New Zealand Diversity Forum Speech

Good afternoon, it is a pleasure to be here this afternoon to help celebrate the wonderful diversity of New Zealand.

This year's forum focuses on the achievements and challenges faced by Asian New Zealanders now and in the future.

As Minister for Ethnic Affairs, I am committed to ensuring that individuals of community is able to overcome stereotypes and other barriers to achieve their full potential.

I will know it is successful when, as a Cabinet Minister, I am asked in the future to talk about dynamic New Zealanders as a whole moving forward for a brighter future.

In the meantime, a socially harmonious multi-cultural society like ours needs to be nurtured and must also reinforce the many reasons we have to be proud of our wonderful and diverse heritage.

Events like this Diversity Forum and others like the Chinese Banana Conference and the Korean Kimchi Conference are important because they provide an opportunity to take stock of and showcase the diversity and expertise of ethnic communities in New Zealand.

The Asia New Zealand Foundation recently released research which reinforces the common knowledge that many from Asian communities feel like they aren't quite "Kiwi" enough.

The research found that New Zealand-born Chinese generally defined themselves as being both Chinese and Kiwi, but were more likely to identify as being Chinese when Chinese New Zealanders were being portrayed negatively in the media - which is a common feeling among our ethnic communities.

It is important to celebrate all the different people who are proud to call themselves Kiwis and also to explore the deep, vibrant ethnic history that has made our country great.

Many people from our many ethnic communities have planted deep roots in the historical landscape of New Zealand and continue to nurture the growth for our future.

The first Asian to come to our shores was Appo Hocton, a Chinese man who arrived aboard the Thomas Harrison and invited himself to stay in 1842, playing an important role in setting up the road networks in Nelson.

Meanwhile, our Indian community can trace its origins to the arrival of Mr Phuman Singh Gill, who arrived in 1890 and set up a sweet factory in Wanganui.

These two early settlers depicted the typical pioneering spirit shared by migrants who left their home countries in search of better opportunities - something that has been repeated by hundreds of thousands of families ever since.

Early Asian pioneers were met with various levels of discrimination, obstacles and eventual acceptance, but despite the harsh times were able to be pioneers in many fields.

For example, Chinese New Zealander Mr Choi Sew Hoy pioneered the gold dredging system in Otago in 1889, while Indian-born Edward Peter has been wildly hailed as helping discover the gold mines in the1850s.

However, these achievements are not widely known facts in New Zealand's history - in fact the achievements of ethnic New Zealanders have only recently started being written about and celebrated.

It wasn't until the late 1990s that books and other written accounts started flourishing and we started to examine the many different cultures and stories that have contributed to our history.

These stories have brought with them a sense of pride within our ethnic communities, which has overcome the old traditional ways that often saw immigrants keeping their heads down and trying not to create waves.

Composition of Asian communities also increased and changed due to the arrival of international students from Asia in the mid 1900s.

Many of these students decided to stay in New Zealand and have created a new class of Asian professional migrants, who have broadened the field of participation of Asian beyond the traditional family business jobs to the public sector and afar.

This trend was also boosted through the targeting for skilled and business migrants during the late 1990s, which brought about a change within Asian communities that saw them go from passive to vocal.

As Asian New Zealanders, we are now proud to be seen and heard instead of just being seen.

As Minister for Ethnic Affairs and someone who has been a part of the Asian communities for the last three decades, I feel privileged and fortunate to bring a new perspective and focus to the Office of Ethnic Affairs, which will take into account of the dynamics in Ethnic communities.

It is to the benefit of New Zealand that we should work to enable Asian and all Ethnic New Zealanders to become confident, equal and proud citizens who can fulfil their maximum potential.

Because when we are confident, we can actively participate in all aspects of New Zealand life. We know that we have a voice and we know how to have it heard.

When we are Equal, we can reach our full potential and not feel hindered by barriers that can hold us back.

And when we are proud, we know we have a sense of belonging and a stake in the future of New Zealand.  We can celebrate our bi or multi-ethnic heritage.

However, barriers like stereotypes and collective identities often contribute to a feeling among our ethnic communities that they are "second class" citizens.

When talking about the barriers that hold ethnic New Zealanders back, I like to use the analogy of an invisible wall built up around ourselves.

A brick is added to the invisible wall every time we feel we are being discriminated against, or every time we feel that we are being held back because of our ethnicity.

Every barrier that we face - whether it be language and cultural barriers, or the feeling that as ethnic New Zealanders what we think doesn't really matter - are all bricks used to build this wall.

More bricks are added to this invisible wall every time we become offended by collective identity - through words like ‘those Asian' - and again every time a stereotype is born; every time we are made to feel like we don't belong.

And the mortar that holds this invisible wall together is made from the confusion that many of us feel in terms of our identity.

But it is important to realise that this is just a mindset and the fact that we can come together at forums like this to talk openly about diversity shows that these identity issues are slowly eroding away.

Events like this Diversity Forum provide an opportunity for us to reinforce and showcase success stories among our ethnic communities and show that the invisible wall is ready to come tumbling down.

Because a brick is removed every time an Ethnic New Zealander works hard and achieves; every time signs of leadership are displayed.

Our country's forefathers like Appo Hocton and Phuman Singh Gill, have already left sizeable cracks in the invisible wall - making it easier for each passing generation to break through.

Each and every one of us has the ability to smash through the invisible wall and achieve, because we live in a country that encourages its citizens to harness the tools of success - including a can do attitude that can smash through any barrier.

We are ready to step over the rubble and through to the other side as confident, equal and proud citizens 

The fact that I am standing here addressing you as New Zealand's first Cabinet Minister of Asian descent is a sign that  "Yes, we can".

I am committed to ensuring that this invisible wall that hampers New Zealand from utilising the skills of all our people is smashed down for the benefit of our nation.

These are not just words; the Office of Ethnic Affairs is working towards this vision through its nomination service to promote more diversified expertise in the boardroom and by running leadership training workshops for emerging young leaders.

Other priorities of the Office include equal access to employment opportunities, health services and other government agencies through initiatives like Language Line.

Language Line is a free interpretation service that offers 40 different languages, enabling members of our ethnic communities to speak with 60 government departments and agencies in the language they are most comfortable.

It is important that we all have a voice, both in issues that affect our families, but also in the decision making process of New Zealand.

That is why the Office is also holding a range of workshops, which discuss the Select Committee process of government and our rights as New Zealanders to have our voices heard.

I want ours to be a nation that values the input of our ethnic communities; where each and every one of us is confident, equal and proud enough to fully participate in all aspects of New Zealand life.

Thank You.