Latest news with #WelcomingCommunities
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Programme helping those settling in
New people are essential to filling all roles needed in Central Otago's ever-expanding work force but settling in to a new place is often difficult, making newcomers hard to retain. Central Otago District Council community and engagement manager Paula Penno said Welcoming Communities was a programme led by Immigration New Zealand in partnership with the Human Rights Commission. It was so successful that after the government funding ran out the council agreed in the 2024-25 annual plan to extend the programme for a further two years. The council approached Central Lakes Trust for support and received $16,000 — 20% of the programme cost of $80,000 per year which included a part-time paid position, Ms Penno said. Welcoming Communities officer Heather Harries said her part-time role worked well alongside her other role as an ESOL teacher with Reap. Helping people feel part of the community led to better outcomes for the newcomers and the rest of society, she said. Most newcomers in Central Otago arrived from somewhere else in New Zealand. Some were from overseas and needed assistance with residency and visas and others needed to find their place in the community. Challenges included finding accommodation and then travelling to work given the lack of public transport in the region. A lack of childcare options often meant a family could only have one parent working which led to unanticipated financial pressures, Ms Harries said. One family she had worked with were struggling as the father had to pass an academic English exam but his wife was working 5pm to 10pm, so instead of attending his English lessons he was minding the children. With few contacts in the community and no family around those were traps people found themselves in, she said. "Creating networks and connections between the families, schools, employers, and support networks is crucial in guiding the families through the settlement process." Other newcomers were older Kiwis from other parts of the country and remote workers. They sometimes found it difficult trying to make friends in a new community without the easy introductions that came with meeting people through work or having children at school. The ultimate aim of Welcoming Communities was that it would be self-supporting and not need a paid leader, Ms Harries said. However, volunteers came and went as their circumstances changed and they settled into their new lives, so someone was needed to keep the momentum going. A wide range of activities were organised by the group, from international potluck meals, sporting events, evening drinks, walking groups and a women's swimming group. Ms Harries said she identified with newcomers as she had moved to Central Otago more than six years ago and found things difficult initially. "As an ESOL teacher I realised everything I felt was magnified. I had New Zealand residency... a government department rejecting an application feels like a personal rejection but it's just them doing their job." Moving from Mumbai, in India, to Cromwell seven years ago brought many surprises for Mamta Nerurkar. From finding familiar food to much more limited shopping options and no public transport were some of the things she had to adjust to, along with very short days in winter and long ones in summer. Meeting other mums and families through Welcoming Communities and other community groups had made the transition easier, she said.
Otago Daily Times
21-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Permanent ESL programme at library
English classes are making their way to the Wānaka Library to cater for a growing migrant community. The language barrier is one of the most challenging obstacles immigrants must navigate when uprooting their lives to move to New Zealand. The staff at Wānaka Library, with the help of the council's Welcoming Communities, are on a mission to ease the burden of this challenge by offering social English as a second language (ESL) class. The library explored the possibility of starting classes last year when they ran two blocks of four-week classes which were successful in bringing up to 15 people from the immigrant community together. Wānaka librarians Rebekah Kennedy and Paula Mitchell were thrilled when they received funding from Welcoming Communities to restart the programme on July 14, and this time the classes will run permanently. "The plan is that it's a regular programme that we offer here in libraries to support the migrant community. It gets embedded into our day to day," Ms Mitchell said. Experienced ESL teacher Neil Scott is set to return as the main tutor for the programme, offering a range of help to learners with varying levels of English skills. The purpose of the classes goes beyond just strengthening English language skills for immigrants. They also offer a social space for Wānaka's newest residents. From their experience running the classes last year, both Ms Mitchell and Ms Kennedy saw how much attendees benefited from having a regular space to meet new people with a shared experience. "It's like this other third space that you can go to ... It's a safe, welcoming space," Ms Mitchell said. Last year the programme had from 10 to 15 attendees from all over the world including parts of South America, Europe and the Philippines, many of whom were parents. The classes for this year already have 14 people registered with more likely to come as the library has had inquiries from local families and even businesses seeking support for their new employees. Ms Mitchell said the process of setting up these classes had highlighted the importance of the growing migrant community. "I think some people don't realise how important our migrant communities are ... the town couldn't function without them," she said. The classes are set to run from 10am to 11am every Monday from July 14. There is also the possibility of offering more classes throughout the week as the programme grows. The Wānaka Library also has ESL courses online as well as international books in other languages available to the public.
