Hon Melissa Lee
Minister for Ethnic Communities

This week’s inaugural Ethnic Xchange Symposium will explore the role that ethnic communities and businesses can play in rebuilding New Zealand’s economy, Ethnic Communities Minister Melissa Lee says.

“One of my top priorities as Minister is unlocking the economic potential of New Zealand’s ethnic businesses,” says Ms Lee.

“Ethnic communities contributed an estimated $64 billion to New Zealand’s economy in 2021. Ethnic communities are also the fastest-growing population group in New Zealand, tripling in size since 1996, and our country’s migrant employment rate is the highest within the OECD.

“It’s clear that there’s vibrant potential within our ethnic communities. This symposium focuses on unleashing that potential.”

The symposium, delivered by the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, brings together Government and business, community, and industry experts to discuss how we can supercharge the economy through boosting trade, investment, and innovation.

In addition to Ms Lee, ministers speaking at the symposium include Finance Minister Nicola Willis; Regulation Minister David Seymour; and Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins KC.

“Given this Government’s goal of doubling the value of our exports within 10 years, it is fitting that one of the symposium’s core themes is how ethnic businesses may support New Zealand’s trading aspirations, as they bring expertise in navigating overseas markets and international business environments,” says Ms Lee.

“While their contributions are significant, many ethnic businesses still face challenges such as policy and regulatory barriers, access to finance, and cultural differences. This means they often cannot fully contribute to our economy, although they have the ambition and aspirations to do so.

“I’m looking forward to the discussions at the symposium as we find solutions to unlock the full potential of ethnic businesses for the benefit of New Zealand.”

The Ethnic Xchange Symposium is on this Friday, 11 October in Auckland. More information, and tickets, are available at https://ethnicxchange.org.nz/

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