PNZLIFE Nov 2018

BUHAY
NZ
02 PINOYS SA ASHBURTON | VOL 2 No 1 | www.pinoynzlife.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | M: 027 495 8477
Photo credit: Ashburton Indian
Multicultural Charitable Trust
"There is a growing awareness of
migrant communities. Some of our
primary schools, especially our rural
schools, their population is as high
as 50 percent Filipino."
Council hopes that the
language interpretation
services will benefit both
staff and members of the
public.
It has joined 15 other
councils across the country
using the telephone
service Language Line,
gathered for the opening
of a new area in the
Ashburton Domain, paying
homage to the district's
growing cultural
and ethnic diversity.
Council Open Spaces
Staff and Ashburton
Multicultural Trust mem-
Ashburton opens garden to
help welcome migrant population
By KATIE TODD
Christchurch Reporter
Radio New Zealand
ASHBURTON - One of
New Zealand's fastest
growing rural districts is
seeing a significant increase
in migrants.
The council is taking
measures to make the
migrants who move to the
district more comfortable.
Ashburton District
Council recently unveiled
new language interpretation
resources for residents
and a culturalthemed
garden was officially
opened in the town's
domain (see photo above).
Both initiatives are part
of a two year Welcoming
Communities programme
being trialled in the district
and in five other
areas around the country.
Ashburton mayor Donna
Favel said that she felt
that new New Zealanders
were really important.
Ashburton district has
about 34,700 residents.
The makeup is about 82
percent European and
eight percent Pasifika,
Maori and Asian.
Those three minority
populations are expected
to increase around New
Zealand by 2038 - Pasifika
by 71 percent, Maori
by 50 percent and Asian
by 135 percent - but in
Ashburton the increase is
more dramatic.
Pasifika residents there
will increase by 147 percent,
Maori by 110 percent
and Asian by 139
percent.
Ms Favel said that the
increase in migrants was
especially visible in the
rural sector, rest homes
and service providers.
"There is a growing
awareness of migrant
communities. Some of our
primary schools, especially
our rural schools, their
population is as high as 50
percent Filipino."
Ashburton District
which offers interpretation
for 44 different languages.
It also enables them to
access language interpreting
resources from Canterbury.
The council's communications
manager, Ruben
Garcia, said that they
wanted to ensure that
everybody in the community
felt that they could
confidentially interact
with the council.
Community members
bers have worked to raise
seedlings and create an
'Om' shaped flowerbed,
linked to Hinduism and
Buddhism and a border of
flowers representing the
Fijian-Indian cultural influence.
- Articled reprinted with
permission from Radio New
Zealand.
Photo features Thelma Bell
(second from left) who is the
first Filipino elected to a New
Zealand council.
By LILY BLOXHAM
PALMERSTON
NORTH - The second
ASEAN New Zealand
Youth Conference was held
in early October, hosted by
Palmerston North Girls’
High School and attended by
50 participants from high
schools around the region.
This year’s conference
revolved on promoting
greater awareness of
ASEAN and its flourishing
relations with New Zealand
among Kiwi youth.
It intends to present
opportunities for youth
engagement, study and
careers in ASEAN-New
Zealand relations.
Through the presentations
and group discussions the
sessions provided a chance
for students to interact, dialogue
and learn with diplomats,
academicians and
researchers.
The Conference also
intended to provide students
with a forum for interaction,
networking and leadership
development.
Filipino Youth Ambassador,
Ralph Zambrano,
chaired the event together
with a representative from
ASEAN NZ Youth Conference:
Learning how
diplomacy and politics
should be done
Palmerston North Girls High
School, Sanya Vapas, who
is also a multicultural council
member. Other attendees
at the conference were: Ms.
Elleonora Tambunan, Counsellor
for Indonesia, H.E.
Ms. Nur Izzah Wong Mee
Choo, High Commissioner
for Malaysia, H.E. Mr.
Jesus S. Domingo, Ambassador
for the Philippines
and H.E. Mr. Mr Danai
Menabodhi, Ambassador for
Thailand.
“I am extremely happy
and proud that the ASEAN
New Zealand Youth Conference
is continuing after the
effort and push made by
myself, Ambassador Domingo
and notable others to get
the ball rolling last year. The
opportunity to provide youth
with more opportunities to
expand their insights on the
wider world by interacting
with ambassadors, high
commissioners and civil
leaders is invaluable. There
really isn’t anything like it,”
Zambrano said.
“The chance for young
people to see and personally
interact with critical figureheads
for other countries is
uncommon; the fact that the
conference allows such to
happen, I believe is not only
incredible, but completely
empowering.
“With current times highlighting
an increase in
nationalism and growing
rifts between nations, having
representatives from different
countries coming together
for a conference revolving
around young people will
show the next generation
just how diplomacy and politics
should be done.”
The speakers outlined the
relationship of each ASEAN
nation to New Zealand.
Critically, Philippine Ambassador,
Jesus Domingo,
promoted the Philippine
Embassy’s Youth Ambassadors”
leadership programme
– which was slated
to have progressed to the
acceptance stage, where
applications to be a 'Youth
Ambassador' are now sent
out and accepted.
The interest from the
attending students is reported
to be promising, with
interest from numerous individuals
being relayed.
Zambrano believes that
the event being hosted in
Palmerston North was a
smart decision as it “brought
opportunities for the youths
in rural and less urban
areas”. A huge focus for
Zambrano as Youth Ambassador
this year has been to
expand his outreach to those
in less densely populated
centres.
“This year’s conference
has promoted the need and
importance for continuing
the ASEAN New Zealand
Youth outreach,” Zambrano
said. It was relayed that after
the continued success that a
conference for 2019 at a different
location and venue is
in the books.
- Lily Bloxham was the former
Editor of ‘Kabayan News’
(now titled ‘Pinoy NZ Life’).