Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono – Update #33

Posted in Newsletters Posted on

Read the full version with images HERE. If you’d like to receive our monthly pānui and invites to special events straight to your inbox, sign up now.

 

Tēnā koutou katoa

Can you believe it’s almost the end of 2021?! This year has been…challenging to say the least. Amongst all the chaos and uncertainty though, 2021 has been a hugely productive year for us, which we’re really proud of. Keep scrolling for all the latest news, opportunities and resources!

This is our final pānui for 2021 – the IACT team will be finishing up this week and then returning again in February 2022. Our socials will still be active during this time though, so you will still be able to stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

We’d like to take this opportunity to say a big NGĀ MIHI NUI to everyone who has supported our mahi in 2021, whether you attended a regional hui, followed us on social media, shared our mahi with others – we appreciate you! A special thank you to our funders for 2021, who have supported and enabled our work:

Foundation North, Todd Foundation, Trust Waikato, Eastern & Central Community Trust, Tindall Foundation, InternetNZ, Wellington Community Trust, and other generous donors.

We look forward to chatting with you again in 2022! Wishing you a safe, fun and relaxing summer break!

Arohanui, The IACT team

He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero.

What is the food of the leader? It is knowledge. It is communication.

Aroha atu, aroha mai

Let us show respect for each other

Tātou i a tātou katoa

For one another

Hui e! Taiki e!

Bind us all together!

In the News

Wayfinding for Belonging

On 26 & 27 November we hosted a virtual wānanga: Tāhono: He Wānanga Tuhonohono – Wayfinding for Belonging, bringing together people from 21 different organisation from across the motu, to collect ideas and formulate action plans for 2022.

In this article, we take a look back at the last two and half years of IACT, the journey so far and our plans for 2022. Read more…

I tiki mai whakawhiti te ra: A Porirua Te Tiriti base Climate Assembly

In mid October we were proud to collaborate with Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira Ngāti Toa and Te Reo o Ngā Tāngata/The People Speak Aotearoa, on the co-design and facilitation of a special hui in Porirua, to discuss a community-led response to climate change. Read more…

We became MindTheGap.nz allies

A new initiative launched on Oct 20 – the MindTheGap.nz campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to create a Public Pay Gap Registry to highlight the need for fairer pay for minority groups in Aotearoa New Zealand.

We are proud to announce that we have joined the campaign as an Allied Organisation! So far the MindTheGap.nz campaign has done some incredible mahi in preparation for the launch of the Pay Gap Registry in March 2022.

If you’re an employer that would like to commit to pay gap reporting in your workplace, or an employee/individual who wants to stand with MindtheGap.nz to advocate for fairer pay, click HERE to learn more!

Accelerating Accessibility in Aotearoa New Zealand

At the end of October a significant announcement was made by the Government to make transformative changes to Aotearoa’s disability system, including:

  • establishing a new Ministry for Disabled People
  • setting up a new Accessibility Governance Board
  • implementing the Enabling Good Lives approach to disability support
  • introducing the Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill, new legislation to make Aotearoa NZ more accessible

The wonderful team at People First New Zealand have put together Easy Read versions of the two cabinet papers. Click HERE to access the cabinet papers in audio, easy read, braille, NZSL and large print.

We joined The Refugee Alliance!

We recently joined The Refugee Alliance as an Associate Member!

The Refugee Alliance is a collective of member organisations who advocate for systemic change to create positive resettlement journeys and brighter futures for refugees in Aotearoa New Zealand.

If you would like to learn more about their mahi or how to join the Alliance, visit their website.

Te Tau Tira – Wellbeing Outcomes Report 2021

“The wellbeing of each of us should be the concern of all of us. We live together in the same country – if some communities are marginalised, it affects us all.” – Chairperson of MHWC, Hayden Wano

The Mental Health & Wellbeing Commission have recently released the Te Rau Tira Wellbeing Outcomes Report, which highlights the need to listen to and work alongside people with highest need and those disproportionately experiencing inequity. It calls for a deliberate focus to ensure all people in Aotearoa New Zealand experience good wellbeing.

Click HERE to read the full report.

IACT in Action

Since we last spoke we’ve hosted two more Community Voices webinars – a big thank you to our guests for taking the time to join us for these conversations!

Community Voices #2: The role of Te Tiriti education in creating an inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand. Featuring:

Watch the full webinar HERE.

Community Voices #3: Exploring the Te Tiriti journey. Featuring:

  • Neelum Patel – freelance research design and evaluation specialist, currently working at Tātou Tātou
  • Andrea Gardner – organisational psychologist with Strategic People Group
  • Rebekah Juang – public health medicine trainee, researcher and local community organiser for Korean New Zealanders for a Better Future

Watch the full webinar HERE.

Opportunities

Refugee Writers’ Collective

Calling all aspiring writers living in Aotearoa New Zealand that self-identify as a former or current refugee/asylum seeker!

Submissions are now open for the Refugee Writers’ Collective created by Open Hearts and Minds – a project of the Auckland Refugee Council building empathy for refugees through advocacy, storytelling and creative collaboration.

You can submit any piece of written work (e.g. poetry, short story, memoir) related to the theme ‘Refugees: Human, First’.

Cash prizes on offer + your work will be judged by a panel of esteemed judges including Golriz Ghahraman, Behrouz Boochani and Abbas Nazari!

Submissions close 22 Feb 2022, 4pm

You can take a lead

A more inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand needs collective leadership and action. We invite you and your community to connect with us and others working for an inclusive society via the options below: