KEY POINTS:
Cultural diversity in New Zealand should be taken advantage of and celebrated, instead of being seen as a negative, a Ministry of Social Development and Office of Ethnic Affairs report says.
The report "connecting diverse communities", derived from 15 meetings held around the country last year to discuss diversity and social cohesion, suggested it was "the role of all groups" to promote tolerance, open-mindedness, respect for difference and others' values.
There needed to be more opportunities to learn about people from other cultures in New Zealand, and the Government has an "important influencing role" to help establish or facilitate frameworks to aid social cohesion, it says.
Valuing biculturalism and multiculturalism was also another important aspect for social cohesion: "A cohesive society does not think in an either/or way about these issues. A multicultural nation built on a bicultural past can benefit from incorporating both world views."
But to communicate with each other, diverse groups needed to speak in a common language, and immigrants needed assistance to learn English.
Learning other languages also opened windows to other cultures.
"While acquiring the 'lingua franca' is important, there should not be barriers to immigrants maintaining their native language. Learning of other languages should be promoted as a way to appreciate different cultures and world views."
Immigrants who attended the meetings spoke of racism and discrimination they faced in New Zealand.
"They told of difficulties they had in settling into New Zealand society - with the language, with Kiwi customs and culture, with the lack of support they received and the difficulties they had in joining mainstream New Zealand society until they had 'proven' themselves."
Some of those who went to the meetings advocated "assimilation" - because they felt, to be accepted, giving up their culture to become like mainstream New Zealanders was the only choice they had.
One participant said: "When I first got here, it was important to 'force people to accept me'. My experience showed me that people were initially apprehensive towards me because I was a foreigner. They didn't recognise my qualifications. Maybe they were afraid of me. It takes time to break down this fear, to break down the stereotypes that perpetuate this fear."
Another said: "An Egyptian man living in Hawkes Bay says that when he came to New Zealand, there were no opportunities to meet people and therefore foster social cohesion and understanding. The reason he gave was that 'there is no one out on the street after 5pm - everyone is in bed by 9.30pm'."
