Resources

Healthcare in New Zealand supports and implements the Charter of Healthcare Rights. The charter specifies the key rights of patients and consumers when seeing or receiving healthcare service…

Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand (Aotearoa). Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. According to 2018 Census data, New Zealand’s estimated Māori ethnic population was 875,300 (17.1 percent of national population)…

New Zealand is a Pacific Island nation that has blended Oceanian, Polynesian and European traditions into its modern culture. New Zealanders (also known as Kiwis) are often viewed as being friendly, inventive, outgoing, and welcoming people…

Pasifika New Zealanders are a pan-ethnic group of New Zealanders associated with, and descended from, the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands outside of New Zealand itself. They form the fourth-largest ethnic grouping in the country, after European descendants, indigenous Māori, and Asian New Zealanders…

India is home to over a billion people, accommodating incredible cultural diversity between languages, geographic regions and religious traditions. In recognition of this large demographic diversity, there are common themes and principles that contribute to the values, attitudes, beliefs and norms of the dominant society. Generally speaking, Indians tend to have a strong sense of pride in the distinctiveness and diversity of their culture…

Sikhism was founded in the 15th Century in Northern India and is the world’s fifth-largest religion. It is practiced in many countries around the world and its traditions and teachings are associated with the history, society, and culture of the Punjab region in India and Pakistan. The 2018 census showed that there are 192 Sikh’s in NZ. Languages spoken by Sikhs in New Zealand are Punjabi and Hindi…

Islam has the second-largest following in the world, and is found predominantly in the Middle East, Africa as well as South and Southeast Asia. The vast majority of Muslims are Sunnī (‘Traditional’ or ‘Orthodox’), which is one of two main branches in Islam. Adherents of the second major branch, Shī‘á (Follower of ‘Alī), are found mainly in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Bahrain. There are also various other streams and intersections, such as the Ṣūfī tradition…

The first Afghan people arrived in New Zealand in 1980 – 1990.
As a result of the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan by the UUR and subsequent civil war in the 1980’s, many Afghan people (including educated professionals) sought refugee status in New Zealand.
In the late 1990s several Afghan people came to New Zealand fleeing from the Taliban regime…

Located between the South China Sea and Philippine Sea, the Republic of the Philippines contains a diverse set of landscapes, languages and cultures. Various countries – such as Spain, China and the United States – have interacted with and impacted Filipino culture. A sense of national identity and pride emerged out of struggles.Key values such fellowship, respect and acceptance are found throughout the culture, with many Filipinos displaying a warming and hospitable demeanour…

Fiji is a vibrant country consisting of over three hundred islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Its Melanesian culture is characterised by a tropical environment and relaxed pace of life. The Western influences of British colonialism have left a cultural imprint on the indigenous peoples and introduced new migrant populations into the society. Nevertheless, native traditions…

The term Chinese covers a diverse range of communities and individuals, sometimes having no more in common than ancestral heritage. Chinese communities from countries other than China began establishing themselves in New Zealand between the 1960s and 1980s. These included Chinese refugees from Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia…

Papua New Guineans visited New Zealand as students. Some stayed on, and by 1970’s there were 544. According to NZ Census 2018, there are 1,131 Papua New Guineans in NZ Ethnicity: Papua New Guinea is one of the most ethnically diverse and complex countries on earth. There are more than 700 ethnic groups which are often separated into two major divisions, Papuans and Melanesians…

Vietnamese people fled their country during the Vietnam war after Saigon fell to the Communist Government in the north in 1975. For most, the decision to emigrate was not one of choice – they risked everything to escape. These refugees were called ‘boat people’ because they fled their war-ravaged country in crowded boats…

Malaysians first came to New Zealand as students in the 1950s, few found the country lively enough to want to stay. But after immigration regulations changed in the late 1980s, many others arrived with the intention of staying permanently, hoping to make the most of the clean air and opportunities for enterprise. As of 2018, approximately 17,464 Malaysian-born people lived in New Zealand…

As of 2018 New Zealand, there were 71,382 South African-born, 636 Nigerians, 5,614 Zimbabweans and 375 Ghanaians, people resident in New Zealand. While Africans have migrated to New Zealand since the 19th century, over 90 percent of South Africans in New Zealand today have migrated since the fall of apartheid in the early 1990s…

Ethiopia is located in the Horn of Africa, bordering Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti. The country has the second biggest population in Africa, with over 50% of people being under 25 years of age.There are many distinct cultural practices that are specific to people’s region, ethnicity or religion. Despite this diversity, Ethiopians are generally united by their patriotism and pride in the country’s overarching cultural identity…

In New Zealand, the major Latin American community groups are from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Mexico. Although these countries have distinct histories, they mostly share similar cultures and customs. The Latin American subgroup has grown faster than Middle eastern and African subgroups…

An island located south of the Indian subcontinent, the nation-state of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) contains diverse landscapes ranging from beaches, rainforests and tea plantations to ancient Buddhist ruins and buzzing cities. Sri Lankan society has also been influenced by varying degrees of colonial impact.Diversity is further evident in the cultural landscape, with Sri Lanka accommodating several ethnic, linguistic and religious groups…

Cambodian culture and artistic expression was informed by Cambodians’ pride in the country’s history – including the longstanding presence of Buddhism and the ancestral connection to the Khmer Empire from the Middle Ages (also known as Angkor). Cambodia is experiencing a revival of traditional cultural values and practices while still coping with the legacy of the Khmer Rouge regime…

Japanese people first migrated to NZ in the 19th century. The 2018 Census showed there were 18,141 Japan-born people living in NZ. Ethnicities include Japanese, Koreans, Chinese…

Burmese people sought refuge in NZ from 1947 to 1959 as a result of the rise of nationalism after Burmese independence from Britain. Although the name Myanmar was adopted by the Burmese Military Government in 1989 and subsequently recognised by the United Nations, other international organisations, the business community, and many Burmese expatriates who oppose the military government continue to use the old names, Burma, and Burmese…