Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

ETHNIC AFFAIRS
Our vision
New Zealand‟s ethnic population will reach 500,000 by the 2011 general election and by
2026 it is projected to be as large as the current Māori population. This growing diversity
influences many aspects of our lives and shapes our economic and social institutions. No
one is immune from the impact of our growing ethnic pluralism.
This is also a reflection of our globalised world. How all New Zealanders adjust to and reap
the benefits of these changes will impact on our social and economic development.
Labour will ensure that our ethnic policy complements our commitment to the Treaty of
Waitangi and the place of Māori as tangata whenua in New Zealand.
Labour accepts that the growth in the number of ethnic communities and people from
different cultures does not automatically guarantee their full and productive participation in all
aspects of New Zealand life. However, Labour believes that the desire to be integrated as
productive members of New Zealand society exists among ethnic communities.
Ethnic communities want to live in a New Zealand where they can preserve their family life,
where their children can participate fully and on equal terms and where their elderly are able
to play their traditional roles in the family. Our ethnic communities aspire to be in
employment that is consistent with their qualifications and experience. They wish to see
their children receive the best education possible. Many members of ethnic communities
wish to take up opportunities to be successful in business and the professions and to
contribute to New Zealand‟s overall success and development.
While making a full contribution to New Zealand society our ethnic communities expect to
access the full range of goods and services on the same basis as all other citizens.
Labour believes that New Zealand society is enriched by our ethnic diversification, and that
realising the full potential of our growing diversity cannot be left to chance. It will depend on
the state adopting a deliberate and constructive process to creatively capitalise on this new
pluralism and create an inclusive contemporary New Zealand identity that recognises our
shared histories as citizens of Aotearoa New Zealand. Labour‟s ethnic and related policies
are designed to move New Zealand‟s ethnic relations beyond symbolism to joint nation
building.
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