Multicultural New Zealand (MNZ) welcomes the recommendations from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the March 15th
Christchurch Mosque attacks and urges the government to implement them thoughtfully and promptly.
MNZ was established in 1989 as an incorporated, non-religious, non-government body, acting as an umbrella organization
for ethnic communities around the country. As such, it is the “go to” organization for a majority of multicultural
groups in New Zealand.
MNZ President, Pancha Narayanan, says the Federation expects the government and its agencies to carry through on all
recommendations and to do this with “demonstrable transparency and accountability. MNZ congratulates the Prime Minister
on appointing a Minister with responsibilities to see that this is achieved.”.
MNZ welcomes the establishment of a new Ministry of Ethnic Communities “However, we want to see New Zealand as a
Treaty-based multicultural society and hope the new Ministry will be built from ground up, with new values and direction
strongly founded on Te Tiriti,” he said.
“It is a dubious honour that it’s taken 20 years for the government to heed our calls and recognize that this is
necessary. It is incredibly sad that this has arisen after the loss of 51 lives and so many injured. Their sacrifices
must never be forgotten” he says.
“The new Ministry should be tasked with creating a future for our children and grandchildren, a place where we are one
people while recognizing and celebrating the diversity among us. Tangata whenua should be fully involved in the
establishment of the new Ministry,” he says.
Mr. Narayanan believes serious changes also need to be made to the education system at primary and tertiary levels so
cultural diversity is encouraged in Aotearoa New Zealand. He hopes people will see that strategic thinking does not
always happen in a monolingual context.