Kamusta,

Covid restrictions are back, but Anjum and Nona were fortunate with the timing and were able to fit another road trip in before the lockdown in Auckland and country wide Level 2 was put into place. This time, they covered the eastern region between Christchurch and Dunedin and locations through Southland. Sara is continuing the extensive data analysis work, and Talie is busy reorganising and replanning the road trip, the hui, and the zoom conversations based on the new restrictions.

Unfortunately, our Christchurch hui had to be cancelled to ensure we were putting health and safety first, but as always, we are ready to hold Zoom conversations whenever needed by those who planned to attend the hui. We are still looking at Tauranga, Bay of Plenty and Hawke’s Bay road trips, as well as crossing our fingers for an Auckland hui, while keeping a close eye on Covid levels.

Do check out our media page on our website for a range of presentations and media conversations. We wish all of you and your whānau good health and peace in these unsure times. We will come out stronger and more resilient from these experiences if we hold together as a community.

Christchurch Hui Cancelled

Our Christchurch hui has been cancelled due to the level 2 restrictions on large group gatherings which make it difficult to have the small group conversations we run at the larger hui. But we want to ensure you have the opportunity to participate in a conversation. There will be scheduled Zoom events that you can join, or if you want to schedule a conversation for yourself or your group that is outside the scheduled events, please do not hesitate to contact Talie.

Tauranga Conversations: Wed, 26 August
We are hosting small group conversations in Tauranga, with the necessary social distancing requirements, attention to disinfecting shared surfaces, and recommendations to use masks. We welcome your participation. There will be two sessions held on the day, and registration buttons are below.

Venue: The Kollective, 145 17th Avenue, Tauranga
Sessions: 10:30 am – 12 pm; 5:30 pm – 7 pm

If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact Talie.
REGISTER FOR 10.30AM SESSION
REGISTER FOR 530PM SESSION

Whakatane/ Hawke’s Bay/ Taupo conversations
After the Tauranga event, we are hosting group conversations in Whakatane, Hawke’s Bay Area and Taupo.

Mon 31 August 1pm : Whakatane
Mon 31 August 6pm: Whakatane
Tue 1 September 1pm: Gisborne
Tue 1 September 6pm: Gisborne
Wed 2 September 6pm: Napier / Hastings
Thu 3 September 930am: Napier / Hastings
Thu 3 September 1pm: Napier / Hastings
Fri 4 September: 10am Taupo
Fri 4 September: 1pm Taupo

If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact Talie.

Stories from the road

From early to mid-August, Anjum and Nona visited sites in Mid-Canterbury, Otago and Southland. The first day was packed with a conversation in Ashburton at the Mid-Canterbury Community House, followed by a conversation with the wonderful women of the Fale Pacifica o Aoraki Trust in Timaru. Our thanks to Adi Avnit and Ofa Boyle for organising these respective events.

On our way to Dunedin, we stopped for a walk at Moeraki Boulders. The tide was high and the evening sun cast a beautiful light on the boulders bathing in the surf, Anjum’s jandals took an independent swim, and we felt re-energised and ready for the next bit of driving.

In Dunedin, we met with several groups over the course of two days. A massive thank you to Jasmine Wilson who brought together a diverse range of participants from a variety of sectors and assisted us with a myriad of logistical tasks. Next was an insightful conversation in Balclutha, with a rural group brought together by Gloria McHutchon. Gore’s senior centre and public library provided spaces for us the next morning and afternoon for conversations, and then we headed to Invercargill.

At this point, the Covid restrictions were announced and the decision was made to cancel the Christchurch Hui. Two more sessions were held, in Invercargill and then in Queenstown, before we concluded this road trip.

Thank you to Meggy Bartlett-McBride of the Southland Multicultural Council who brought together members from a variety of ethnic communities to engage with us, and to Marie Day from the Lakes District Council for helping us with the Queenstown community groups and also the use of a venue. We appreciated the community members who came along on a particularly cold night to join a conversation.

Conversation group in Dunedin.

Moeraki Boulders.

Conversation with Assistant Librarian Megan in the Gore public library.

Meeting with Dr. Mai Tamimi and Dr. Mohammed Rizwan.

Auckland Hui: Saturday, 26 September
We are going ahead with the planning for the Auckland Hui, with the understanding that it is a Covid-dependent event. Should the health risk to the community continue, we will move to Zoom events.

Please note that we have postponed the hui from our originally advertised date to Saturday, 26th September.

Please save the date and pass along this information to your networks.

Date: Saturday, 26 September 2020
Venue: Auckland venue available upon registration
Time: 2 – 5 pm
If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact Talie.
REGISTER FOR AUCKLAND HUI

Check out our media page!

Do check out our media page on our website. Anjum Rahman has been very active in the past month with speaking engagements on a range of topics, from online hate to media advice to the issues of racism. There are also various media interviews.
IN THE MEDIA