Ethnic community members from across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland came together to celebrate the Establishment of the Ministry for Ethnic Communities at the Parnell Community Centre on 15 July. The event was attended by the Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan, and the Ministry for Ethnic Communities' chief executive Mervin Singham.
Over 275 people from all our mandated communities gathered to celebrate this significant milestone, with guests comprising of people who have advocated for the establishment of the Ministry, not-for-profit organisations, academia, youth, and LGBTQI+ groups.
Minister Radhakrishnan spoke about the significance of the launch of the new Ministry for Ethnic Communities. She pointed out that the Ministry will have a Chief Executive who will sit at the top table, able to influence change across the public sector. "The new Ministry will have the leadership, mana, and visibility that is needed to influence decision-making across government to ensure better outcomes for ethnic communities", Minister Radhakrishnan said.
Mr Singham told the audience he is humbled and proud to be the first chief executive of the Ministry for Ethnic Communities and called on all community members and the wider society to work with the new Ministry to ensure that our diverse communities thrive. "I am excited and energised to be tasked with leading this extraordinary effort", Mr Singham said.
Following the speeches, guests shared some kai and had the opportunity to meet the new Ministry's chief executive. We are grateful to everyone who joined us on this occasion and we look forward to working closely with them to deliver tangible change for Aotearoa New Zealand's ethnic communities.
More pictures from this event are available on our Facebook page.