Hutt City Council news release

11 March 2010

A ‘taste of kiwi’ at new migrant workshops

New migrants to Hutt City will feel welcome and gain valuable insights into the culture of their new home thanks to a series of free workshops hosted by the council in partnership with local iwi Te Atiawa.

The interactive workshops starting later this month are aimed at people new to New Zealand and offer them the chance to learn about the Treaty of Waitangi, the Hutt’s local history, te reo Mâori, and caring for the land. It will also be a chance for them to share their culture.

“New migrants are naturally curious about their new home country,” says Mayor David Ogden, “and we want to make them feel at home by understanding each other’s culture and ways of doing things.

“At the last census, 24% of Hutt City’s population were born overseas and over a quarter of this group arrived in New Zealand less than five years ago.

“Given the immediate popularity of the workshops, I hope to see these become a regular part of how we connect new migrants to our community.”

The first workshop on 24 March is already fully booked and there are three more on 20 April, 19 May and 17 June. Workshops are hosted by the local Waiwhetu Marae whanau from 8.45am -1pm and include lunch.

To find out more about the workshops and the other help on offer for new migrants, contact Vesna West on 04 570 6786 or vesna.west@huttcity.govt.nz,
or go to www.huttcity.govtnz/ssnz

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