Call for Ethnic Ministry

Press, 24 February 1987, Page 2

Call for Ethnic Ministry

PA Wellington New Zealand is racist and about 30 years behind the times in terms of cultural awareness, according to leading members of the Wellington Ethnic Affairs Council. The council, which was formed two years ago and represents 20 minority groups in Wellington, is asking the Government to form an Ethnic Affairs Ministry to take care of the interests of all migrant groups. Towards the primary goal of the establishment of this unit along the lines of the Australian Ethnic

Affairs Ministry, the council will question all political parties in this year’s General Election on whether they would make the Ministry and a Minister of Ethnic Affairs part of their policy. Leading members of the council said yesterday that they would like to see the present Pacific Island Affairs Ministry revamped to become an over-all Ethnic Affairs Ministry catering for Pacific Island and other minority groups’ concerns. They emphasised that they did not want to be seen as “Pacific Island

bashing” and did not support the dismantling of services already in place for any other group. That situation, said the council chairman, Mr Paul Wah, would simply continue the present hierarchical structure of "Maori, Pacific Island, and then a little bit of token consideration for the others.” That was evident in the fact that all officials up to Ministerial level wanted of the local ethnic community was that once a year it put on its Chinese dragon dance and food stalls.