1.3 Background to this Report<strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> is a vibrant city with a strong educational focus that, in recent years, has become home to growing numbers of individuals,families <strong>and</strong> communities from an increasingly diverse range of ethnic backgrounds. This growth has been stimulated by several factors, butmost particularly the large numbers of international students attracted to the city’s tertiary institutions (Massey, UCOL <strong>and</strong> IPC) <strong>and</strong> also thedesignation of <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> as a refugee resettlement location since 2006. At the start of the project, not a great deal was known about theimpact of new settlers on the township of <strong>Feilding</strong>. However, anecdotally it was felt that it too was experiencing change as a result of increasingnumbers of migrant families entering the Manawatu district.Although the region has a number of dedicated services <strong>and</strong> a very committed <strong>and</strong> active refugee <strong>and</strong> migrant sector, it was felt that it wastime to focus more keenly on emerging issues 2 <strong>and</strong> to coordinate services <strong>and</strong> responses to maximise settlement outcomes for newcomers tothe area. Recent high-profile events, such as the Festival of Cultures 3 <strong>and</strong> the Ethkick09 football tournament 4 , highlighted just how diverse the<strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> population actually is <strong>and</strong> brought together some ethnic communities for the first time.SETTLING IN PALMERSTON NORTH AND FEILDING<strong>In</strong> response to the identified issues <strong>and</strong> to build on these successes, a ‘<strong>Settling</strong> <strong>In</strong> <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> / <strong>Feilding</strong>’ working group was established.Participants included representatives from a range of government services, NGOs <strong>and</strong> others, including: Department of <strong>In</strong>ternal Affairs;Ministry of Social Development (MSD) – Family <strong>and</strong> Community Services <strong>and</strong> Work <strong>and</strong> <strong>In</strong>come; New Zeal<strong>and</strong> Police; Housing New Zeal<strong>and</strong>;MidCentral District Health Board; Public Health; Vision Manawatu; <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> City Council; Manawatu District Council; RefugeeServices; Settlement Support; Manawatu Multicultural Council; <strong>and</strong> Massey University. The project was coordinated by <strong>Settling</strong> <strong>In</strong> (MSD) withsignificant support <strong>and</strong> input from <strong>In</strong>ternal Affairs <strong>and</strong> the <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> City Council.1.4 PurposeThis report has been developed to highlight the key issues for refugees <strong>and</strong> migrants who have settled in <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Feilding</strong> <strong>and</strong>, inparticular, to identify needs, gaps in services <strong>and</strong> suggestions for further action. It is intended that this report will be a useful ongoing resourceto provide guidance with respect to future community projects <strong>and</strong> to enhance social services to meet the needs of newcomers to the region.Most significantly, this report gives a voice to the newcomers <strong>and</strong> an insight into their experience of living <strong>and</strong> working in <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong><strong>and</strong> <strong>Feilding</strong> – direct quotes from focus groups are used, unchanged, throughout the report. Accordingly, it is important to emphasise that this<strong>Settling</strong> <strong>In</strong> report is primarily a community report reflecting community perspectives. Although it draws on a range of data, it is largely shapedby qualitative information. It is intended to be a practical document that will support <strong>and</strong> guide future action aimed at making a real differenceat the grassroots level.A large number of the issues raised will require collaborative <strong>and</strong> creative solutions involving a range of agencies, organisations <strong>and</strong> refugees<strong>and</strong> migrants themselves.1.5 ProcessThis report has been developed after research <strong>and</strong> consultation within the <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Feilding</strong> communities. Of particular importancewas the focus groups held with the different newcomer groups 5 . <strong>In</strong> most instances, the focus groups were arranged, facilitated <strong>and</strong> notesrecorded by members of the communities themselves, encouraging free <strong>and</strong> frank discussion within a safe environment. The responsefrom ethnic communities was incredibly positive, involving 30 focus groups (with more than 300 people in total, ranging in age from 5 to 80years). Participants came from homel<strong>and</strong>s in Korea, Myanmar, Bhutan, United Kingdom, Fiji, Russia, Pakistan, Netherl<strong>and</strong>s, Puerto Rico,Rw<strong>and</strong>a, Colombia, Singapore, Malaysia, <strong>In</strong>donesia, <strong>In</strong>dia, Spain, Macedonia, Hong Kong, Yemen, Cambodia, China, Republic of the Congo,Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Philippines <strong>and</strong> Japan. There was also a separate focus group <strong>and</strong> report from the local mosque.Needless to say, such a positive response is very telling – it suggests thatthese communities have something to say <strong>and</strong> that they are keen to have theirvoices heard. These discussions provided an opportunity for newcomers totalk directly about their experiences <strong>and</strong> resulted in a range of qualitative data(generic <strong>and</strong> group-specific) around the most pressing concerns <strong>and</strong> issues.This qualitative data has been supplemented with information from a range ofsources, including statistical data <strong>and</strong> reports from relevant agencies, discussion<strong>and</strong> focus groups with service providers, <strong>and</strong> contributions from others workingwith refugees <strong>and</strong> migrants in <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Feilding</strong>. Members of the<strong>Settling</strong> <strong>In</strong> working group have provided valuable input, expertise <strong>and</strong> supportthroughout the process. The findings <strong>and</strong> consequent recommendations havebeen clustered into areas of interest <strong>and</strong> future focus, for example, ‘accessto services’. Further detail about the methodology, focus groups <strong>and</strong> reportdevelopment process is provided in appendix 1.<strong>Settling</strong> <strong>In</strong> Working Party meeting102Many issues were raised at a “Connecting Diverse Communities” public meeting held in <strong>Palmerston</strong><strong>North</strong> <strong>and</strong> facilitated by Ministry of Social Development & Office of Ethnic Affairs in 2007.3An annual event run by <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> City Council, as part of Race Relations week4Ethkick09, a soccer tournament for teams representing different ethnicities, was held in <strong>Palmerston</strong><strong>North</strong> on 28–29 March. 39 seven-a-side teams played in this successful event, which incorporatedethnic food <strong>and</strong> entertainment throughout.5The focus groups included a range of participants <strong>and</strong> were organised according to ethnicity, age,status (eg international students) or a combination of these factors.
1.6 ScopeAs noted, this <strong>Settling</strong> <strong>In</strong> report focuses on refugees <strong>and</strong> migrants living in <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> city <strong>and</strong> the township of <strong>Feilding</strong>. The workinggroup felt that it was important to focus on these areas in the first instance, as there are known concentrations of newcomers there <strong>and</strong>identified communities <strong>and</strong> issues to consider. There was also concern that if the geographical scope of the project was too wide, it maybecome unmanageable. It is important to note, however, that as many residents across the Manawatu <strong>and</strong> adjoining districts access services<strong>and</strong> other activities in <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Feilding</strong>, it is likely that the outcomes of this report will also impact on those refugees <strong>and</strong> migrantsliving beyond the parameters of this <strong>Settling</strong> <strong>In</strong> project.The scope of the content is largely shaped by the information available from the range of sources noted above. Any information gaps (includingwhere the voice of a particular community has not been heard) will be highlighted. It is also hoped that the key findings will provide a foundationto support any additional research in this area <strong>and</strong> give some direction as to the nature <strong>and</strong> scope of any further work.1.7 AcknowledgementsThe development of this <strong>Settling</strong> <strong>In</strong> report has been highly collaborative, involving committed individuals from many agencies <strong>and</strong> enablingaccess to a wide range of information sources <strong>and</strong> expertise. The dedication of working group members in terms of locating migrant <strong>and</strong>refugee communities <strong>and</strong> then encouraging them to be part of this process has greatly enriched the quality <strong>and</strong> depth of information available.Particular thanks must go to the Department of <strong>In</strong>ternal Affairs <strong>and</strong> <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> City Council for the active support they have given to thisproject in a number of ways, including access to key staff <strong>and</strong> the provision of venues <strong>and</strong> other resources throughout. These contributionshave had a significant impact on the efficient progression of the report <strong>and</strong> the overall success of the project. The leadership <strong>and</strong> support givenby mayors throughout the project is highly valued <strong>and</strong> signals a very positive local commitment.Many people were consulted or interviewed throughout the project – unfortunately too many to mention individually. However, special thanksare extended to everyone involved particularly for their generous provision of time, knowledge <strong>and</strong> expertise.Finally, the contribution of the refugee <strong>and</strong> migrant communities has been enormous <strong>and</strong> must be acknowledged. For many, it was their firstopportunity to offer thoughts <strong>and</strong> suggestions about their experiences, the difficulties they face <strong>and</strong> how they might be able to contributemore effectively within their new communities. The sheer quantity of information provided by focus groups signals how important this was toparticipants <strong>and</strong> how much consideration they gave to the issues at h<strong>and</strong>.1.8 DisclaimerThis report documents the opinions <strong>and</strong> views expressed by participants at focus group meetings held in <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Feilding</strong>. Itis important to note that these are personal statements reflecting individual perceptions <strong>and</strong> experiences. They are not the viewpoints of the<strong>Settling</strong> <strong>In</strong> <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Feilding</strong> working group, working group members or the organisations that they represent.SETTLING IN PALMERSTON NORTH AND FEILDING11
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