said Barry.

Nicky is engaged to the son of Taiwanese migrants.

Sue and Barry's youngest son, Richard, has taken a very traditional Chinese girlfriend - a real surprise to his parents.

"It speaks of the era that a 21-year-old grew up in and what was his playing field at primary school and his immersion with other cultures," Sue said. Continue reading

Sources

• Simon Day in The Dominion Post
• Image: Stuff

Simon Day is a reporter for Fairfax NZ