ACTIONMake contact with support services for older people in PN <strong>and</strong> the wider region <strong>and</strong> further exploreissues (or potential issues) for elderly newcomers,Consult with churches, other places of worship <strong>and</strong> other service providers to find out what may alreadybe happening in the community to integrate older newcomersCollate this information as the beginning of a register or list of support services / activities for olderpeople in PN & the wider districtDevelop strategies to support positive ageing for older newcomers in <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Feilding</strong> <strong>and</strong>support existing strategies to ensure newcomers get linked in (eg ‘supergran’, ‘Adopt a Gr<strong>and</strong>parent’schemes)Strengthen links <strong>and</strong> relationships with key services in the district (eg Senior Citizens, Age Concern)Strategies to develop more opportunities for English language classes for older newcomersAssess gaps (eg lack of spiritual support for some groups) <strong>and</strong> develop strategies to respondPARTNERSTo be agreedSettlement Support (SS), Refugee Services(RS), Newcomers NetworkTo be agreedRS, Manawatu Multicultural Centre (MMC),Age ConcernTo be agreedTo be agreedTo be agreedSETTLING IN PALMERSTON NORTH AND FEILDINGPromote existing services <strong>and</strong> opportunities to older refugees <strong>and</strong> migrants in the communityDevelop new opportunities for older refugees <strong>and</strong> migrants (e.g. cell phone classes, subsidisedrecreation such as swimming classes)Consider other suggestions made by focus groupsTo be agreedTo be agreed<strong>Settling</strong> <strong>In</strong> sector working group60
3.9 SAFETY AND SECURITYCommunity Voices‘Issues of domestic violence, what may have been acceptable in countries where students have come from, is not acceptable in NewZeal<strong>and</strong>.’‘Racial remarks, what is the best way to deal with them?’ ‘What is the government doing about young hoons targeting Asianbusinesses?’‘Give citizens a feeling of safety by dealing with those who do harm to immigrants.’‘I had come with my daughter who was adopted by a Kiwi, stayed with them for a while. Husb<strong>and</strong> was left in Fiji. Then was given victimsupport <strong>and</strong> went to live in a refuge centre with other families. This wasn’t the best, there was racial tension, couldn’t talk in my ownlanguage. Lived there for 2 years, then moved out <strong>and</strong> looked for job. Had difficulty, with no NZ experience, had to upgrade myself bytaking courses. Then found a job <strong>and</strong> working in hospital now. I keep taking courses to upgrade myself. Do home sewing – to supplementmy income. Missed my family. Racial discrimination – daughter faced in school, she will come back home crying – teased by kids. Therewas no cultural groups then like we have now – so no community interaction, felt lonely <strong>and</strong> isolated.’From focus groups April/May 2009<strong>In</strong>troductionSafety <strong>and</strong> security are both fundamental to well-being. Safety is freedom from physical or emotional harm, while security is freedom from thethreat or fear of harm or danger. The impact of victimisation, violence, injury <strong>and</strong> even property crimes can be significant for the victims <strong>and</strong> forsociety as a whole. For anyone new to a country, feeling safe <strong>and</strong> secure in their new home will have a huge impact on how well they are ableto settle. Some groups of newcomers, particularly refugees who may have experienced years of insecurity in relation to their personal safety<strong>and</strong> that of their family, may be reluctant to trust anyone they do not know well <strong>and</strong> have a very real fear of interacting with officials of any kind.For others who have arrived from homel<strong>and</strong>s with quite different national security structures, laws <strong>and</strong> social mores from those operating inNew Zeal<strong>and</strong>, significant adjustment <strong>and</strong> support may be required.There is a widely held perception within the community that there are few serious problems in <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> in relation to the changingethnic mix of the city but it is acknowledged that low-level tensions exist <strong>and</strong> surface from time to time. Focus group comments confirm thatsome newcomers are subjected to racist comments <strong>and</strong> abuse. <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> police note that vulnerability to victimisation for ethniccommunities is an issue they have been cognisant of since 2004. Since then, local police have worked to build relationships with migrant <strong>and</strong>refugee communities to ensure that these communities know <strong>and</strong> underst<strong>and</strong> that police are there to ensure the safety of all members of thewider <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> community. A designated Ethnic Liaison Officer has key responsibility for this <strong>and</strong> has been tremendously successfulin building relationships <strong>and</strong> trust with a wide range of communities in the city 35 . <strong>Palmerston</strong> <strong>North</strong> police also emphasise their broadercommitment to provide a positive experience for ethnic communities through all types of interactions. They acknowledge that there has to be alevel of trust in police so that, where people are subject to racist remarks, bullied or the victim of any type of crime, the police hear about whathas happened so that they are able to respond accordingly.It is important to note that the issue of family violence was hinted at but not really raised in the focus groups. This is not uncommon, as thecovert <strong>and</strong> very sensitive nature of family violence means that it is often not discussed or reported. Nevertheless, service providers <strong>and</strong> othersnote that issues do arise for refugee <strong>and</strong> migrant families that may need an approach tailored to the particular community concerned.Key Issues (feedback from focus groups) 36Racism/bullying• ‘Be followed <strong>and</strong> abused by “street young people”’• ‘Racial discrimination is very obvious even at work or in public places (“Bloody Asians!!”)’• ‘biased media which affect the life of Muslims in the West’• ‘Most of the community (NZers) are friendly <strong>and</strong> supportive, but some of the group had received racist comments (particularly when therehad been negative media comments about China)’• ‘Eliminate/reduce racism’• ‘Racial remarks, what is the best way to deal with them?’ ‘What is the government doing about young hoons targeting Asian businesses?’• ‘Causes a bit of fear <strong>and</strong> reluctance to go out, for fear of not underst<strong>and</strong>ing.’SETTLING IN PALMERSTON NORTH AND FEILDING<strong>In</strong> Schools• ‘Students have reported racism, being yelled at <strong>and</strong> some children have been bullied at school.’35The role of the Ethnic Liaison Officer is to provide a bridge between the community <strong>and</strong> police <strong>and</strong> tobuild confidence in the uniform so that reporting of crime <strong>and</strong> passing on of information is easier. It isa broad role that includes the initiation of projects that have a social impact, such as the driver licencescheme (where refugees are helped to become legal drivers, funded by Work <strong>and</strong> <strong>In</strong>come), <strong>and</strong>involvement in the ethnic soccer tournament.36This feedback comprises direct quotes from focus group participants or notes as interpreted <strong>and</strong>presented by facilitators.61
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