MIGRANT NEWS FEB 2022

www.migrantnews.nz 

YOUR FREE 

COPY 

February 

2022 

Mob: 027 495 8477 I email: migrantnews@xtra.co.nz I 32nd Anniversary I Facebook page: www.migrantnews.nz I Print & Online Edition 

Racism alive 

and well, 

on and off 

sports field, 

says report 

Javeed 

pg 5 

Two years ago 

Migrant News Aotearoa 

reported that 

worldwide people 

have been urging 

beauty companies to 

change and remove 

skin whitening (also 

known as lightening) 

products: ww.migrant 

news.nz/change-inbeauty-industry. 

And now there is 

more bad news for 

pg 4 

importers of these 

products. 

Medsafe has issued 

a warning that high 

levels of mercury and 

lead have been found 

in some skin whitening 

creams. 

More information can 

be found at: https:// 

www.medsafe.govt.nz/ 

safety/Alerts/skinwhitening-cream.asp 

Racism and discrimination 

is alive and well 

on and off the sports 

field with respondents 

to a recent report saying 

they had experienced 

racism in their 

club due to the colour 

of their skin. 

They felt they were 

treated differently and 

often ignored but did 

not want to speak up as 

it may mean their child 

would be 

excluded from competitions. 

The Asian community 

is also being left on 

the side lines when it 

comes to getting involved 

in leadership 

roles in community 

sports organisations. 

Some participants 

interviewed suggested 

that it was ‘jobs for the 

boys’ and boards and 

Ukrainian migrant fears 

for his friends in Kyiv 

For the past four 

days, Yuriy Ackermann's 

scared friends 

have been sheltering in 

a dark underground 

car park in the 

Ukrainian capital, 

Kyiv, with their 13- 

year-old daughter. 

As explosions echoed 

above, they found 

refuge below. 

Lead and mercury found in 

skin whitening products ... 

Ali, co-author of the sports report 

pg 9 

committees were dominated 

by a regular 

group of people with 

very limited opportunities 

for new people to 

join. Many of these 

roles are held by middle-aged 

Pakeha men. 

“Being told you don’t 

speak English, don’t 

know people and are 

not Kiwi is a pretty 

harsh introduction to 

New Zealand,” says 

Javeed Ali, co-author of 

the report. 

“We need to put systems 

in place that will 

deliver leadership and 

Untold stories from 

migrant communities 

‘Giants’ is Maori 

TV’s take on legacy, 

whakapapa and 

heritage in migrant 

communities. 

The series shows 

how the strength of 

family and community 

is an integral 

part of the 

foundation of Aotearoa’s 

most diverse 

communities. 

‘Giants’ focuses 

on Chinese, Punjabi, 

Filipino, African 

and Samoan 

communities in Aotearoa. 

View on Maori TV, 

Maori+ or Maori 

TV On Demand. 

governance training 

and education around 

the New Zealand sports 

system so newcomers 

can understand how we 

do it here.” 

• ‘HAD SHE BEEN VACCINATED ...’ pg 13 • EXPLAINER: BOOSTER SHOTS pg 14 • VACCINATING CHILDREN pg 15 • 

pg 8 

pg 7 

Miss Rotorua ‘21: First wahine of 

Chinese descent wears the crown. 

2021 Resident Visa Category - 

Phase 2 Opens. pg 2 

‘Beyond the Veil’ - The debut of 

Asian folklore on TVNZ 2. pg 6 

Two Avondale College students 

top the world in Cambridge Maths 

and English exams. pg 8

P a g e 0 2 

w e b s i t e : w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I TWITTER : www.twittercom/migrantnews 

OPINION 

By Zamelia 

McGarrigle 

It has been nearly 6 

months since Immigration 

New Zealand announced 

this one off resident visa for 

those who are eligible. How 

has that gone so far? 

Around 5000 people have 

become residents under a 

fast–tracked government 

scheme launched in 

December 2021, with my 

clients from the Philippines, 

India, China and Korea topping 

the approvals. 

The majority of my clients 

are from the Philippines and 

they have been celebrating 

the good news, especially 

when their residence visa 

approval arrived just before 

Christmas. 

One of my clients, from 

The Philippines, finally 

became a New Zealand resident 

after 12 years of living 

here and working alongside 

me since 2010. Excellent 

news for both of us, indeed. 

I am so pleased to be able to 

help her and to be with her 

throughout her journey from 

the Philippines all the way to 

New Zealand. 

Now we have some ideas 

about the process, progress 

and what we need to know to 

keep carrying on for the next 

batch in March 2021. 

Almost 35,000 people 

have so far applied for the 

one-off residence visa and 

up to 165,000 may be eligible 

next month. 

Migrants are eligible if 

they are settled (three yearsplus 

in New Zealand, including 

a minimum number of 

days), a skilled worker 

(based on wages) or scarce 

(in short supply). 

From Immigration records 

and statistics, migrants from 

India topped the approvals 

MIGRANT NEWS: 

(32nd year of publication) 

FILIPINO PAPERS: 

filipinonews.nz 

pinoynzlife.nz 

filipino.kiwi 

ASIAN NEWS: 

asiannews.nz 

FILIPINO JOB BOARD: 

trabaho.nz 

2021 Resident Visa Category – 

Phase 2 Opens 

Thousands become New Zealand Residents under this 

category and the second batch is starting in March 2022 

under this category on the 

first month of its launch, followed 

by South Africa, the 

Philippines, the UK and Sri 

Lanka. One in five applications 

has been rejected so 

far. 

Next month the second 

batch of this category will 

start - with hopes that systems 

will work better than 

they did initially back in 

December. But the risk 

remains the same and here is 

what you need to know 

should you decide to apply 

by yourself. So, my advice is 

to mitigate your risk by 

preparing your application 

meticulously. This is the 

only chance that you have 

and it is worth investing in a 

good Licensed Immigration 

Adviser to help prepare a 

comprehensive submission 

for you and your family. 

I often tell my clients that 

you can always find money 

but time, once you lose it, 

you can’t get back. This is 

TRAVEL PORTAL: 

travelgalore.nz 

ASIAN FOOD CHANNEL 

halohalo.nz 

Published by: 

Migrant News Ltd 

migrantnews@xtra.co.nz 

027 495 8477 

Managing Editor: 

Mel Fernandez 

Associate Editor: 

Sheila Mariano 

Sub-Editor: 

Kirsty Hotchkiss 

Reporters: 

Queenie Tanjay 

Aileen Cunanan 

Rowena Singh 

Columnists: 

Francisco Hernandez 

not the time to gamble on 

your future. Be aware of the 

points below if you decide to 

prepare your own application. 

• STAY CALM – No need 

to panic, no need to rush to 

fill in your application form. 

Read it carefully and ensure 

that you understand each of 

the questions, especially 

when it comes to health, 

character or family members. 

You may think that it is 

not that important, just a 

quick tick here and there and 

done. But for INZ, whatever 

you disclose there could 

count against you if it is 

incorrect and appears wrong, 

vague or evasive. Worse 

still, INZ may take your 

answer as “false and misleading 

information” and 

subsequently decline your 

application. 

• YOUR VISA STATUS 

– You can only apply for this 

new residence visa if you 

hold an eligible visa. But 

• Print • Web • Tablet • Facebook • Instagram 

F a c e b o o k P a g e : w w w . m i g r a n t e w s . n z 

w e b s i t e : w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z 

New Zealand’s first Multicultural Newspaper 

Mob: 027 495 8477 I email: migrantnews@xtra.co.nz I 32nd Anniversary 

WRITE FOR US. 

We welcome news leads, 

feedback, short event 

reports with photographs 

and editorial contributions. 

email:migrantnews 

@xtra.co.nz 

mob: 027 495 8477 

or via Facebook message: 

www.migrantnews.nz 

how about if your visa 

expires at any time between 

now and when you lodge 

your application? If you 

have not managed to get a 

new replacement visa under 

the eligible category, you are 

no longer qualified to apply 

for your residency visa. That 

could be a disaster, so don’t 

make this mistake. 

• YOUR JOB – Great! 

Your job is on the INZ 

'scarcity’' list. But hang on, 

INZ will go one step further 

to assess whether your job 

description/tasks match the 

ones on their list. Apart from 

that, INZ will also cross 

check your previous 

records/applications and all 

need to be consistent. If you 

declare a different position 

from earlier documents and 

there appear to be anomalies 

– e.g. a job that is not on the 

‘scarce lists’ – then you 

won’t qualify. 

• HOURLY RATE - You 

may have been working in a 

Copyright Matters, 

Terms & Conditions 

of Publication 

All material appearing in MIGRANT 

NEWS and it’s related websites: 

www.migrantnews.nz, 

www.asia2nz.com and travelgalore.nz, 

including advertisements, is 

COPYRIGHTED and cannot be reproduced 

unless written permission is 

given by the publisher - Migrant 

New Ltd. 

Views expressed in the above mentioned 

publications and websites do 

not necessarily reflect that of the publisher. 

The publisher does not accept any 

responsibility or liability for views and 

claims in the editorial matter or advertisements 

appearing in the above 

mentioned publications and associated 

websites. 

Mobile: 027 495 8477 

Email: migrantnews@xtra.co.nz 

Zamelia 

McGarrigle 

General Manager 

& Licensed 

Immigration 

Adviser 

QDI Group 

The majority of my clients are 

from the Philippines and they 

have been celebrating the good 

news, especially when their 

residence visa approval arrived 

just before Christmas. 

To contact Zamelia McGarrigle please 

email: zamelia@qdigroup.co.nz or 

phone: 09-390 7957 

full-time position with a 

$27/hour wage on 20 

September 2021. That figure 

has to be clearly reflected in 

your employment contract 

and consistent with your 

payslip data. If not then your 

application most likely 

won’t meet INZ’s 'Skilled' 

criteria. 

• LOST YOUR JOB - If 

you have lost your job that 

previously matched one on 

either the 'skilled' or 'scarce' 

occupation lists, then unfortunately 

your journey ends 

here. You do not meet the 

requirements and cannot 

apply under this category. 

• YOUR EMPLOYER - 

You must make sure that 

your employer complies 

with all Department of 

Labour legislations, IRD 

obligations and is classed as 

a genuine employer. INZ can 

decline your application if 

they think that your employer 

is not genuine. 

• YOUR PARTNER - In 

this application you can 

include your partner and 

children, even if they are 

currently overseas. You 

have to provide evidence of 

living together in a genuine 

and stable relationship for 

at least one year. 

INZ will look at any evidence 

you provided previously 

and the reasons for 

your current separation and 

may decide to exclude your 

partner from your Resident 

Visa application. 

• TIME IN NEW 

ZEALAND - As far as you 

can remember you have 

been in New Zealand for 

ages and surely meet the 

requirement of 821 days or 

more. But, check again and 

make sure that you have 

spent 821 days or more in 

NZ between 29 September 

2018 and 29 September 

2021 – and that you arrived 

in the country for the first 

time on or before September 

29, 2018. If not then you 

won’t meet INZ’s ‘settled’ 

criteria. 

• LEAVE NEW 

ZEALAND - If you must 

leave New Zealand before 

you lodge your visa application 

for whatever reason and 

then you can’t get back to 

New Zealand by 31 July 

2022, you may risk losing 

the chance to apply for this 

visa. 

• BEING IN NEW 

ZEALAND - A step developing 

from the above point. 

You already lodged your 

application and need to 

leave New Zealand because 

of a family emergency, for 

example. INZ won’t be able 

to decide your application 

until you return to New 

Zealand. With the current 

situation, there is little or no 

certainty. Therefore, think 

carefully about everything 

and whether you want to risk 

probably the best chance 

that you may have to gain 

residency. Consider all factors 

and assess the risks versus 

rewards, including 

potentially waiting a long 

time coupled with much 

hard work over the years. 

I wish you all the best and 

remember, this could be the 

best or only chance you will 

be offered, so take your time 

and get your submission 

right.

w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I email: migrantnews@xtra.co.nz 

P a g e 0 3 

Family’s change in fortune 

after sharing story of job 

loss and visa woes 

By Gillian Bonnett 

Immigration 

Reporter 

RNZ 

Mother-of-two Tarri 

Caraquez was in lockdown 

in Auckland with 

her partner Joel Macarubbo, 

who had lost his 

job, a four-month-old 

baby and no visa. 

They were selling their 

belongings to pay for 

food, rent and nappies. 

They had been in New 

Zealand for more than a 

decade, but were concerned 

they could be 

deported to the Philippines 

when their visa was 

rejected despite Joel's 

qualifications and experience 

as an electrical engineer. 

But the family of four - 

baby Beau and 15-yearold 

daughter Jeomille - 

were overwhelmed with 

donations and offers of 

work and immigration 

advice after they shared 

their story. 

In a rapid change of 

fortunes a month on, they 

are back on a firm footing 

and a fast-track to residence. 

"I would describe it as 

'a new beginning'," 

Caraquez said. 

"I felt that after our 

family was trying so long 

to reach for that residency, 

and only this year we 

stumbled into a bigger 

problem making us being 

in the brink of deportation 

and only now that 

our family was able to 

obtain this second chance. 

I truly think that this is 

where we can start over." 

She paid tribute to the 

Migrant Action Trust, 

which made her story 

public, immigration 

lawyer Maricel Weischede, 

who took up their 

case and AIS Global, 

which offered Joel a job 

at its Auckland site. 

The help and generosity 

were overwhelming for 

their family. 

"When I met and conversed 

with everyone 

from the community who 

had helped and worried 

for us, I felt surprised and 

baffled. I didn't think that 

anyone was willing to 

help us without even 

meeting face-to-face and 

for that I was forever 

grateful," Caraquez said. 

"And when Joel was 

able to receive a visa 

and a job, I felt that I 

could continue my life 

with my family here. I 

felt that my dream 

could be fulfilled, my 

daughter's dreams, 

my partner's dream. 

All of it, till this day I 

feel so overjoyed and 

relieved. Like again 

I'm truly very eternally 

grateful for all 

of the people that 

helped and supported 

us and for that, I thank 

and appreciate them with 

all my heart." 

The emergency benefit 

for migrants had been 

stopped at the end of 

August, and lockdown 

brought more visa delays. 

AIS Global co-founder 

Mike Milligan was among 

those who read Caraquez's 

story. 

He met them to offer 

food parcels and money 

for rent, and talked about 

work. He hired Joel the 

next day. 

"We are very active 

within our Filipino communities 

within New 

Zealand, Australia, the 

Puketapapa Community 

Driving School won the 

Filipino-Kiwi Hero Award 

2021 for being the most 

OUTSTANDING FILIPINO 

RESOURCE CENTRE. 

Award received by the 

School’s Manager - Amie 

Dural-Maga. 

Philippines, 

and the 

U n i t e d 

Kingdom. 

So it obviously 

pulled 

on heartstrings 

in 

that story 

and I wanted 

to see 

what we 

could do to 

h e l p , " 

Milligan 

said. 

"We basically 

tried to make sure 

that this time of the year 

wasn't going to be a sad 

time of year - one where 

MIGRANT ACTION TRUST 

manager Amie Maga (left) 

said from their experience 

and community groups they 

work with, hundreds of 

foreign workers and 

international students 

cannot work while they wait 

for visas, or have lost their 

jobs during the latest 

Covid outbreak. 

Photo credit: Aisha Ronquillo 

Joel Macarubbo, Tarri Caraquez and their children Jeomille, 15, 

and Beau, four months, with Joel's new employer, Mike Milligan, 

co-founder of AIS Global. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi 

they could actually put 

food on the table and keep 

the lights on. 

"They're a proud, 

hardworking family, 

they're like 'all we want to 

do is sort of get back onto 

our own own feet'. I'm 

not going to lie, it was 

quite emotional. They 

didn't want a handout, 

they were just stuck." 

It was heartening to see 

the help they had been 

offered, and Joel had 

taken to his new role. 

"He's definitely doing a 

great job already. He's a 

great guy and he's ripped 

into his new role and he's 

bringing his skills and 

experience, and with his 

work ethic we can tell that 

he's going to really reach 

the heights that we want 

him to within that division. 

"It's nice to see communities 

come together in 

times like this because 

being involved in what we 

do in the community, 

obviously there's a lot of 

sad stories, but you see a 

lot of good in a lot of people 

as well." 

The company is also 

sponsoring other families 

this Christmas through its 

AIS Compassion Movement 

and is preparing to 

send presents out to 150 

children. 

Immigration lawyer 

Maricel Weischede heard 

about what they were 

going through and 

worked for free to get the 

visa sorted quickly so Joel 

could start work. 

Crucially, the family 

were able to qualify for 

fast-track residence when 

the second phase of the 

one-off visa opens in 

March. 

The Migrant Action 

Trust's manager Amie 

Maga said it had been 

helping more than 100 

migrants in hardship and 

it was great to hear such 

good news. 

"It's really the best 

Christmas present that a 

family could ever wish 

for," she said. "We are 

hopeful that more families 

will get their visa sorted 

hopefully before 

Christmas, so they'll be 

happy celebrating Christmas 

as well." 

This story is republished 

with special permission 

from RNZ. 

‘Begging for 

money and food' 

- mother of 

infant describes 

lockdown 

PREVIOUSLY... 

Read the back story to 

the above feature online: 

www.filipinonews.nz/ 

featured/visa-delayscause-a-nigthmaresituation 

(Excerpt follows ...) 

Migrants are selling their 

belongings, begging for 

money and living in garages 

after losing their jobs during 

lockdown. 

A mother with a twomonth-old 

baby broke down 

in tears as she described her 

family's nightmare waiting 

for a visa to arrive. 

"I'm selling all my stuff 

on Facebook market so I 

have money to buy my baby 

diapers and formula and 

then I asked the food bank 

donation so we have food," 

said Tarri, who arrived 

from the Philippines in 

2010. 

"This isn't supposed to be 

happening because my husband 

has a good pay, and 

me. We are both working, 

we're not lazy, I can't 

believe it." 

- RNZ

P a g e 0 4 w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I email: migrantnews@xtra.co.nz 

For the past four days, 

Yuriy Ackermann's scared 

friends have been sheltering 

in a dark underground 

car park in the Ukrainian 

capital, Kyiv, with their 13- 

year-old daughter. 

Like millions of others 

they tried to flee to safety, 

only to end up back where 

they began because of traffic 

jams and fuel shortages. 

By JEAN EDWARDS, Reporter 

Russia's attack and will 

spend an initial $2 

million on 

humanitarian 

aid for 

Yuriy Ackermann and his wife Alice - they sent this photo 

to their friends who are hiding in the underground car 

park to remind them that "we are with them, together in 

all of this." Photo: Supplied 

As explosions echoed 

above, they found refuge 

below. 

"Whenever the siren 

stopped they would go to 

their home, have a nap, have 

some hot food - tea, scrambled 

eggs," Ackermann said. 

"They were telling me 

how excited they were to go 

back home and have some 

scrambled eggs. It's just surreal." 

Yuriy Ackermann hails 

from Chernivsti further to 

Ukraine's west, near the border 

with Romania and 

Moldova. 

He moved to Tauranga at 

the age of 14, but recently 

spent two years in Ukraine 

with his wife because of the 

coronavirus pandemic. 

Ukrainian migrant 

worried about friends in 

Kyiv under Russian attack 

Ackermann thought war 

with Russia was impossible, 

so its grim reality has hit 

hard. 

"I cried because I just 

couldn't handle this madness, 

this horror," he said. 

"For my mother who was 

born in the Soviet Union 

when this was all one country, 

what happens now - and 

for me as well - it is just 

senseless. That's what in 

Russian language you would 

call a brother murder." 

Kyiv has not come under 

sustained attack yet, but 

satellite images show a column 

of Russian military 

vehicles nearly five kilometres-long 

snaking towards 

the city. 

Ackermann's family is 

coordinating volunteers distributing 

humanitarian aid 

packages, blankets, medicine 

and blood donations 

from neighbouring Poland. 

Refugees have also found 

safe haven at their hotel and 

restaurant. 

He condemned Russian 

president Vladimir Putin 

for sending teenage conscripts 

into Ukraine like 

"lambs to the slaughter" and 

lamented the impossible 

choice his compatriots face 

defending their land. 

"They will look at those 

dead kids that they killed 

and they will be conflicted 

because they had to do that 

to protect themselves, their 

family and their land," he 

said. 

The New Zealand government 

has condemned 

Ukrainians. 

The government 

has also 

introduced travel and 

targeted export bans and suspended 

top-level diplomatic 

relations with Moscow, but 

has not imposed any sanctions 

on Russia or the oligarchs 

who live or invest in 

Aotearoa. 

New Zealand has traditionally 

relied on the 

enforcement of United 

Nations sanctions. 

Yuriy Ackermann said 

politicians should introduce 

autonomous sanctions legislation, 

investigate the financial 

ties of Russian elites and 

send more aid to Ukraine. 

"New Zealand needs to 

have a clear, vocal stance 

against this," he said. 

"Right now, innocent people 

die and we are absent." 

- Published with special 

permission from RNZ.


P a g e 0 5 

Racism alive on 

and off sports 

field, says report 

The Asian population is growing significantly and 

is the third largest ethnic group in New Zealand, 

following European/Pakeha and Maori. 

Asian people account for 15% of the population 

nationally, 28% of the population in Auckland and 

29% of the population of West Auckland. 

WEST AUCKLAND - 

The Asian community is 

being left on the side lines 

when it comes to getting 

involved in leadership 

roles in community sports 

organisations. 

A West Auckland study 

undertaken by Sport 

Waitakere and funded by 

the Ministry for Ethnic 

Communities looked at 

diversity and inclusion in 

community sports and the 

report, ‘The Barriers to 

Asian Participation in 

Formal Leadership within 

Community Sport - A 

Developing Ethnic Leaders 

Insight Study’ found there 

are barriers to Asian 

migrants becoming leaders 

and influencers within 

their chosen sports code. 

Javeed Ali, Sport 

Waitakere’s Community 

Sport and Recreation 

Team Lead and report coauthor, 

says the project 

aims to support the development 

of Asian members 

to become more knowledgeable, 

competent and 

confident to participate in 

formal leadership roles 

within community sports 

organisations. 

“Being part of a sports 

club and involved in the 

governance of sports 

organisations is a great 

way to adapt and integrate 

into New Zealand society,” 

says Ali. 

“It can help with establishing 

social networks, 

language improvement 

and foster respect and 

understanding in a new 

country, yet there are barriers 

to the transition from 

participants or supporters 

of sports to being leaders 

and influencers within a 

club.” 

Lack of free time was 

one of the biggest barriers 

to getting Asian immigrants 

involved in sports 

clubs with over 90% of 

respondents saying that it 

took around three years to 

settle in and get their 

affairs in order as well as 

many of them prioritising 

running a small business. 

Culture shock and language 

barriers featured 

strongly. In many cases 

New Zealand’s sports 

codes’ systems are completely 

different to those in 

migrants’ home countries 

and a limited understanding 

of English affected 

their confidence levels in 

participating in club 

sports. 

Racism and discrimination 

is alive and well on 

and off the sports field 

with respondents reporting 

they had experienced 

racism in 

their club due to 

the colour of their 

skin. They felt 

they were treated 

differently 

and often 

ignored but did 

not want to 

speak up as it 

may mean their 

child would be 

excluded from 

competitions. 

Some participants 

interviewed 

as part of 

the study suggested 

that it was 

‘jobs for the 

boys’ and boards 

and committees were dominated 

by a regular group 

of people with very limited 

opportunities for new people 

to join. Many of these 

roles are held by middleaged 

Pakeha men. 

Of the eight clubs 

analysed, Europeans made 

up approximately 50% of 

the membership yet 

accounted for over 80% of 

those who held formal 

leadership roles. Whereas 

Asian communities made 

up almost 25% of the 

membership, but only 10% 

of formal leaders had an 

Asian background. Whilst 

this is a small sample, this 

over-representation can 

lead to making members 

feel excluded as their needs 

may not be met. 

Javeed Ali says some of 

these findings are disturbing 

but all can be rectified 

if there is a stronger level 

of awareness and understanding. 

“Being told you don’t 

speak English, don’t know 

people and are not Kiwi is 

a pretty harsh introduction 

to New Zealand,” says Ali. 

Javeed Ali, report co-author 

“We need to put systems in 

place that will deliver leadership 

and governance 

training and education 

around the New Zealand 

sports system so newcomers 

can understand how we 

do it here. 

“Mentoring is another 

important tool to help 

onboard ethnic people into 

formal leadership roles,” 

says Ali. “Based on these 

findings, Sport Waitakere 

will be running a governance 

training programme 

specifically for ethnic communities 

in the coming 

months. 

“Sport and recreation 

provide a shortcut for 

social integration and we 

should be welcoming our 

ethnic communities who 

bring so much value to the 

field, the governance table 

and the social make up of 

sports clubs,” continued 

Ali. 

Photos: Supplied.

P a g e 0 6 w e b s i t e : w w w . a s i a n n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I J o b B o a r d : www.trabaho.nz 

'Beyond the Veil', 

showcases indigenous 

storytelling from 

Maori, Pasifika, 

Chinese and Filipino 

cultures. 

Filipino talent is put 

under the spotlight 

afresh with the first 

feature of a Tagalog 

original in an 

Aotearoa-produced 

series. 

‘Albularyo' touts 

Philippine folklore in 

TVNZ 2’s six-episode 

sequence, 'Beyond the 

Veil', showcasing indigenous 

storytelling 

from Maori, Pasifika, 

Chinese and Filipino 

cultures. 

The episode was written 

and directed by Filipina 

Mia Maramara, alongside 

Hweiling Ow and in collaboration 

with producer 

Morgan Leigh Stewart and 

NZ On Air and Te Mangai 

Paho for the co-funding. 

The story introduces the 

journey of estranged siblings, 

Gloria and Robert, 

after the death of their 

parents. “Gloria is a 

Filipino-Kiwi doctor in her 

Above: ‘Albularyo’ was written and 

directed by Filipina Mia Maramara 

30s, an ate (sister) figure 

and a strong female lead 

coming back home for the 

first time, while Robert, 

her younger brother, has 

already been integrated 

into New Zealand society 

while growing up,” Mia 

revealed. 

Their story intertwines 

with the struggle of their 

grandmother, Lola Mim, 

the Albularyo (witch doctor), 

as she transitions into 

a new life away from 

Asian folklore 

debuts with a 

new spin in NZ 

BEYOND THE VEIL is a 

six-part series 

premiering on 7th 

March 2022, on TVNZ 

2 and TVNZ 2 On 

Demand. 

By Queenie Tanjay 

home. “She is very strict, 

but she loves her family so 

much. Unfortunately, 

being in New Zealand is 

very hard on her and so 

she succumbs to turning 

into a manananggal (a corrupted 

witch),” Mia 

detailed further. 

The show is nostalgic 

and familiar to folklore 

fans and geeks, even to 

ordinary Filipinos who 

grew up with superstitions, 

tales and myths. The 

albularyo and manananggal 

are popular denizens in 

Philippine lore and supernatural 

narratives, dating 

from the pre-Hispanic era. 

An albularyo, witch-doctor 

or faith healer, is 

revered by some because of 

his specialty in herbs and 

his power to communicate 

with spirits. He is often 

portrayed as a hermit with 

a superfluous collection of 

potions and concoctions 

rendered for various sickness 

and prayed manifestations. 

A manananggal, on 

the other hand, is a 

hideous depiction of a 

vampire woman with a 

detached torso, feared by 

many during the night 

when it looks for its prey. 

The episode was produced 

by MHM productions, 

named after the 

three producing and 

directing bigwigs, and will 

run for 22 minutes on air. 

The cast includes Clarisse 

Uy, Marwin Silerio, 

Luciane Buchanan, Meg 

Sydenham and Lourdes 

Santos. 

Editor - Mia Maramara 

has been nominated for the 

Filipino-Kiwi Hero Awards 

2022 - Best Film Director. 

WELLING- 

TON - Magnolia, 

the new 

poetry collection 

by Wellington 

writer Nina 

Mingya Powles 

(27), was shortlisted 

for the 

Mary and Peter 

Biggs Award for 

Poetry as part of 

the Ockham NZ 

Book Awards. 

Two years ago it was 

shortlisted for the UK’s 

prestigious Forward Prize 

for Best First Collection. 

Powles says: “Magnolia is 

a title that contains layers, 

which will be obvious to any 

Chinese speakers. ‘Mùlán’ 

means ‘magnolia’, which is 

also the official flower of the 

city of Shanghai, where 

most of these poems were 

written. I spent a year and a 

half there studying Mandarin. 

“Shanghai is one of several 

places in the world that I 

call home, so I always knew 

that one day I would have to 

write a ‘Shanghai book’, but 

I didn’t know what form it 

would take. 

“The end result is partly a 

collection of love letters to 

Shanghai, but it’s also about 

loneliness and about trying 

to retrace your steps back 

towards a language you’ve 

lost.” 

New poetry 

collection 

explores 

mixed-race 

experience 

By Mel Fernandez 

Poet Alison Wong says: 

“This is a book of the body 

and the senses. Whether the 

million tiny nerve endings 

of young love, the hunger 

that turns ‘your bones soft in 

the heat’, the painterly, edible, 

physical colour of flowers 

and the fabric lantern in 

the pattern of Maggie 

Cheung’s blue cheongsam, 

or ‘the soft scratchings of 

dusk’. 

“These are poems of 

‘warm blue longing’ and 

understated beauty, poems 

to linger over, taste and taste 

again. As Powles searches 

for home she leaves an 

‘imprint of rain’ in your 

dreams.” 

Powles, who is of Pakeha 

and Malaysian-Chinese 

descent, was born in 

Aotearoa New Zealand and 

did most of her growing up 

here, but has found many 

places to call home and 

Nina Mingya Powles 

many places to be homesick 

for. 

Powles began writing seriously 

while studying at 

Victoria University of 

Welling-ton, where her MA 

creative writing portfolio 

won the 2015 Biggs Family 

Prize for Poetry. 

Magnolia is available to 

purchase from https://www. 

seraphpress.co.nz/magnolia.html 

and from selected 

NZ bookstores. 

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with the following:- 

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and living in Christchurch. 

Full training will be given. 

Good pay rates for the right person. 

Please email cv to marg@guttersolutionz.co.nz


P a g e 0 7 

Legacy, whakapapa and 

heritage seen through the 

lens of the various migrant 

communities in Aotearoa is 

the subject of GIANTS, a 

seven-part series premiering 

at 9:30pm on 18 February 

2022 – on Maori Television, 

Maori+ and Maori TV On 

Demand. 

The series tells untold stories 

from Chinese, Punjabi, 

Filipino, African and 

Samoan migrant communities 

in Aotearoa. It explores 

the idea that immigrants 

‘stand on the shoulders of 

giants’, building upon the 

legacy and whakapapa of 

their tupuna. 

Producer Alex Bradshaw 

says that the series shows 

how the strength of family 

and community is an integral 

part of the foundation of 

New Zealand’s most diverse 

communities. 

“The migrant communities 

that were thriving all 

had one thing in common - 

they favoured communalism 

over individualism,” says 

Alex Bradshaw. 

“In making GIANTS we 

were fortunate to have 

access to untold stories from 

Maori TV’s take on 

legacy and heritage 

in migrant communities 

Above: Filipino Gymnastics 

Champion - Kenzo Santayana, 

Filipino-Kiwi Sportsperson 

of the Year 2021 

www.filipinoheroes.nz 

Left: Filming of the African episode 

in Wellington (featuring Thabbiso). 

GIANTS, a seven-part 

series premiering at 

9:30 PM on 

18 February 2022 – 

on Maori Television, 

Maori+ and Maori TV 

On Demand. 

growing migrant communities 

in Aotearoa. Features 

Kenzo Santayana 

and Rupert 

Palaroan. 

EPISODE 4 

– Friday 11 

March, 2022, 

at 9:30 PM: 

Oamaru – 

Introducing the 

culturally 

vibrant Oamaru, 

the latest step in 

Pacifika chain 

migration. 

EPISODE 5 – Friday 18 

March, 2022, at 9:30 PM: 

African – Changemakers in 

the growing African community 

of Wellington. 


March. 2022. at 9:30 PM: 

ASTR – Asians Supporting 

Tino Rangatiratanga, a 

some of New 

Zealand’s most 

vibrant migrant 

communities. 

We meet people 

who give voice 

to the experience 

of migrating to 

Aotearoa. 

“We learn 

about some of 

our newest New 

Zealanders – 

Chinese, Punjabi, 

Filipino, 

African, Samoan – how their 

culture shapes them and how 

they are shaping a new legacy 

in New Zealand through 

their community.” 

The personal stories are as 

varied as the migrant communities. 

“Our history goes right 

back to 1882, when my 

great-grandfather came to 

New Zealand to earn some 

money to send back to family 

in China,” says Malcolm 

Wong, featuring in Episode 

One. 

“I want to share what 

Filipino food is. I want to 

share our culture. I know 

that I'm not doing this for 

myself; I'm doing it for my 

cuisine and my culture,” 

says Rupert Palaroan in 

the Filipino episode. 

“People don't know the 

struggles of our parents. 

Clockwise from top left: Harsharin Kaur Virk, John Kaan, 

Parminder Singh, Ajit Randhawa, Carolyn King and 

Malcolm Wong 

Yeah, have you 

seen your mother 

cry? An African mother, 

when they weep, it's like 

they’re crying out to the 

Lord,” says Wasa Ali. 

The first episode of the 

new documentary series, 

Giants, premiered on Maori 

Television last week and is 

now available to watch On 

Demand. 

Co-edited by DEGANZ 

members Anthea Ede Smith, 

Scott Howard, Kaz Miley 

and Tara Durrant, Giants is a 

seven-part documentary 

series that takes a look at 

legacy, whakapapa and heritage 

through the lens of different 

migrant communities 

in Aotearoa. 

SCHEDULE: 

Episodes of Giants air on 

Maori Television on Fridays 

from 18 February at 9:30pm. 

They will then become 

available On Demand. 

Coming up on GIANTS: 

EPISODE 1 – 

Friday 18 February, 

2022, at 9:30 PM: Chinese – 

The Chinese community in 

Dunedin – one of Aotearoa’s 

most established migrant 

communities. 


February, 2022, at 9:30 PM: 

Indian – The Punjabi community 

drifted from 

Taumarunui to Auckland 

over four generations. 


March, 2022, at 9:30 PM: 

Filipino – The Filipino community 

is one of the fastest- 

group committed to upholding 

Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 


April, 2022, at 9:30 PM: 

Samoan – The Samoan 

community in Christchurch 

are intent on building a better 

future for their communities. 

Editor: The order of 

appearance of the episodes 

might change. Please check 

the schedule at Maori TV.

P a g e 0 8 w e b s i t e : w w w . a s i a n n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I TWITTER : www.twittercom/migrantnews 

By QUEENIE TANJAY 

ROTORUA - Kogi was 

born and raised in Hong 

Kong and has been thriving 

in New Zealand as a 

migrant since 2015. 

Kogi made history being 

heralded as the first 

migrant given the coveted 

title Miss Rotorua (2021). 

With her momentous win 

she hopes to be a louder 

representation of the 

migrant community in the 

country. 

“I felt excited, but didn’t 

expect much. I just did my 

best to inspire as many 

migrants as I could during 

the journey,” she revealed. 

Her win also speaks of 

how multi-hyphenate 

women are starting to 

break stereotypes in the 

pageantry scene. 

Considering herself a 

late bloomer, Miss Rotorua 

is Kogi’s first pageant at 

the age of 37. 

“My daughters were my 

motivation to join the pageant, 

as I want to be their 

role model and to empower 

women to inspire migrants 

and the next generation.” 

Although competitions 

A focus on 

excellence and a 

lot of hard work 

has seen two 

Avondale College 

students top the 

world in their 

Cambridge exams. 

Justin Yang 

(Year 11) came 

first in the world in 

the IGCSE English 

exam, with a raw 

mark of 99%; and 

Seivin Kim topped 

the world in the 

IGCSE Mathematics 

exam, gaining 

100% - while 

only in Year 10. 

It's an astonishing 

achievement, 

given that students 

from 140 countries 

and more than 

4500 schools 

around the world 

take the Cambridge 

International 

qualification. 

Each year there 

are over 700,000 

subject entries for 

Cambridge IGCSE exams 

alone. 

Factor in the additional challenges 

posed by Auckland's 

extended lockdown last year, 

and it becomes obvious that 

these are two very remarkable 

are evidently flocked to by outside beauty, but the 

young, tall and lean true beauty of woman, for 

women such as in Miss 

Hong Kong, Kogi was 

undeterred in making a 

which there is no barrier 

and no limits for age, size 

of the body, nationality or 

statement by her participation. 

marital status,” she 

“It is not about the relayed. 

Double Joy! 

of 

students indeed. 

Seivin, who was also named 

as Avondale College's Junior 

Dux for 2021, says she had 

done a lot of revision of past 

papers in the lead up to the two 

Mathematics exams, and she 

First wahine 

of Chinese 

descent wears 

the crown 

came out 

the 

e x a m 

rooms 

feeling 

quietly 

confident. 

"There 

weren't 

any questions that I felt I 

had definitely got 

wrong," she says. 

However, she was still 

surprised to get the news 

that she had gained all 

possible 200 marks, 

along with the Top in the 

World result. 

Justin also came out of 

his two English exams 

feeling pleased with the 

way they had gone, but 

certainly didn't expect 

he had done well enough 

to take out the top position. 

"It felt quite surreal 

when I heard the news," 

he says. 

Justin puts his success 

down to lots of hard 

work and revision, and 

says he has been inspired 

by Aristotle's famous 

quotation about excellence: 

“We are what we repeatedly 

do. Excellence, then, is not an 

act, but a habit.” 

It's a habit that both students 

look forward to developing further 

in their studies this year. 

Top in the World in Cambridge 

Mathematics and English Exams 

Seivin Kim and Justin Yang of Avondale College 

Photo supplied. 

Koji So 

Miss Rotorua 2021 

“The thing that matters most in the world 

is true beauty from inside your heart. 

No matter where we are from, what we 

look like, what our job is, what language 

we speak, we all deserve to be loved 

and respected.” - such inspiring words 

from the new face of a modern-day 

Rotorua woman herself - Kogi So 

Kogi also believes that in 

these unprecedented times 

pageants play an integral 

role in hyping up the spirit 

of the community. “I 

believe that pageants are 

still relevant in this pandemic 

as it’s all about 

empowerment no matter 

what’s happening. The 

mission and our spirit are 

still there,” she said. 

“It is about bringing the 

multicultural together in 

society and especially 

encouraging and empowering 

migrants to participate 

in the community - 

sharing our love and 

respect.” 

Following her crowning 

Kogi looks forward to collaborating 

with multicultural 

communities to share 

her advocacies on antiracism, 

anti-bullying and 

empowerment. 

She is currently involved 

with the Brave Charitable 

Trust in raising awareness 

against child sex abuse. 

Avondale student not 

just top of class but 

top of world for English 

Justin Yang is not just top of 

New Zealand for English at his 

year level – he's top of the 

world. 

The Avondale College Year 

11 student blitzed the 

Cambridge University International 

English exam, scoring 

99 per cent. 

While he admits others 

throughout the world may have 

also scored 99 per cent, no one 

got 100 per cent. 

The exam, which took place 

just a few days after Auckland 

moved out of lockdown in 

November last year, focused on 

four essays. 

One was on a poem he had read during 

the year, another was on a novel and 

two were about plays - Shakespeare's 

Romeo and Juliet and Arthur Miller's 

The Crucible. 

Yang told Checkpoint he was surprised 

when he saw his results. 

"I'd written what I felt about the literature 

and my opinion towards it, and I 

thought that that would have been good, 

but I wouldn't have actually expected to 

score so well. 

"I was very excited because I never 

expected to get such a good score. I wasn't 

really expecting top of New Zealand 

Kogi So is currently involved 

with the Brave Charitable 

Trust in raising awareness 

against child sex abuse. 

Photo supplied. 

Justin Yang is very thankful that all 

the hard work he did paid off. 

Photo / Supplied 

or top of 

the world." 

Y a n g 

said he was 

very thankful 

that all 

the hard 

work he 

did paid 

off. 

"You aim 

for the 100 

but you 

n e v e r 

expect it, 

but you 

want to 

work at it to get it and like, even if I 

don't achieve a 100 like even in my 

school career, I'm pretty satisfied with 

that. Like if I get good grades." 

He not only scored exceptionally high 

for English but also scored 93 per cent 

for math. 

However, he said he's always been 

more inclined towards social sciences 

but didn't choose those subjects. 

"I guess the word prowess is very suitable 

here, like that kind of ability just 

carried over to English and I really 

enjoyed it a lot." 

- RNZ (Reprinted with special permission).


P a g e 0 9 

Sound the warning bell: 

Lead, mercury found in 

skin whitening products 

By Staff Writer 

Two years ago, Migrant 

News reported that 

worldwide people have 

been urging beauty companies 

to change and 

remove skin whitening 

(also known as lightening) 

products (www. 

migrantnews.nz/changein-beauty-industry). 

And now there is more 

bad news both for 

importers of these products 

and consumers. 

Medsafe has issued a 

warning that high levels 

of mercury and lead have 

been found in some skin 

whitening creams. 

According to the 

Authority, a case of possible 

mercury poisoning 

was reported in the Upper 

North Island recently. 

“The sample of the product 

used by the patient 

was tested and found to 

have 24900 parts of mercury 

per million. 

“Two other brands of 

similar products that 

were tested were also 

found to contain high levels 

of mercury and of 

lead, as did a second sample 

of the original product 

tested. 

“This is in breach of 

international conventions 

limiting mercury in cosmetic 

products to 1 part 

per million.” 

Subsequently, Medsafe 

warned the public not to 

use Goree Beauty Cream 

with Lycopene, Goree 

Day and Night Beauty 

Cream Oil Free and 

Golden Pearl Beauty 

Cream. 

“Medsafe cautions that 

anyone purchasing similar 

products either here 

or from the internet 

should take particular 

care as the presence of 

mercury is often not disclosed, 

as is the case with 

these products, but it is 

often included as an 

added ingredient.” 

Along with the public 

warning, Medsafe has 

seized a quantity of skin 

whitening creams containing 

mercury from a 

trader in Auckland. 

However, other traders 

may also have imported 

and sold these products 

and individuals may also 

have personally imported 

the products. 

The alert was published 

on Medsafe’s website to 

inform those using the 

products about the associated 

health risks and to 

inform traders of the 

issue. 

EXPLAINER: 

What are the signs and 

symptoms of mercury 

poisoning? 

Mercury is a dangerous 

chemical and although 

naturally present in the 

environment, it is rare. 

The signs and symptoms 

of mercury poisoning 

vary widely depending on 

the route of absorption 

and period of exposure 

but include toxic effects 

on the nervous, digestive 

and immune systems, and 

on the lungs, kidneys, 

skin and eyes. It can also 

affect the development of 

unborn babies. 

What are the signs and 

symptoms of lead poisoning? 

A variety of symptoms 

can be attributed to lead 

poisoning depending on 

the level of exposure and 

the age of the person 

involved. Lead poisoning 

may affect neurological 

development in children, 

and affect the gastrointestinal 

and nervous systems 

and have other 

effects in adults. 

What are the environmental 

concerns? 

The mercury in these 

products may end up in 

wastewater, from where it 

can enter other waterways 

and then the food 

chain, through fish. 

Editor - You can find 

more information about 

this topic at: https://www. 

medsafe.govt.nz/safety/ 

Alerts/skin-whiteningcream.asp 

We welcome your comments 

relating to this article. 

email: migrantnews 

@xtra.co.nz 

The Treaty and the History belong to us 

By Priyanca 

Radhakrishnan 

Waitangi Day continues 

to fascinate me as much 

today as it did when I first 

moved to Aotearoa New 

Zealand and started learning 

about this nation’s history. 

It is an opportunity to 

reflect and take stock of 

the Crown’s relationship 

with the Maori and think 

about where we are headed 

as a nation. 

For me it is an opportunity 

to reflect where 

migrant and ethnic communities 

fit into the social 

fabric of our Nation. 

In 2016 I had the privilege 

of joining the Labour 

Party team at Te Tii Marae 

for the Political Day that 

precedes Waitangi Day. It 

was a special experience. 

Waitangi, in the Bay of 

Islands, is a beautiful 

place. 

Unfortunately, when we 

were there for the Political 

Day 2016 it was bucketing 

down with rain. We stood 

for about an hour in the 

(above) Asian family during their first visit to 

the Waitangi Treaty grounds 

rain waiting to be welcomed 

onto Te Tii Marae. 

AMAZING VIBE 

Waitangi has an especially 

amazing vibe during 

Waitangi Day celebrations. 

The Treaty grounds are 

taken over by about 150 

stalls. 

It was a convivial event 

with music, laughter and 

children playing. 

I was pleasantly surprised, 

because all the 

media reports that I had 

read about 

Waitangi 

focused on the 

protests and the 

sometimes hostile treatment 

of politicians on the 

Marae. 

It was a surreal experience 

to be in that place on 

a day that holds such historical 

and political significance 

for New Zealand. 

I feel very strongly that 

we have a responsibility as 

migrants to learn New 

Zealand’s history and 

understand the place that 

the tangata whenua occupies 

in that history. For too 

long now there has been a 

struggle between biculturalism 

and multiculturalism. 

CONFLICTING IDEAS 

Some people consider 

biculturalism to be restrictive, 

because it excludes 

ethnic communities. 

Others 

consider 

multiculturalism 

to be a 

threat to 

the bicult 

u r a l 

framework 

within which 

New Zealand 

operates. 

They are concerned 

about the effect of multiculturalism 

on the status 

accorded to the tangata 

whenua, the people of the 

land. 

I believe that we need 

both. 

As popular Public 

Lawyer Mai Chen said. 

“We need to start talking 

about multiculturalism on 

a bicultural base.” 

THE TREATY 

I learnt about Te Tiriti O 

Waitangi relatively recently. 

It was when I was studying 

a paper that dealt with 

the issue of race-relations 

that I learnt about its two 

different versions; the 

original in Te Reo Maori 

and the other translation 

in English and the way that 

it has shaped Pakeha- 

Maori relations. 

I learnt about the land 

wars and confiscation; the 

struggle that Maori went 

through to preserve Te Reo 

Maori and their culture. 

It was then that I started 

to understand the Treaty 

settlement process and the 

protests on Waitangi Day. 

A public meeting that I 

attended in Pt. England 

highlighted the importance 

of learning Maori history. 

The meeting was called 

to hear the views of residents 

on a government Bill 

that would enable the sale 

of a third of the Pt. 

England Reserve to Ngati 

Paoa as part of their 

Treaty settlement process. 

There were various 

views expressed, both for 

and against the sale of the 

land. 

However, there were a 

couple of questions that led 

me to realise that there was 

a need for more education 

around the Treaty settlement 

and negotiation 

process – why it is happening 

and what it entails. 

As New Zealanders, we 

are all in this together. 

As migrants, Aotearoa’s 

history has become ours. 

The onus is on us to find 

out about the historical 

injustices and to understand 

the attempts being 

made to address those 

wrongs. 

Naku te rourou nau te 

rourou ka ora ai te iwi. 

With your basket and my 

basket the people will live. 

Priyanca Radhakrishnan 

is the Minister for Diversity, 

Inclusion and Ethnic 

Communities. 

This article was first published 

in 2017.

P a g e 1 0 w e b s i t e : w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I TWITTER : www.twittercom/migrantnews

MATAKANA – Here’s a 

side trip that should be at 

the top of every Aucklander’s 

bucket list of travel 

destinations, simply because 

of its close proximity 

to Auckland. 

This popular day trip is 

a mere hour’s drive north 

from the Auckland city 

centre on a multilane 

highway that weaves 

through rolling countryside, 

coastal views and 

quaint townships and 

offers one a slower pace of 

life in peaceful surroundings 

the further out you 

venture. 

Along the way discover 

a string of delightful 

jumping off points where 

you can unwind and 

explore at your leisure: 

Puhoi. Warkworth. Matakana. 

Leigh. Omaha 

Beach. Snells Beach … 

And for those who like a 

tipple as a means of 

escapism, the delightful 

Coast Wine Country will 

put you in the right spirit. 

This region is too broad 

a landscape to do justice 

to in just one article, so 

the focus here is the 

delightful Matakana 

township and surrounds 

and its main attraction - 

the rustic Matakana 

Village Farmers Market 

held every Saturday 

morning from 9am to 

1pm. 

It is prudent 

to leave 

Auckland 

before 9am to 

ensure that 

you arrive in 

time to discover 

the cornucopia 

of 

delights that 

overflow 

from the display 

stalls at 

the market. 

The market 

is a splendid 

showcase for 

local growers 

and producers 

and artisan foods. 

Here they can flaunt 

their super fresh fruit and 

veges, organic produce, 

preserves, pickles, olive 

oils, breads, gourmet 

spreads, chocolate, feijoa 

wine, kombucha, locally 

made cheeses, artisan hot 

pastries, salted caramel 

truffles, pizza, delicious 

homemade nut butters 

and jams, honey, specialty 

meats, sausages, cooked 

oysters and pau fritters. 

Highly recommended 

are the waffles topped 

with bacon and banana, 

the Russian fudge and the 

moreish cheeses. 

The markets are cute 

permanent stalls with 

wooden tables located on 

the river’s edge where you 

can eat and listen to live 

music. 

Once you’ve had your 

www.travelgalore.nz • melfernandez@xtra.co.nz 

Matakana 

Beckons. 

Bucket List 

Destination - 

Just a Short 

Hop Away. 

fill of 

the market it pays to wander 

around the surrounding 

Matakana Village. 

Discover art galleries, 


antiques, second-hand 

shops, vineyards, wineries, 

cafés and restaurants 

that are sprinkled 

throughout the area. 

A premium tour over 

here is the Matakana 

River Cruise that unfolds 

the history and shows the 

tidal environment of mangroves, 

native bush and 

farmland. The trip takes 

about an hour. 

The area boasts rolling 

countryside, picturesque 

coastlines, beaches, hidden 

coves and some walking 

tracks. So much to do 

if you have the time and 

the inclination. 

WINERIES: Sample 

award-winning wines at 

some of Matakana’s boutique 

vineyards. Indulge 

in a leisurely lunch overlooking 

the vines or join a 

small group tour to several 

properties. 

Plan to visit three to five 

wineries while you’re in 

Matakana - there are lots 

more in the area. 

The Matakana Coast 

may be a relatively new 

wine-growing region, and 

over recent years the 

region has produced several 

award-winning wines 

and the number of vineyards 

in the area has 

grown dramatically. 

As a day tripper you 

can fit in a couple more 

side trips if you feel up to 

it. We breezed through the 

VIEW OUR TRAVEL VIDEO 

@ www.travelgalore.nz/ 

matakana-beckons 

following: 

OMAHA BEACH 

Omaha is only 7 km 

away. The waters are 

great for surfers and 

swimmers as the waves 

are moderate. 

Nothing beats eating 

fish and chips by the 

water and then going for a 

long walk along the sandy 

beachfront. 

GOAT ISLAND 

MARINE RESERVE 

Further 

up the coast 

near Leigh 

is Goat 

Island - New 

Zealand's 

first marine 

reserve. If 

time permits, 

try 

snorkelling or go on the 

glass bottom boat. 

On this day trip we got 

to sample a little of everything 

the Matakana 

region offers. But it was 

hectic. 

Next time round we 

would prefer to stay a 

couple of days at Omaha 

beach and enjoy more of 

what the region has to 

offer at a more leisurely 

pace. 

Hello there! 

There is every 

chance that 

you will meet 

mates from 

Auckland 

unwinding in 

Matakana. 

Check out 

other exciting 

travelogues 

@ TRAVEL 

GALORE 

http://www. 

travelgalore. 

nz 

TO ADVERTISE 

YOUR TOURIST 

BUSINESS: 

027 4958477 

Aotearoa’s border to reopen in stages from 27 February 

The New Zealand border 

will reopen to vaccinated 

Kiwis and other current eligible 

travellers from 

Australia at 11.59pm on 27 

February and to the same 

groups from the rest of the 

world two weeks later on 

13 March. 

The Government’s reconnecting 

plan will see all 

New Zealanders and key 

visa holders able to start to 

enter the country over the 

coming three 

months, assisting 

with the economic 

recovery and immediately 

address 

worker shortages. 

“This is a very 

carefully developed 

plan that replaces 

MIQ for the vast 

majority of travellers 

while ensuring 

we maintain 

ongoing measures to reduce 

the spread of COVID-19 in 

our community 

from recent 

arrivals,” 

COVID-19 

Response 

Minister 

Chris Hipkins 

said. 

“By the time 

we start to 

reopen our border, 

we’ll be 

one of the most 

vaccinated and most boosted 

countries in the world 

and the COVID-19 Protection 

Framework will be 

well established in helping 

to manage COVID outbreaks. 

“Our plan has built in 

protections to help manage 

risks such as future variants. 

A phased approach to 

reopening reduces the risk 

of a surge of cases, while 

prioritising the return of 

New Zealanders and much 

needed entry of skilled 

workers. 

“Having MIQ for every 

traveller was a temporary 

setting for when none of us 

had protection. New 

Zealanders need to reconnect 

with one another. 

Families and friends need 

to reunite. Our businesses 

need skills to grow. 

Exporters need to travel to 

make new connections,” 

Chris Hipkins said.

FIRST ASIAN FOOD WEBSITE IN NZ Mob: 027 495 8477 : migrantnews@xtra.co.nz 

‘Street food like 

back in Malaysia.’ 


AUCKLAND – Ask any 

Malaysian what they miss 

most about their mother 

country and chances are 

that street food comes out 

top on their wish list. 

In food-mad Malaysia 

locals have a tendency to 

partake in up to six small 

meals a day, because they 

are drawn to the ubiquitous 

hawker stalls where 

the food is cheap and 

super tasty. 

Robin Annadass and his 

wife Amanda Annie, who 

hail from Kedah in 

Malaysia and who are 

newcomers to our shores, 

are a classic example. 

The pair was craving 

‘mamak style’ street food 

(a delightful blend of 

Malay and Indian dishes) 

so much that they decided 

Video interview with Robin 

Annadass can be viewed at 

www.halohalo.nz/kedaimamak 

to replicate the food stall 

concept with the opening 

of ‘Kedai Mamak’ in 

Three Kings, Auckland – 

offering Malaysian prices 

for their meals, an 

authentic taste and a 

rotating menu of musthave 

comfort food. 

“I reckon that we are 

the only ones doing exactly 

what ‘kedai mamak’ 

stalls offer in Malaysia 

and Singapore. So now 

people don’t have to travel 

in order to get the same 

quality, the same flavour 

and the same food right 

here in New Zealand,” he 

chuckled. 

So what is the success 

secret of this popular 

eatery, which has customers 

fighting to get 

through the door for their 

traditional breakfast, 

lunch and dinner menu 

offerings. 

“Firstly, our prices are 

so reasonable that most of 

our customers dine in and 

get takeaways as well,” 

noted Annadass. 

“Secondly, they love the 

home style food.” A good 

indication that their food 

is authentic is the fact that 

Malaysians make up the 

bulk of their customers. 

According to Annadass, 

the favourite dish on their 

menu is Nasi Lemak, 

unofficially the national 

dish of Malaysia. The 

basic version offered here 

features coconut flavoured 

rice, a dab of sambal, a 

sliced-up hard-boiled egg, 

cucumber, ikan bilis (deep 

fried anchovies) and 

toasted peanuts. You can 

add fried chicken to the 

set. 

Then come the noodles 

– Kway Teow Goreng 

(fried flat rice noodles 

with a generous helping of 

sambal), which will make 

you drool, followed by 

Mee Hoon and Mee 

Goreng. 

A breakfast treat that 

tends to run out quickly is 

Check out more food reviews at the Asian Food Portal 

http://www.halohalo.nz 

TO ADVERTISE YOUR FOOD BUSINESS: 027 495 8477 

the addictive Roti Canai 

(pan-fried flatbread made 

with flour, eggs, fats and 

water), served with dhal 

curry. And for the sweettoothed 

there is kueh 

lapis (a coconut layered 

dessert) and 

kueh seri muka 

(which combines 

glutinous rice, 

coconut milk, sugar 

and pandan leaves). 

The Saturday lunchtime 

treats are biriyani 

or ghee rice and goat 

curry. 

Fish curry features on 

Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Chicken and lamb 

curry, fish and quail eggs 

sambal also pop up on the 

rotating menu.* 

And yes, ‘Teh Tarik’ 

(the famous frothy ‘pulled 

tea’ that combines black 

tea and condensed milk) 

is available here too, at a 

very 

reasonable 

price of course. 

Kedai Mamak, 

540D Mt Albert Road, 

Three Kings Plaza. 

Tel: 09-624 0011. 

*Please check their 

Facebook page for daily 

specials and opening 

hours. 

AUCKLAND – Filipino 

food cart giant Potato 

Corner officially opened its 

first franchise operation in 

New Zealand on 15 

December 2021 at the 

Botany Town Centre Night 

Market. 

“It’s been long overdue 

for Potato Corner to enter 

New Zealand,” said 

Gaston Zubiri, director of 

Spudsters NZ Limited. 

“And now we are finally 

here!” 

Auckland’s borders 

reopened on the same day, 

which was perfect timing 

for the celebration as 

patrons from nearby cities 

were able to attend and 

savour these famous 

flavoured French Fries. 

“It has been an honour 

and a privilege to have 

contributed to bringing a 

leading Philippine-made 

brand on the global scene 

to New Zealand,” added 

Meryl Co Chiong, a coowner 

and General 

Manager of the operation. 

Already at the soft 

launch on 18 November at 

the Henderson Night 

Market, Filipinos and 

locals were patiently lining 

up to satisfy their cravings 

for this world-famous 

Philippine potato snack. 

“We appreciate all your 

FILIPINO POTATO SNACK GIANT 

SET TO CORNER NZ MARKET 


Food Editor 

support and patience,” Co 

Chiong posted on Facebook. 

“We would like to 

apologize for the longer 

than expected wait times as 

we did not anticipate customers 

ordering up to $100 

worth of fries in one go.” 

The popular potato 

snacks are now being 

quickly snapped up at 

Spudsters’ weekly pop-up 

carts at the Auckland 

Night Markets in Mt. 

Wellington, Botany Town 

Centre, Henderson, Highbury 

Shopping Centre, 

Papatoetoe and Pakuranga. 

Potato Corner is a global 

Philippine food franchise 

and has been a leading 

brand in the food industry 

for over 25 years. 

In 1992 the first Potato 

Corner store opened in SM 

Megamall. 

In a recent podcast, Asia 

CEO, Potato Corner cofounder 

and chief executive 

officer Jose Magsaysay 

Jr. said that the company is 

in the process of ramping 

up its expansion plans. 

Potato Corner has 

been serving spud 

lovers in Australia 

since 2016 and is continuously 

expanding its 

presence in the 

Oceania region. 

Currently Potato Corner 

has over 1,400 stores 

worldwide. The bulk of the 

stores are located in the 

Philippines, but more than 

200 are overseas. 

In five to 10 years 

Magsaysay Jr. said that 

Potato Corner is looking at 

adding 1,000 more stores 

to the local market and 

10,000 stores internationally. 

The majority, or 80 percent, 

of Potato Corner’s 

stores are held by franchisees.


P a g e 1 3 

“Had she been 

vaccinated ... 

... would it have given her a 

fighting chance to survive?” 

Dr Lira Lecias (right), 

a GP at Waiuku Health 

Centre in Auckland, 

with her late mum 

Lilia Gamboa 

GP Lira Lecias wants to 

encourage people to get 

vaccinated and keep their 

family and friends safe. 

Dr Lecias has written an 

open letter to all New 

Zealanders in honour of her 

beloved mother, the late 

Lilia Gamboa, about her 

family’s experience with 

COVID in the Philippines. 

Dr Lira Lecias has 

been nominated for 

the Filipino-Kiwi Hero 

of the Year Award 2022. 

AUCKLAND - It is hard 

and painful and I wouldn’t 

wish this to happen to you 

and your families here in 

New Zealand. 

I want to share my family’s 

experience with 

COVID in the Philippines. 

By sharing my story 

I hope that those of you 

who have second thoughts, 

doubts or hesitations about 

getting the vaccine may 

think about getting the jab 

sooner rather than later. 

Since the pandemic 

started, part of my work as 

a GP on the frontline has 

been treating and swabbing 

patients with respiratory 

or viral illnesses in the 

'red zone' of Waiuku 

Health Centre. 

Every time I put on my 

PPE I would wish that 

there was something in the 

medicine cabinet that I 

could take to protect me, 

my family, my healthcare 

team and my friends from 

getting COVID. 

I also experience 

hesitancy 

The vaccine became 

available for us, frontliners, 

in March of last year. I 

also experienced hesitancy 

regarding getting the vaccine. 

Initially I had the same 

questions you may also 

have in your mind right 

now. Will I have bad side 

effects? Will I die? What 

will be the effects of the 

vaccine in the long term? 

However, I also wondered: 

If the vaccine is 

there to help us protect 

ourselves – why wouldn’t I 

take it? 

So after weighing up the 

benefits vs the risks and 

after considering the available 

evidence, I then decided 

to get vaccinated. 

Since then I have been 

watching the numbers in 

other countries, to find out 

how much vaccination can 

protect us. Although data 

from other countries 

showed the trend that vaccination 

protects people 

from developing severe 

COVID, the numbers may 

not necessarily mean anything 

at a personal level. 

Until COVID hits 

home 

Knowing the numbers 

does not necessarily motivate 

some of us to get vaccinated 

urgently. Until 

COVID hits home, only 

then do you start to see for 

yourself who survives and 

who doesn’t. This is why I 

would like to share my 

family’s experience with 

you. 

Recently my family 

(father, mother and two 

nephews who live with 

them) contracted COVID. 

My father (75) has medical 

comorbidities, including 

hypertension and atrial 

fibrillation. He developed 

a cough, fever and shortness 

of breath. 

My sister brought him to 

a public hospital where he 

waited overnight for his 

COVID test results in a 

holding area in a tent outside 

the hospital building. 

The next day, 31 August, 

we were fortunate to find a 

private hospital for him. 

My father needed oxygen 

supplementation. He 

improved and was discharged 

14 days later. 

Two days after my father 

was admitted to the hospital, 

my mother, who was 

symptomatic and who had 

also tested positive for 

COVID, was also put on a 

waiting list. 

We had to purchase a 

pulse oximeter and oxygen 

tank to support her 

breathing at home as her 

oxygen saturation (O2sat) 

was dropping. 

When space became 

available she was finally 

admitted to the hospital 

with her O2sat already at 

around 84 percent. 

My mother was 74 years 

old and was taking oral 

medications for hypertension 

and diabetes. She 

received all the treatments 

for COVID, similar to 

what would be given here 

in New Zealand for moderate-severe 

COVID. 

Despite the available 

treatments she continued 

to deteriorate over the next 

few days, requiring intubation 

and ICU admission. 

She eventually passed 

away on 14 September. 

Home oxygen supplementation 

My nephews, a 27 year 

old with scoliosis and a 

mental health condition 

and a 23 year old with a 

history of asthma, were 

both unvaccinated. 

The local government 

advised them to quarantine 

at home with the rest 

of the family. They were 

managed at home by their 

mother, my sister, who had 

received a first dose of the 

Sinovac vaccine. They both 

needed oxygen supplementation 

at home as their 

O2sats also fell below 95 

percent, with one of them 

going as low as 89 percent. 

The remaining four 

members in the household 

developed mild symptoms 

(presumed to be COVID). 

Two of them (17 year old 

male and 24 year old male) 

were unvaccinated. The 

other two (41 year old male 

and 20 year old female) 

were vaccinated with a 

first dose of Sinovac. 

What were the outcomes 

after two weeks? My 

father, who had received a 

dose of the vaccine, survived 

moderate COVID. 

My vaccinated sister 

remained asymptomatic. 

My vaccinated niece and 

41 year old extended family 

member also recovered 

from mild COVID. While 

the four unvaccinated family 

members recovered, 

two needed home oxygen 

supplementation. 

Unfortunately, in the 

case of my mother, COVID 

caught up with her before 

she could get her vaccination 

and she didn’t survive. 

My mother was vaccinehesitant 

in the beginning, 

because she feared that she 

would get adverse effects. 

When she finally decided 

to go for her vaccination it 

did not happen because the 

centre ran out of vaccines. 

Sadly she contracted 

COVID before her next 

appointment. 

Luxury of low 

cases 

Since we lost our mother, 

a couple of questions that 

continue to play in my 

mind are: Had she been 

vaccinated, would it have 

given her a fighting chance 

to survive? Would it be a 

different scenario if she 

was here in New Zealand? 

Not only do we have vaccines 

available now, but we 

also have the luxury of 

time to get vaccinated 

while our COVID cases are 

still low. 

An Auntie (68), has 

myasthenia gravis, but has 

received a dose of the 

Moderna vaccine. She 

nursed both my sick parents 

at the hospital, but 

didn’t get COVID. 

Another Auntie (63), 

who has diabetes and who 

had completed a course of 

the Sinovac vaccine also 

didn’t get COVID after 

meeting with a symptomatic, 

unvaccinated dear 

friend whose husband 

unfortunately also died 

from COVID. 

I know of friends here in 

Auckland whose family 

members in the Philippines 

were also recently 

affected by COVID. A 

friend’s mum, who is 72 

years old with rheumatoid 

arthritis, completed two 

doses of Astra Zeneca and 

is now recovering from 

COVID. 

On the other hand, 

another friend’s father, 83 

years old, passed away 

from COVID on 4 

October. He was unvaccinated. 

Vaccination makes 

a difference 

Now I don’t need to look 

far away to see what’s happening 

in other countries. 

Unfortunately, in my family’s 

and friends’ cases, the 

unvaccinated vulnerable 

family members are the 

ones we’ve lost. Our family 

members who had at least 

one dose, regardless of the 

vaccine, were protected or 

had better outcomes after 

contracting COVID. 

Unknown to many of 

you, while New Zealand 

was in lockdown since 

mid-August, some of our 

Filipino community members 

here in New Zealand 

have been mourning the 

loss of loved ones back in 

the Philippines due to 

COVID. 

It is hard and painful 

and I wouldn’t wish this to 

happen to you and your 

families here in New 

Zealand. 

Give yourselves and 

your whanau a fighting 

chance. Vaccines are within 

our reach. Give our 

healthcare system a fighting 

chance to deal with 

COVID by getting as many 

eligible family members as 

possible vaccinated.

P a g e 1 4 w e b s i t e : w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I TWITTER : www.twittercom/migrantnews 

The arrival of the 

Omicron variant of Covid- 

19 into New Zealand has 

meant the gap between the 

second vaccine dose and 

booster has been shortened 

even further - originally six 

months going to four months 

in early January 2022, and 

then reduced to three months 

in early February. 

The timing of the rollout 

had previously caused some 

confusion about when people 

should go and how it all 

works. 

The government made its 

latest decision on the interval 

after advice from the 

Vaccine Technical Advisory 

Group. It meant more people 

would be able eligible to get 

their booster before 

Omicron took hold in the 

community. 

There's also a difference 

between booster doses and 

third primary doses. (Note: 

For most people, a primary 

course is two doses, for 

some people a primary 

course could be three doses.) 

RNZ is here to clear it all 

up. 

What is the booster 

dose? 

The Pfizer booster vaccine 

dose is generally being 

used in New Zealand, even 

if you had a different vaccine 

for your primary 

course. 

AstraZeneca boosters are 

also available on prescription, 

but only four months 

after the second dose. 

Prescriptions can be obtained 

at the vaccinating 

AstraZeneca clinic or before 

the vaccine appointment 

with a doctor. It is free to 

visit the doctor for an 

AstraZeneca booster prescription. 

The booster is different to 

the third primary dose recommended 

for people who 

are immunocompromised. 

People eligible for a third 

primary dose can access a 

booster dose three months 

after receiving their third 

primary dose. 

When can you get your 

booster? 

In early December, the 

government announced it 

would shorten the required 

gap between the second dose 

and booster, from six 

months to four months. In 

early February, the interval 

was further reduced to three 

months, or 93 days. 

You can check when you 

are due for a booster by visiting 

mycovidrecord.nz or 

your purple Covid-19 

Vaccine appointment card if 

you have one. 

If you have already 

E X P L A I N E R 

Covid-19 vaccine booster dose: 

What you need to know 

booked your booster dose 

with a four-month gap, you 

can keep your original 

appointment, or change it. 

Although, the government 

has advised people not to 

delay getting it, to reduce the 

risk of Omicron as it spreads 

in the community. 

The Ministry of Health 

has said there are plenty of 

booster doses available and 

no one would miss out. 

Where to go to get a 

booster 

You can find locations for 

walk-in and drive-through 

vaccination places by clicking 

here. 

Appointment slots have 

been available from 17 

January via Book My 

Vaccine online. 

If you cannot book online, 

you can call the Covid-19 

Vaccination Healthline on 

0800 28 29 26 (8am to 8pm, 

seven days a week). 

Interpretation services, 

and text, email and NZ 

Relay options for deaf and 

hearing impaired are available 

if you need them via the 

0800 number. 

There is also a specialist 

team for disabled people 

(option 2 on the 0800 number). 

You can also make an 

appointment with your doctor 

if they are providing 

Covid-19 vaccines. 

Who is eligible for the 

Covid-19 vaccine booster? 

Healthcare and border 

workers have been the priority 

for booster doses since 

large numbers of people in 

those industries had their 

primary doses earlier than 

the rest of the population. 

When you arrive for your 

booster, the date of your last 

dose will be checked in the 

booking system to ensure 

you have gone through the 

required interval period. 

People aged five years and 

older have been able to get 

their primary Covid-19 vaccine 

courses, but the booster 

dose is currently only available 

for those aged 18 years 

and above. 

Advice from the Covid 

Vaccine Technical Advisory 

Group is expected in mid- 

February on when 12 to 17 

year olds would be able to 

get booster doses "if the scientific 

advice supports 

booster doses in some, or all, 

of this age group", the government 

said on its Covid-19 

website. 

The booster vaccine can 

be given at any stage of 

pregnancy, at least 3 months 

after the primary course. 

In a pamphlet from the 

ministry early in December, 

the ministry had recommended 

that those who had 

their full primary course 

during pregnancy to wait 

until after the baby is born to 

get the booster dose. 

However, in a statement to 

RNZ on 7 January, the ministry 

has clarified that advice 

has changed for pregnant 

women following review 

from the College of 

Obstetricians and guidance 

issued by the Australian 

Technical Advisory Group 

on Immunisation. 

"Pregnant people are at 

high risk for severe outcomes 

from Covid-19 infection, 

and those who are 

unvaccinated are more likely 

to have complications during 

pregnancy if they contract 

Covid-19," the ministry 

said in a media release. 

The ministry advised that 

pregnant women should discuss 

the timing of their 

booster with their midwife, 

obstetrician or general practitioner. 

If you had your Covid-19 

vaccination overseas, you 

can get still get the booster 

for free once you have gone 

through the required interval 

from your last dose. 

Potential side effects of 

boosters 

You may experience some 

side effects with the booster 

similar to the primary course 

of the vaccine, according to 

the Ministry of Health. 

These include muscle 

aches, pain at the injection 

site, headaches, nausea, and 

feeling tired or fatigued. For 

most people, these tend to be 

mild effects and don't last 

long. 

Some side effects are 

more serious but very rare, 

like a severe allergic reaction 

or an inflammation of 

the heart (myocarditis). 

If you develop difficulty 

breathing, a racing heart, 

chest pain or feel faint 

immediately or in the days 

after the vaccine, you should 

seek medical attention. 

If you're unsure about 

your symptoms or if they get 

worse, call Healthline: 0800 

358 5453. 

If you have had a severe or 

immediate allergic reaction 

to any vaccine or injection in 

the past, tell your vaccinator. 

Serious allergic reactions do 

happen but are extremely 

rare. 

An online reporting form 

for adverse events following 

immunisation with Covid-19 

vaccines is now available. 

Director-General of 

Health Ashley Bloomfield 

said New Zealand Covid-19 

vaccination data so far was 

similar to that overseas; we 

had not seen an increase in 

side effects, and overall 

adverse events after each 

additional vaccination had 

declined. 

Vaccine passes for boosters 

You do not need to have a 

booster to be certified as 

'fully vaccinated' for My 

Vaccine Pass or an International 

Travel Vaccination 

Certificate. Your My 

Vaccine Pass will remain 

valid, even if you do not get 

a booster dose. 

If you do get a booster 

dose, it will be added to My 

Covid Record and you can 

create another pass. 

Is it mandatory to have a 

Covid-19 vaccine booster? 

Early in December, the 

government announced 

Cabinet agreed in principle 

that where workers are 

required to be vaccinated, 

this mandate will now 

extend to booster doses. 

The addition to the order 

came into effect on 23 

January 2022 and means 

border and MIQ workforces, 

health and disability workforces, 

as well as those 

involved with the border or 

health or MIQ from 

Corrections, police, defence, 

and fire and emergency will 

be required to have their 

booster by 15 February, 

2022, if eligible. 

For police and fire and 

emergency workforces who 

are involved with education, 

they are required to have the 

booster by 1 March 2022. 

The same date applies for 

the education workforce. 

For all these workers, a 

booster dose is mandated six 

months (183 days) from the 

end of their primary vaccination 

course. Although, as 

with the rest of the eligible 

population, they will also be 

eligible for a booster three 

months after their primary 

vaccine course. 

How effective is the 

booster against Covid-19? 

The Ministry of Health 

said data from Pfizer 

showed that a booster dose 

was 95.6 percent effective 

against the coronavirus, 

including the Delta variant, 

compared to those who did 

not receive a booster. 

The ministry said evidence 

showed that after six 

months of a full vaccination 

course, protection against 

Covid-19 was reduced and 

so a 'top up' vaccine would 

help boost immunity against 

the virus. 

"We already know that 

booster vaccinations significantly 

lift an individual's 

immunity, reducing the 

spread and the severity of 

Covid-19. 

"Data is emerging now 

that booster doses of Pfizer 

provide better protection 

than two doses do when it 

comes to the Omicron variant." 

The UK Health Security 

Agency (UKHSA) analysed 

more than 600,000 confirmed 

and suspected cases 

of the Omicron variant up to 

29 December in England 

and found a booster vaccine 

is 88 percent effective at preventing 

people ending up in 

hospital with Covid-19. 

The data confirms that two 

doses of the AstraZeneca, 

Pfizer or Moderna vaccines 

offers little protection 

against being infected with 

Omicron. 

Why has the time 

between the second dose 

and booster been shortened? 

Before the highly infectious 

Omicron variant 

arrived in the community, 

Covid-19 Response Minister 

Chris Hipkins had said it 

was expected that every case 

coming into New Zealand's 

border would be of the variant. 

The government hopes 

having widespread administration 

of the Covid-19 vaccine 

booster will help 

decrease the risk of transmission 

and minimise the 

impact on the healthcare 

system. 

"Don't think getting a 

booster is just about keeping 

yourself safe," said Prime 

Minister Jacinda Ardern. 

"It's about ensuring our hospital 

and health system is not 

overwhelmed so those you 

love and everyone in our 

community who needs our 

hospitals can get the care 

they need." 

Hipkins said the change in 

interval would give a chance 

for people, especially Maori, 

to receive a booster and 

increase their protection 

before Omicron took hold. 

Ministry of Health Chief 

Science Advisor Ian Town 

said bringing it forward to 

three months, which had 

been done in the United 

Kingdom and in many 

Australian states, meant 

New Zealand could get the 

level of antibodies at a peak 

before it was facing widespread 

transmission of 

Omicron. 

There did not appear to be 

any downside to reducing 

the interval to three months, 

he said. 

Director-General of 

Health Dr Ashley 

Bloomfield said speeding up 

the booster rollout was a key 

part of the country's 

response to Omicron. 

- Published with special 

permission from RNZ


P a g e 1 5 

Do children receive a 

smaller dose of the vaccine 

than adults? 

Yes. The child doses of the 

Pfizer vaccine are smaller 

than the ones used for 

people over the age of 12 – 

a child’s dose is one third 

of the adult dose. 

And how far apart do they 

receive their two doses? 

Currently the 

recommendation in New 

Zealand is that the first 

and second doses are 

given 8 weeks apart. The 

interval can be shortened 

to a minimum of 21 days 

if needed, for example if 

your child is starting 

significant immunosuppression 

treatment. 

How safe is the vaccine for 

my child? 

For children aged 5 to 

11, clinical trial results 

showed the Pfizer vaccine 

was 90.7% effective 

against getting COVID-19 

symptoms, and no 

participants developed 

severe COVID-19. 

In the United States, 

more than 8 million doses 

were administered in the 5 

to 11 age group from 

November to December 

2021. The national public 

health agency, Centres for 

Disease Control and 

Prevention, reports 

serious adverse reactions 

were rarely reported. 

It says parents and 

caregivers of children in 

this age group should be 

advised that local and 

systemic reactions are 

expected after receiving 

the Pfizer vaccine but are 

more common after the 

second dose. 

What if my child has food 

allergies? 

The vaccine has no 

increased risk for those 

tamariki with food, gelatin 

or latex allergy as these 

are not contained within 

the Pfizer vaccine. 

When and where can 5- 

11’s be vaccinated? 

From 17 January, 

parents or caregivers can 

take their 5 to 11 year olds 

to their GP or pharmacy 

to be immunised against 

COVID-19. Or, they can 

walk in at most vaccination 

centres. 

A number of our community 

partners are 

continuing to set up 

pop-up vaccination clinics 

and events at churches, 

sports clubs and in school 

communities. 

If you want to book for 

more than 1 child or you 

are unable to book online, 

call the COVID 

Vaccination Healthline 

on 0800 28 29 26 (8am to 

8pm, 7 days a week) and 

we will make the booking 

for you and answer any 

questions. Interpreters are 

Everything parents will want to know 

about vaccinating their children 

By Dr Hari Talreja 

available. 

How will the consent 

process work? And can 

parents be assured its 

robust nation-wide? 

Children in this age 

group must have a parent, 

caregiver or legal 

guardian accompany them 

to their appointment and 

provide verbal consent for 

them to be vaccinated. 

At the appointment, 

both the adult and child 

can ask as many questions 

as they like. 

What are the side effects 

for this age group? 

Side effects of immunisation 

in children are 

similar to those seen in 

adults. These side effects 

are generally mild and 

should only last 1 or 2 

days. 

The most common side 

effects are: 

• a sore arm from the 

injection – you can put a 

cold cloth or ice pack on it 

to feel better 

• a headache 

• feeling tired 

• feeling feverish or 

sweaty 

• nausea (feeling like you 

need to vomit) 

• aching muscles. 

Why is it important that I 

vaccinate my child? 

Immunising 5 to 11- 

year-old tamariki helps 

protect them from getting 

unwell from COVID-19. 

The COVID-19 virus 

can be unpredictable. 

While COVID-19 

generally has milder 

effects in children, with 

symptoms being similar to 

a cold, some children 

become severely ill and 

require hospitalisation. 

Tamariki can also have 

rare complications such as 

Multisystem Inflammatory 

Syndrome (MIS-C) 

that may require intensive 

care. Tamariki can also 

suffer long term effects 

(known as long COVID), 

even after mild cases of 

COVID-19. 

Will certain ethnic groups 

be prioritised for the paediatric 

vaccine rollout? 

We have enough doses 

of the paediatric 

vaccination to ensure all 

tamariki can be vaccinated. 

Our priority is to 

ensure an equitable 

delivery model. 

Maori and Pacific 

people have and will 

continue to be prioritised 

in the roll-out, as they’re 

more likely to get 

seriously ill from COVID- 

19. We continue to work 

with iwi, DHBs, local 

providers, communities 

and the Ministry of 

Education to reach all 

children in our 

community. Some clinics 

may also offer other 

childhood immunisations. 

Are specially trained vaccinators 

needed? 

Yes, updated training 

has been provided for 

paediatric group due to 

some differences in the 

drawing up and administration 

of this vaccine. 

What do you say to vaccine 

hesitant parents? 

How safe is the vaccine for 

5-11s? 

The Pfizer vaccine is 

proven to be highly 

effective in young people 

after two doses are 

administered. That means 

if they do develop 

COVID-19, they’re far 

less likely to fall seriously 

ill and less likely to 

transmit the virus to 

others – including whanau 

and friends who may be 

more at risk from 

COVID-19. 

Will children be required 

to have a My Vaccine Pass 

to access non-essential 

services? 

Children will not need a 

My Vaccine Pass and 

children under 12 can’t 

get a My Vaccine Pass. 

There is no requirement 

(vaccine mandate) for 

tamariki to be immunised. 

It is completely up to the 

parents or caregivers to 

decide if they want their 

children immunised. 

With eight years’ experience at Counties 

Manukau Health and previous 

international experience in Canada, Dr 

Hari Talreja cares for patients with kidney 

disease and renal transplantation – which 

puts them at a higher risk of developing 

complications from Covid-19. 

He has been a strong advocate for his 

patients to get vaccinated and is now 

encouraging Auckland parents and 

caregivers to immunise their children aged 

5 to 11, who are eligible from January 17, 

against COVID-19. 

He has responded to questions below with 

the support of the Northern Region Health 

Co-ordination Centre (NRHCC), which is 

running Auckland’s vaccination 

programme. 

Photo credit: Dreamstime (Models featured) 

Could this age group have 

AstraZeneca instead of 

Pfizer? 

Medsafe has approved 

the child version of the 

Pfizer vaccine for children 

aged 5-11 years old. The 

AstraZeneca vaccine is 

approved only for adults 

aged 18 and older. 

Will this age group need 

boosters? 

Children aged 5-11 are 

not eligible for booster 

doses. Medsafe has 

provisionally approved a 

booster dose of the Pfizer 

vaccine for adults aged 18 

and older. 

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P a g e 1 6 w e b s i t e : w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I TWITTER : www.twittercom/migrantnews

MIGRANT NEWS FEB 2022

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