Information

Disaster and emergency support hub

Information for ethnic communities about what support is in disasters and emregencies available and where to get help.

Check out our disaster and emergency support hub

Language resource hub

Find information and resources produced by the Ministry for Ethnic Communities in a range of languages, as well as resources to better communicate and work with people from diverse communities.

Read more and access resources »

Greetings in different languages

Find greetings and phrases in several ethnic community languages, including how these words or phrases are written, transliterated, and pronounced.

Find greetings in different languages

Multilingual posters for the workplace

We have created several translated signs, posters, and labels that can be put up around workplaces to increase the visibility of other languages and encourage their daily use.

Find the posters

Key events and dates for New Zealand ethnic communities

A list of significant cultural and faith days recognised by New Zealand’s ethnic communities.

Find significant cultural and faith dates

Videos

Find videos on several topics including health, emergency preparedness and response, and the Ethnic Communities Development Fund. These videos are available in a number of languages.

Watch our videos

Ethnic Communities in New Zealand

We have created the Ethnic Communities’ Data Dashboard in partnership with Statistics New Zealand. It is an interactive tool that allows you access to information on ethnic communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. You can use it to create comprehensive information on ethnicity, religion, and language – at national and regional levels.

Ethnic Communities in New Zealand»

Language support

If you are calling a government agency and you need language assistance, ask for an interpreter.

Find out more

Our Culture, Our Pride

The Ministry of Social Development have created an informative booklet about family violence and abuse in ethnic communities, created in partnership with Te Puna Aonui and SHAKTI.

This booklet is in the process of being translated to nine other languages. View the digital version of this booklet in the link below, or email ecvp@msd.govt.nz to request free physical copies.

Click here for a digital version of 'Our Culture, Our Pride'

Guides and How-tos

Intercultural Capability E-learning

This introductory eLearning programme is aimed at increasing people's cultural understanding to better interact or communicate with people from different backgrounds.

eLearning programme »

Unlocking Language Barriers - Translation Guidance

This guide provides practical advice and information to support government agencies and other organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand to better communicate with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities.

Read the guidance »

How to write a nomination for a New Zealand Royal Honour

Our step-by-step guide explains how to nominate a person for a New Zealand Royal Honour. This includes information about the nomination process, tips and advice for making a nomination and how to complete the nomination form.

Read the guide »

Language Celebration Guidelines

The Heritage and Community Language Celebration Guidelines are a resource designed to support communities to celebrate and maintain their heritage languages, giving practical advice on the process of organising a language celebration.

Read the guidelines »

Making a Submission to government

We have produced guidelines for how to make a submission to a Parliamentary Select Committee. Submissions are sometimes sought from the general public when changes are being made to policies or to legislation. A submission is a way to present your views.

Information on making a submission »

Ethnicity Matters – a guide to working with ethnic communities

This is a guide intended to help public sector organisations work with and respond to the needs of ethnic communities.

Ethnicity Matters guide »

Ethnic diversity in the workplace

This set of resources are aimed at increasing competence related to recruiting and managing staff from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds.

Diversity in the workplace information »

Employment rights and responsibilities

All workers have the same employment rights in New Zealand, no matter what their visa status. This page provides information on employment rights and how to get help as an employee.

Employment information »

Official Information Act request

The Official Information Act allows New Zealanders to make requests for information relating to our work, including the advice we provide to our Minister.

How to make a request »

Check out the previous requests

Research and Reports

Ethnic Evidence - Increasing the visibility and value of New Zealand's diversity

Ethnic Evidence report brings together in one place evidence on how Ethnic Communities are doing in New Zealand. This report is designed to help the public sector consider Ethnic Communities for government investment, policy development and service delivery intervention.

Read the report

COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Fund Final Report

The Ethnic Communities COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Fund was a partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry for Ethnic Communities. The NZD$2-million fund was established to “assist ethnic communities in achieving equitable uptake and access to the COVID-19 Vaccine.”

This report closes the COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Fund, which ran from 1 October 2021 till 30 June 2022. It summarises all phases of securing funding from the system, administration of the fund, and the results achieved. The report also highlights the partnership role our ethnic community organisations played in Aotearoa’s COVID-19 Vaccination response.

Read the COVID-19 Vaccine Update Fund Final Report

Read a snapshot of Ethnic Communities' experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand during COVID-19 lockdown

Former Refugees, Recent Migrants and Ethnic Communities Employment Action Plan

The Former Refugees, Recent Migrants and Ethnic Communities Employment Action Plan is a resource with information, analysis and policy options aimed at improving labour market outcomes for former refugees, recent migrants, and ethnic communities.

Read the plan 

Digital inclusion user insights – Former refugees and migrants with English as a second language

The purpose of this research, which is published by the Department of Internal Affairs in partnership with the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, is to understand the lived experience of one of the most often digitally excluded groups: former refugees and marginalised migrants with English as a second language. The report includes key findings and research recommendations (not government policy) for government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to consider in order to improve digital inclusion for former refugees and marginalised migrants in New Zealand.

Read the report

Connecting with Faith Communities and Interfaith Groups report - November 2020

This report is a record of the discussions from a series of hui that we conducted with New Zealand's Faith and Interfaith groups. It outlines the key themes that emerged and identifies chances for our office, community organisatons, and members of our communities to address the challenges, issues, and opportunities that were raised.

Read the report

Conversations with Aotearoa New Zealand’s Muslim Communities

This report presents key themes from a series of conversations the Office of Ethnic Communities conducted with New Zealand’s Muslim communities in the wake of the 15 March 2019 terror attacks, and identifies opportunities for addressing them.

Read the report

Aotearoa and Bharat Māori-Indian

Professor Edwina Pio ONZM’s book explores early connections between Māori and Indians, the themes that bonded them, and profiles several Māori-Indians.

Read the book

Caste Away? Unfolding the Maori Indian

The research, conducted by Dr Edwina Pio in association with the Office of Ethnic Affairs, explores the experiences of those from a mixed Māori/Indian background.

Read the research

Our Languages – Tō Tātou Reo

This information, collected from the 2001 Census, 2006 Census and 2013 Census, provides detail about the languages spoken in New Zealand. Find out more about what languages are spoken, where, and by whom.

Languages information »

Trailblazers – inspiring stories from migrant women entrepreneurs

Trailblazers is a collection of inspirational stories of first generation, migrant women business entrepreneurs in New Zealand.

Read Trailblazers

Chinese Poll Tax

The Office of Ethnic Communities has assembled information about the discriminatory history of the Chinese Poll Tax in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and led a consultation process to find a form of reconciliation appropriate to the descendants of Poll Tax payers.

More information