Community leaders dismayed by Ministry for Ethnic Communities job cuts

Community leaders are disappointed that the nascent Ministry for Ethnic Communities is facing a 12 percent reduction in roles as part of the government's efforts to cut costs.

The government is reducing the size of the public sector to meet cost-cutting targets, affecting more than 4300 people in total so far.

The Ministry for Ethnic Communities (MEC) currently has 76 staff in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch and other locations.

The ministry has confirmed that nine jobs will be axed due to 32 positions being disestablished and replaced with 23 new roles - a reduction of roughly 12 percent.

Cuts would be spread across the ministry, MEC's deputy chief executive for system capability and programmes, Fleur Murray, told RNZ.

"The ministry will ensure where possible that changes implemented will minimally disrupt communities," Murray said.

The ministry was set up in July 2021 following a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 2019 terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques, with the commission noting that the government needed to improve social cohesion.

In fact, an ethnic affairs desk was created in 1995 in the Department of Internal Affairs, which became the Office of Ethnic Affairs in 2001 and later MEC.

Ethnic communities make up around 20 percent of New Zealand's population, representing about 1 million people and including temporary migrants, former refugees, asylum-seekers, long-term settlers and those born in New Zealand, according to a 2023 MEC report.

They include households that possess an African, Asian, Continental European, Latin American or Middle Eastern background.

"Our mandate is to be the chief advisor to the government on ethnic communities," the report said.

"Our purpose is to help Aotearoa New Zealand become a truly inclusive country where people can participate fully without fear of discrimination, racism or bias, and where ethnic communities can freely express their culture and identity."

The report said the ministry had made progress in many areas since its establishment, especially in terms of health, education, business and employment.

The ministry had also helped to increase vaccine uptake during the Covid-19 pandemic, translate a range of government information and fund ethnic community organisations, the report added.

Gurdeep Talwar, president of the Waitakere Ethnic Board in Auckland, said the ministry had boosted confidence in ethnic communities, arguing that it should be supported instead of reduced in size.

"It's one of the best things that have happened to ethnic communities," Talwar said. "The establishment of MEC is critical. Seeing the way the communities are going, it's important to have such a ministry.

"It's really disappointing to hear that the government is going to cut jobs at the ministry, given that the ministry is very young. ... It's a toddler so you need to give the ministry a chance to establish itself and make a mark. ... But before that [can] even happen, the cuts are coming through."

Talwar said the job cuts would put pressure on existing staff members and affect work for the communities.

Asked if MEC minister Melissa Lee's demotion from Cabinet could affect the attention the government devotes to ethnic affairs, Talwar said it was too early to say.

He hoped MEC could do more in terms of community engagement, bringing people from different backgrounds together, providing resources needed for community groups and focusing more on the wellbeing of ethnic communities.

"I'm in full support of them because, with such a small number, they're doing a great job," Talwar said. "But they just need more support from the community organisations and the government so they can keep performing."

Jenny Too, national president of the New Zealand Chinese Association, said her organisation had been working with the Office of Ethnic Affairs for many years.

Too also expressed concern about the looming job cuts in the ministry.

"We are concerned that the ministry's ability to deliver its many positive programmes to the country's ethnic communities is going to be diminished and compromised, and that cutbacks will mean ethnic communities' concerns and issues might not be brought to the government's attention," Too said.

Lingling Liang, deputy chairperson of the International Women's Association NZ, said she used to work with the Office of Ethnic Affairs at a previous job.

While the office used to organise a lot of seminars and workshops, MEC appears much quieter these days.

"For us, this ministry should be the most familiar one to us, but I feel it's very unfamiliar," Liang said. "The things we've seen the most are ministers or other leaders attending events."

Liang said her organisation had received a grant from MEC for an exhibition featuring Māori and Chinese female artists, and she hoped the ministry could do more in future to facilitate communications among different groups.

She said someone had once told her that New Zealand would be truly diverse when there was no longer a need for a ministry for ethnic communities to exist. On such a day, the person had said, everyone would be a New Zealander irrespective of background.

"If there is such a day when the ministry reduces in size or eventually disappears, that might be something worth looking forward to," she said. "However, that should be a result of improved social cohesion rather than the result of lacking funds."

Lee told RNZ that MEC chief executive Mervin Singham had reassured her the upcoming changes would have minimal disruption to communities.

Lee promised to prioritise work that could create lasting and shared prosperity and safety for all of New Zealand, and she was in discussions with officials on a work programme to deliver on these priorities.

"This includes strengthening New Zealand's ability to participate in international markets, unlocking the potential of ethnic businesses, maximising the potential of a diverse labour market, promoting social cohesion and making sure that ethnic communities feel at home in New Zealand," Lee said.

When asked if her demotion from Cabinet would impact the importance of ethnic affairs in the government's agenda, Lee said the government was focused on rebuilding the economy, restoring law and order, and delivering better public services.

"All of these have an impact on ethnic communities," Lee said. "I continue working hard as minister for ethnic communities to advocate for them and ensure government agencies understand their needs, views and issues."