Settling in Tasman Migrant Community Social Services Report
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Settling In Tasman Migrant Community Social Services Report June 2013 CONTENTS Foreword ....................................................................................................................................................2 Summary ....................................................................................................................................................3 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................8 1.1 Background to this report ...........................................................................................................................8 1.2 What is Settling In? ..........................................................................................................................................9 1.3 Purpose of this report .................................................................................................................................10 1.4 Process .................................................................................................................................................................10 1.5 Scope ....................................................................................................................................................................12 1.6 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................12 1.7 Disclaimer ...........................................................................................................................................................12 2. Context .............................................................................................................................................. 13 2.1 A brief profile of Tasman ...........................................................................................................................13 2.2 Recent indicators of demographic change ..................................................................................23 3. Key findings ......................................................................................................................................30 3.1 Appreciation of diversity ...........................................................................................................................32 3.2 Economic well-being ..................................................................................................................................46 3.3 Recognised Seasonal Employment ...................................................................................................55 3.4 Families, children, youth and older people ...................................................................................65 3.5 Access to services ..........................................................................................................................................72 3.6 Knowledge and skills ..................................................................................................................................82 3.7 Healthy lifestyle ..............................................................................................................................................90 3.8 Safety and security .......................................................................................................................................96 4. Progress to date and priority actions....................................................................................102 4.1 Progress and achievements ................................................................................................................102 4.2 Priority actions for the next 12 months ........................................................................................102 5. References ......................................................................................................................................104 6. Appendices ....................................................................................................................................105 Appendix 1 ................................................................................................................................................................ 105 Appendix 2 .................................................................................................................................................................107 Appendix 3 .................................................................................................................................................................110 Appendix 4 .................................................................................................................................................................112 Settling In Tasman – Migrant Community Social Services Report 1 Foreword We want to support new migrants to our region. We value the cultural diversity that newcomers add to our communities. They bring fresh ideas, and are often energetic and constructive people who make a real effort to become active members of the neighbourhood. Because of the large geographic area of the district, some new migrants can be quite isolated and it can be difficult for them to integrate within their community when there is no-one around them who shares their cultural background, or when language is a barrier. I fully support the Settling In report. It clearly articulates the issues we have in our district and will help us to identify the networks and services that new migrants need to make the transition to living in Tasman a successful one. Richard Kempthorne Mayor of Tasman District 2 Summary Introduction For anyone settling into a new country, there are the immediate concerns to contend with – finding a home, a job and schools for your children. Beyond these, there are ongoing challenges such as making new friends, understanding the language, accents and different ways of your new country and finding the confidence and support to maintain and enjoy your own culture in your new setting. Settling In is a strengths-based community development programme that focuses on identifying the social needs of newcomers and supporting communities to address these. Settling In also supports local host communities to understand and embrace diversity and to realise the benefits that this brings. The Settling In approach is highly collaborative and Settling In Relationship Managers work with a range of government agencies and non-government organisations (NGOs), community organisations and refugee and migrant communities to pool resources and expertise to achieve the best results. Family and Community Services (Ministry of Social Development) is responsible for implementing Settling In. Background to this report Like much of New Zealand, in recent years the Tasman district has become home to a growing numbers of migrants and their families from a range of different nationalities and backgrounds. Since its earliest days of European settlement, Tasman has attracted migrants from Germany, Holland and other parts of Europe. This influence remains very strong in the district today and is reflected in local place-names and business activity, including thriving hop growing, brewing and winemaking sectors. In 2005 a Settling In report was developed for the wider Nelson Tasman region. At that time Nelson city in particular had a range of issues in relation to growing migrant numbers and also as a result of the resettlement of refugees here. It was identified that there was an overarching need for the establishment of a visible place in the community for newcomers to get information and advice about services and resources to support settlement in the region. The establishment of the Nelson Multicultural Resource Centre, the evolution of the Nelson Multicultural Council and the wide range of services and resources it now offers, along with the establishment of Settlement Support New Zealand (SSNZ) in 2007, resulted in a higher profile for local ethnic communities and a greater awareness of the services and resources available through community and government agencies. Since then there has been a noticeable increase in diversity within the Tasman district (a Territorial Local Authority1 within the Nelson Tasman region) mainly as a result of migrants settling here for work opportunities or lifestyle reasons and because of the high levels of migrant workers required here. The horticulture and viticulture industries in particular rely heavily on Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers from the Pacific Islands to sustain their business operations. There are also many people passing through (and working here) on working holiday visas. 1 TLA Settling In Tasman – Migrant Community Social Services Report 3 Purpose and process The main purpose of this report is to highlight key issues for migrants who have settled in Tasman and to identify needs, gaps in services and suggestions for further action. The information used to shape this report came from a range of sources, including: relevant research and reports; census data; conversations and interviews with interested parties; and most importantly discussion groups with local migrants – involving over 100 participants from 30 different homelands. A local working group including representatives from agencies, local and central government and community groups has