Whau Local Board has become the first board in Auckland to launch an Ethnic Peoples Plan [PDF], helping it to better meet the needs of a growing and increasingly diverse ethnic community.
It was launched with a celebration ceremony in New Lynn, with performances, speeches and entertainment for the approximately 100 community members present.
The Plan was developed with representatives of the community, and contains a number of recommendations in the short, medium and long term.
Recommendations
Recommendations include the convening of an ethnic leaders’ workshop, an ethnic youth identity arts project, initiation of a community-led development forum and an “inclusion and diversity through sports” tool kit.
Whau Local Board Chair, Tracy Mulholland, says the plan will provide opportunities to make the Whau a better-connected place.
“By working with the ethnic community to produce this plan, we are making sure that the future growth of our area is well catered for by the board.
Proud
“I am incredibly proud that the board has become the first in Auckland to have a specific plan for its ethnic population, and this will make a significant difference to the way we go about our business in the future.
“This plan will help us to be more agile, be able to respond better to our growth, and cater for the existing ethnic community that brings so much vibrancy and life to the Whau already.”
Better connection
Whau Local Board Deputy Chair Susan Zhu says the plan will mean a better connection between decisions and programmes Whau Local Board runs.
“With this plan we are making a real statement about our commitment as a board to our diverse community”, she says.
“The board is developing an engagement strategy based on feedback from diverse ethnic communities about the value of face-to-face conversations.
“We know that we need to do more to engage with our ethnic community in order to better understand their needs and make better decisions on matters that will impact them, as well as seeing more appropriate programmes and activities that are of interest to the community.”
