More than 90 people came together on Wednesday (November 9) at the Lake Wānaka Centre as part of a programme to create a more welcoming community for newcomers in Queenstown Lakes. 

Attendees included representatives from Immigration New Zealand, the Ministry of Ethnic Community, Queenstown Lakes District Council staff and councillors, the mayor, Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board members, ‘oldcomers’ or long-term residents, and new residents.

They sat together in tables of eight-or-so people to brainstorm different ways the community could become more inclusive; hear from representatives of the various organisations; and get to know their fellow residents.

Among other things, participants talked about how to support newcomers at work; how shared spaces could better reflect diversity and create a sense of community; and how to support newcomer participation in community projects and the democratic process.

The two and a half hour hui, which was hosted by QLDC with support from Community Networks/LINK, is part of Welcoming Communities, a programme which 26 of New Zealand’s local councils have committed to.

The Welcoming Communities programme

Early impacts from a pilot trial show the programme helps create stronger links in the community: participating councils are taking a more visible role in promoting diversity and inclusion; locals are more likely to take on a ‘welcoming’ role; and there is positive change in community awareness of diversity and inclusion.

The Welcoming Communities programme is designed to help local councils ensure their region or district is welcoming to newcomers.

While ‘creating community’ as a catchphrase can sound vague, QLDC community partnerships manager Marie Day said one of the benefits of the programme is it has a set of specific actions to follow.

“The Welcoming Communities programme gives us a framework to start bringing the community closer together, rather than just relying on that happening organically,” she said. 

The Wānaka hui feeds into the programme: Information gathered from the brainstorming session will be used to inform the district’s ‘Welcome Plan’.

Importance of the Welcome Plan

Immigration New Zealand guidelines say a Welcome Plan should “paint a picture of what success looks like on the ground”.

Participants gathered for ‘world cafe style’ discussions on various topics related to newcomers, connectedness and community, sharing ideas. 

When complete, a Welcome Plan will: contain a range of activities under each standard element to make newcomers feel welcome; indicate who will lead and who will participate in the welcoming activities; identify new ways for locals to be part of welcoming newcomers; highlight and enhance the effective welcoming activities already underway; transform new ideas into actions and address any gaps identified; and cover a period of one-to-three years. 

Behind the Welcome Plan

QLDC’s Welcoming Communities programme is being led by coordinator Silvia Dancose, who is working with a wide team and national partners to gather all the information required to complete the Welcome Plan and support newcomers along the way.

This has included a ‘stocktake report’, which Silvia said was “an assessment on how QLDC and the broader community are currently meeting the needs of newcomers detailing what we’re currently doing well and opportunities for the future”.

A successful hui in Queenstown has already taken place, and a Welcoming Communities Advisory Group has been formed. 

Read more: Improving our welcome to new migrants

Other milestones have included the completion of a Newcomer Profile booklet, which resulted from collaboration with 21 community organisations representing different groups in the district: an English language partners programme to support people learning English; and ‘behind the scenes’ moments, like learning about different cultures and their burial rituals so those can be accommodated here in Queenstown Lakes.

What’s next

Silvia said the Wānaka hui was also an important moment for the Welcoming Communities programme: “We want to collate the feedback and create an advisory group for the Upper Clutha. This will help us build the Welcome Plan.”

Mayor Glyn Lewers spoke at Wednesday’s hui about the “cultural melting pot” that makes up the Queenstown Lakes district, encouraging residents to support newcomers.

There will be more opportunities to contribute to the Welcoming Communities programme in 2023, Silvia said.

Learn more about the Welcoming Communities Programme here.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App