Race Relations Day - Big Change Starts Small

  • Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga
Ethnic Communities

This year’s Race Relations Day gives all New Zealanders the chance to contribute to positive race relations and human rights, Ethnic Communities Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-liga says.

The theme this year is Big Change Starts Small. “We can all do our part, no matter how small, to ensure that New Zealanders of every ethnic background are treated with respect,” Mr Lotu-liga says.

“New Zealand is one of the most ethnically diverse nations and we have come a long way in creating positive race relations. We still have some way to go but change can start with the smallest gesture.”

Race Relations Day is New Zealand’s equivalent of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, held each year on 21 March.

Events will be held around the country to mark the day, including the Auckland International Cultural Festival on 29 March. The festival celebrates the cultural diversity of our largest city, which more than 200 ethnic groups call home.

March 21 is the anniversary of South Africa’s Sharpeville Massacre in 1960 in which 69 people were shot dead by South African police while protesting peacefully against racist apartheid laws.

In 1966, the United Nations Geneva Assembly dedicated the anniversary of the massacre to achieving the goals of the Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.