More than 450 people from across New Zealand’s business ecosystem joined our ministry on 14 November 2025 for our second annual Ethnic Xchange symposium.
Held at the Cordis hotel in Auckland, Ethnic Xchange: Going for Growth – Expanding Ethnic Enterprises (EX25) highlighted the economic contributions of Kiwi ethnic businesses. Topics such as global trade and connections, innovation, AI and investment were explored through a series of panel discussions, breakout sessions and speeches. Speakers included Government ministers, high commissioners and ambassadors, as well as ethnic entrepreneurs, business leaders, experts, innovators and researchers.
EX25 was also a platform for participants to share their own stories, gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and hear about new ideas and technologies. It was also an opportunity to connect with a diverse range of people from throughout New Zealand’s business ecosystem. Engaging Question-and-Answer sessions provided participants with the opportunity to ask questions and seek advice.
It was an energising day, with people excited to gain new knowledge and form new partnerships. Feedback from participants is that the symposium provided a unique opportunity to discover insights, advice and tips from a wide range of stakeholders and make connections which they hope will form long-lasting partnerships.
Mervin Singham, Chief Executive, Ministry for Ethnic Communities told everyone who had gathered that economic development and social cohesion are not separate goals, but rather interdependent ecosystems.
“Businesses flourish when communities are stable, connected, and confident. And communities thrive when businesses create opportunity, mobility, and hope. That’s the ecosystem we’re building - one that’s human-centred, future-focused, and powered by people like you.”
By working together, instead of alone, we can achieve much more, he said.
Ethnic Xchange 2025 extends on the Ministry’s previous economic development work, which includes smaller business roundtable discussions focussing on specific topics such as women ethnic entrepreneurs and the hospitality, tourism and screen sectors. We have also commissioned reports looking at what the data and evidence says about Ethnic Communities’ contributions to the economy.
Two further reports were shared at Ethnic Xchange.
- Economic contribution of ethnic minority communities 2001–2023 report (PDF) was prepared by economist Shamubeel Eaqub for our Ministry and other agencies. It revealed that Ethic Communities contributed $87 billion to the economy in 2023, up from $64b in 2021.
- Ethnic Women Entrepreneurs: Amplifying impact for New Zealand report (PDF) was commissioned by our Ministry and prepared by Ziena Jalil.
Both reports show while Ethnic Communities make valuable contributions to the economy, much more needs to be done to tackle systemic barriers and challenges. We will be looking further into the findings of these reports as we continue our economic development work and preparations for Ethnic Xchange 2026.
Thank you to everyone who joined us at Ethnic Xchange and a special thank you to our sponsors Xero, KPMG New Zealand, AUT, Auckland Business Chamber, Ministry for Women and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).
