Te Tatau o Te Arawa has participated in a Welcoming Communities settlement pilot programme with Immigration New Zealand. The kaupapa supports councils and their communities to create welcoming and inclusive environments for new migrants settling in the area.
Te Tatau provided a tangata whenua lens and approach to this kaupapa for our multicultural Rotorua residents to foster ongoing engagement with the migrant community. As part of this mahi, Te Tatau organised Te Tiriti o Waitangi workshops facilitated by Te Hira Pere and Hikurangi Mills, to share information with newcomers about what it means to be Māori and from Te Arawa, how we arrived here, what the Fenton Agreement and Te Tiriti o Waitangi means for us today and key principles that allow us to manaaki and thrive with those coming into our rohe.
These workshops were well attended by approximately 40 people at each session and we thank the Multicultural Society and our community partners for helping make them a success and valuable to those in attendance. Te Tatau is a member of the Rotorua Migrant Settlement Network - a forum for organisations working in the migrant community (such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, NZ Police and Rotorua Lakes Council) to share information and contribute to initiatives in the community.
Our involvement in the Welcoming Communities programme has provided opportunities for further work in this space such as assisting the police with wānanga kaupapa Māori, input into the development of RLC’s welcoming communities plan and a presentation to Citizens Advice Bureau staff (as pictured below) to provide insight into the history of Te Arawa and Rotorua as well as an update on the amazing mahi our people have done and are doing in the city
