Strategic Intentions 2024–2028

The Ministry’s strategic priorities reflect the areas where we believe we can make the greatest contribution to New Zealand. Together, they support our two strategic impact areas of strengthening social cohesion and building better evidence and data to inform decision-making. Through these priorities, we help ensure that Ethnic Communities are connected, included and able to contribute fully to New Zealand society. This has been done while improving the evidence, insights and advice that enable the Government to respond effectively to their needs and aspirations.

We work with communities, other government agencies, and a range of organisations to help increase social cohesion and to ensure that New Zealand is a place where everyone feels welcome, valued and empowered.

Our mandate comes from the communities we engage with and their priorities are ours:

1. Promoting the value of diversity and improving the inclusion of Ethnic Communities in wider society.
2. Ensuring government services are accessible for Ethnic Communities.
3. Improving economic outcomes for Ethnic Communities, including addressing barriers to employment.
4. Connecting and empowering Ethnic Community groups.

Priority 1:

Promoting the value of diversity and improving the inclusion of Ethnic Communities in wider society

The Ministry is operating in a challenging and evolving environment with rapid technological, geopolitical and social change, creating new opportunities and challenges for communities, institutions and society.

Strong social cohesion helps build trust, belonging and participation, which are essential for thriving communities and a well-functioning society. The Ministry supports communities to strengthen relationships, leadership and capability, so communities can lead their own progress and build resilience. The initiatives outlined below are examples of how we have contributed to that work over the past year.

Harmony Accord

On 22 July 2025, the Ministry facilitated the signing of the Harmony Accord at Government House by leaders of the New Zealand Jewish Council, the New Zealand Jewish Community Security Group Charitable Trust, the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, Dayenu: New Zealand Jews Against Occupation, the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand, and His Highness the Aga Khan Council for Australia and New Zealand.

The Accord was developed in response to global conflicts and their impact on Jewish and Muslim communities in New Zealand. It established a shared commitment to promote understanding, reject all forms of hate and extremism, and strengthen social cohesion through ongoing dialogue and cooperation.

As a voluntary, community-led agreement, the Ministry has played a deliberate facilitative role, creating the conditions for signatories to build relationships and identify opportunities for collaboration at a pace determined by them. This approach has supported steady progress in maintaining dialogue, strengthening mutual understanding, and building connections between participating organisations.

A significant early outcome emerged in February 2026 when signatories identified youth engagement as a practical opportunity to foster trust and reduce social distance between their communities. Building on this shared priority, the Ministry supported a Youth Innovation Lab in June 2026, bringing together 12 Jewish and Muslim youth.

Faith Leaders Forum

During the year, government agencies used the Faith Leaders Forum to engage directly with faith leaders and gain insights into community concerns. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) discussed visa settings affecting faith communities, including the Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa and Religious Worker Work Visa. Feedback raised through the Forum was provided to MBIE, helping ensure community perspectives informed government agency consideration of these issues.

The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) also engaged with the Forum, providing an overview of the 2025 Security Threat Environment report and discussing issues such as foreign interference, extremism and community safety. This enabled faith leaders to better understand emerging risks, share accurate information with their communities, and strengthen community awareness and resilience.

By fostering mutual understanding, strengthening relationships, and enabling constructive engagement on matters of community importance, the Forum contributed to greater social cohesion, inclusion and community resilience across New Zealand.

Ethnic Communities’ contribution to public sector governance and board appointments

The Ministry has identified gaps in the contribution and participation of Ethnic Communities in the governance and leadership spheres of the public service.

Between March and May 2026, the Ministry delivered a series of governance information sessions that were at no cost to participants, to support greater representation of people from Ethnic Communities on public sector boards. The sessions increased awareness of governance pathways, board appointment processes, and opportunities to contribute to public sector decision-making.

Through practical insights and lived experience shared by seasoned ethnic directors, participants gained greater confidence and understanding of governance roles. This Ministry-facilitated process has highlighted the under-representation of Ethnic Communities within governance structures and improved the visibility of Ethnic Communities in public sector leadership.

By strengthening the pipeline of qualified candidates from Ethnic Communities, the initiative supported government efforts to broaden the diversity of perspectives informing public sector governance, policy development and strategic decision-making. Increased representation helps ensure policies and services are better informed by the experiences and needs of New Zealand's diverse communities.

Priority 2:

Ensuring government services are accessible for Ethnic Communities

Better evidence, data and insights help New Zealand understand its changing population. This year we worked to strengthen the breadth and depth of information available about Ethnic Communities, ensuring their needs, aspirations and potential are reflected in the decisions, services and investments that shape New Zealand.

Deeper dives into data and evidence

Since the launch of the Ethnic Evidence report in 2024, the Ministry has continued to expand the evidence base on Ethnic Communities, providing more detailed insights into areas that are important to communities, government agencies and decision-makers.

This has included producing more detail on Ethnic Community business ownership, pay gaps for Ethnic Communities, insights on ethnic women entrepreneurs, and updated information on justice and safety. The Ministry has also built on concerns raised through Ethnic Evidence and by communities themselves.  A key example being a project looking at youth mental health for Middle Eastern, Latin American, and African (MELAA)36 [36:The Ministry's remit includes people who identify their ethnicity as Middle Eastern, Latin American, Continental European, Asian or African, and that this includes new and temporary migrants, former refugees, asylum-seekers, long-term settlers and those born in New Zealand]. The topic was approached from both a data and an experiential perspective to build a richer understanding of community experiences and needs.

The Ministry has also partnered with others to address important evidence gaps. For example, it jointly commissioned a report on the economic contribution of ethnic minority communities with the Waitakere Ethnic Board and the MBIE Auckland Policy Office. Significantly, this report revealed that these communities contributed $87 billion to New Zealand’s GDP in 2023. Other insights included that in comparison with the New Zealand European population, these communities also tend to be younger, with a higher proportion aged 25 to 54 (prime working years), and are more likely to hold tertiary-level qualifications.

To improve access to information and increase the visibility of Ethnic Communities in decision-making, the Ministry has developed a dashboard based on Census 2023 data.

Improving the information and evidence base for Ethnic Communities remains one of the core priorities for the Ministry, with updates to ethnic evidence and further deep dives into topics such as business, employment, justice and safety, and emergency management underway.

Emergency preparedness

Ethnic evidence data and experience from past emergencies show that emergency preparedness is lower for some Ethnic Communities compared to the wider population. Preparedness is a result of a range of factors, including how well systems (such as emergency planning) are engaging with increasingly diverse communities.

A key role for the Ministry is to support improvements at a systems level. The Ministry has supported work led by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on the Emergency Management Bill.  The Bill provides significant opportunities for the skills, expertise and specific needs of Ethnic Communities to be reflected in emergency management.

As a result of this work, the Ministry has provided insights from Ethnic Communities about barriers to emergency preparedness and ensured those perspectives informed emergency management decision-making within New Zealand.

Language Assistance Service

Interpreting services are essential to ensuring equitable access to government services for all New Zealanders. After transitioning the Language Assistance Service from MBIE to the Ministry in April 2025, the Ministry has been the lead agency for the Service, strengthening system leadership and coordination, as well as reviewing the programme for future improvements and longer-term sustainability.

Priority 3:

Improving economic outcomes, including addressing barriers to employment

While the Ministry continues with community engagement and convening of discussions, it is now also working on initiatives and network development supported by data and evidence.

In particular, the second business symposium reached a significantly greater audience and produced two key reports, supported by a specific workstream focused on ethnic women entrepreneurs.

Ethnic Xchange 2025

The Ministry hosted the second iteration of its business symposium, Ethnic Xchange 2025: Going for Growth – Expanding Ethnic Enterprises. The symposium brought together more than 460 participants from across New Zealand and overseas, including 17 ethnic business organisations, entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers, government ministers, high commissioners and ambassadors. The event provided a platform to share evidence, exchange ideas and strengthen connections across the business ecosystem.

The growing scale and support for Ethnic Xchange is reflected in the increasing recognition of its value to the ethnic business community, with attendance rising from over 300 in 2024 to more than 460 in 2025, alongside strong backing from public and private sector sponsors.

Ethnic Xchange 2025 reinforced the Ministry’s focus on economic development as a key foundation for social cohesion. Two major reports were released at the symposium, highlighting the significant contribution of Ethnic Communities to New Zealand’s economy, estimated at $87 billion, and underscoring the growing impact of ethnic women entrepreneurs.

Raising visibility and influence of ethnic women entrepreneurs

The Ministry has identified gaps and opportunities for ethnic women entrepreneurs within the wider ethnic business communities in New Zealand.

An inaugural gathering of ethnic women entrepreneurs was held in Auckland in August 2025, leading to the establishment of the NZ Ethnic Women Entrepreneurs Network. The network has continued to grow, with more than 160 members sharing information, building connections and providing peer support.

In November 2025, the Ministry launched the Ethnic Women Entrepreneurs: Amplifying Impact for New Zealand report at Ethnic Xchange 2025 (Breaking Barriers Report). Drawing on in-depth research and interviews with 16 entrepreneurs, the report highlighted the significant contribution of ethnic women to innovation, job creation and export growth. It also identified systemic barriers to business success, including limited access to capital, investment bias, and challenges accessing networks and mentorship.

The report provided an evidence base to inform policy and stakeholder discussions on improving economic inclusion, and included recommendations for government, business support organisations, ethnic businesses, community organisations and philanthropies. Together, these initiatives increased the visibility of ethnic women entrepreneurs and supported the Ministry's priority to promote diversity and strengthen the participation of Ethnic Communities in New Zealand's economic development.

Priority 4:

Connecting and empowering Ethnic Community groups

Security and resilience

Foreign interference remains a complex and evolving challenge for New Zealand. Some Ethnic Communities experience pressure, intimidation, and attempts by foreign states to silence their voices. Everyone in New Zealand has the right to feel safe and express their views freely. When those rights are undermined, it affects us all.

Through sustained engagement with Ethnic Communities, the Ministry learned about their experiences of foreign interference, how it impacts them and what support they need.

In the past year, the Ministry developed the Community Resilience to Foreign Interference Hub (www.crfi.govt.nz), creating New Zealand's first dedicated national platform for building community resilience to foreign interference. The launch of the Hub in July 2026 represents a significant step forward in New Zealand's ability to support communities to identify risks, access support and strengthen their resilience.

The Hub provides a central and accessible source of trusted information, practical tools and guidance, strengthening communities' ability to recognise foreign interference, and respond in ways that work for them. It has been developed with communities in mind and directly informed by their experiences. The Hub will continue to evolve alongside community needs and the changing nature of foreign interference.

Historically, the Ministry’s role has often been to share information and connect communities with the Government. The Hub reflects an evolution of that role, helping to build the foundations that enable communities to respond to complex challenges themselves.

Throughout the year, the Ministry published six new resources to help communities understand foreign interference and the roles of government agencies, and to provide them with practical support and guidance. These resources, developed using community insights, are available in 31 languages to ensure they are accessible to a wide range of communities across New Zealand (see link above).

A further eight resources were developed in 2025 for release through the Hub in July 2026, including a comprehensive toolkit for community organisations and leaders, and resources on how to seek support and advice.

Ethnic Communities Development Fund (ECDF)

The Ethnic Communities Development Fund (ECDF) provides $4.2 million a year for one-off projects that support Ethnic Communities to develop skills, celebrate their culture and participate in society.

In 2025/26, a total of 718 applications were processed (up from 615 in 2024/25) and 484 grants were awarded (up from 408 in 2024/25) to the total value of $4.2 million.

The Fund is highly valued by Ethnic Communities, with demand consistently exceeding available funding.

2025/26 - 484 grants awarded

The table below shows how the 2025/2026 grants align with the Ministry’s four strategic priorities:

Celebrating diversity and inclusion at Parliament

Celebrating community events at Parliament reaffirms our commitment to fostering understanding, respect and unity in New Zealand. Hosted by the Minister for Ethnic Communities, over 400 Ethnic Community and business stakeholders attended one of the events held in celebration of Diwali in November 2025, the Lunar New Year 2026 and Eid in April 2026. These events showcase New Zealand’s rich multicultural heritage and provide opportunities for collective celebration of culture and social cohesion.

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