For many who call New Zealand home the journey here is a story of sacrifices, dangers and joys that is difficult to put into words. As of July 1, the experiences of 200 ethnic groups will, for the first time, have a voice in central government with the launch of
Rotorua's migrants and former refugees share their stories as Ministry for Ethnic Communities launches
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"You're aware of the political situation. You know suffering. You know hunger."
Diaz was 13 when he, his two siblings and his parents left Santiago, Chile as refugees.
Diaz's father was a union organiser. Under the rule of military dictator Augusto Pinochet, it was the kind of job that put lives on the line.
"It was either go for the protection of the UN or stay and risk being murdered."
When the Diaz family landed in New Zealand in the late 1970s they didn't speak English.
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"I remember meeting other people who spoke Spanish and getting very excited. I would ask them, 'Do you have any books? Do you have any cassettes?'.
But Diaz learned from his father to meet hardship with an entrepreneur's spirit.
"My mother used to send me to school with a jam sandwich and I'd [trade] it for a piece of chicken."
By the age of 21, Diaz had his own business - a small leather product factory. Today, he is proud to say he has owned 18 restaurants, most of them in Auckland. He is also a platinum performing artist, has toured internationally and been honoured with nominations at the New Zealand Music Awards.
Diaz has been living in New Zealand for 44 years. His most recent venture is El Mexicano Zapata Express, a restaurant on Amohau St in Rotorua to compliment El Mexicano Zapata on Tutanekai St. Already, Diaz plans to expand the space to include a stage for live music performances so his love for Latino cuisine and culture can meet in one place.
"Integration is about sharing and celebrating. To share is to care.
"[Latino people] need to keep doing what we are doing, keep showing our cultures to everyone.
"New Zealand going forward is going to be a better place if we keep respecting where we all came from."
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Diaz welcomes the new Ministry for Ethnic Communities as a way to give minorities a voice in local and central government.
"[Representation] doesn't harm. It can only bring more good."
That's all we want: Fairness
Cherry Andrews worked her way out of poverty in Manila, Philippines.
"We were a very poor family," Andrews said.
"When I was in high school I decided I couldn't live like that."
Andrews is the only one of her six siblings who finished university. After graduating from her course with honours, she worked as a teacher for $80 a month.
To improve her income Andrews started doing temp office work, taking business courses on the side.
The next thing she knew, Andrews was part of a successful business selling pasta across the world.
"I went to America, Italy, France. I couldn't have done that as a teacher."
Then in 1980 Andrews met her husband, a Rotorua-based earthmoving contractor, and moved to New Zealand.
"I didn't even know he had a farm," Andrews said.
"I saw the sheep from the plane and I thought they looked like lice."
In Rotorua Andrews rediscovered teaching. When she arrived Andrews spoke five languages including Tagalog, Spanish and Japanese.
Her next career move made perfect sense.
"I started teaching Spanish and Japanese around Rotorua."
Over the years, Andrews held teaching positions at Sunset, Rotorua and Kaitao Intermediates, and Rotorua Girls' High School.
She was also instrumental in building a welcoming community for Filipinos arriving in the region.
"When I came there were only eight of us but we hoped we would grow."
Now, Filipinos are the third largest migrant group in New Zealand with 72,612 people across the country.
"I think the change is positive.
"Before you hardly saw us and we were all lost. Now it's easier to find help."
Andrews describes the racism she has faced in New Zealand to be a "subtle" variety.
"It's often been in the derogatory things people say."
She hopes the new ministry will treat all communities with fairness and balance.
"I think having a ministry will help Filipinos feel counted. It will help us to feel we are supported, recognised and that our contribution to New Zealand matters.
"That's all we want: Fairness."
The best country with the best people
When Dr Ho Po Kin, known to locals as Dr Kin, first saw Auckland airport he thought he'd arrived at a village, not the largest city in New Zealand.
"There were only three gates. I just went through one small customs desk and out the door."
Kin, a third-generation Chinese medicine practitioner, heard about New Zealand from his brother in Hong Kong.
"He said New Zealand deer products were selling well in the Hong Kong market. My father saw it as an opportunity so he sent me."
Kin left Guangzhou, China, for New Zealand in 1988 and has called Rotorua home since.
"Everything was big, green and grand. [New Zealand] changed my eyes. So I stayed."
When asked to describe Rotorua in 1988, Kin laughs.
"My father told me to walk one mile of the city a day to get to know it.
"It only took me three days to walk all of Rotorua."
Kin said the city was boring then but he enjoyed the quiet and found it very relaxing.
When Kin came to Rotorua his entire English vocabulary consisted of the words yes and no.
"Everyone was really kind. They said I just needed to learn one word a day and not to worry."
Kin read the dictionary but never took any English courses.
This did not stop him from founding his own business New Zealand Supreme Natural Foods Ltd in 1992.
He has no regrets.
"I believe New Zealand is the best country with the best people."
Kin has watched the Chinese community in Rotorua grow from four or five families in the 1980s to more than 1000 today.
He said the most difficult aspect of moving to New Zealand was understanding the culture and legislation.
Kin hopes the new Ministry for Ethnic Communities will help with this.
Living the dream
This year, Omar al Omari will receive his first passport.
As a Palestinian refugee, Omari had no country to call his own until he was recently granted permanent residency in New Zealand.
Despite growing up in Saudi Arabia, even working for Mazda and Aston Martin in Riyadh, Omari and his family's choices were limited because of their refugee status.
"Everything is based on being a refugee.
"I loved football but I couldn't play for any team because I was a refugee.
"I wanted to be a policeman but I could not because I was not a citizen of any country."
To get a university education, Omari and his six siblings had to separate, knowing if they left Saudi Arabia for more than six months they would not be able to return.
"I haven't seen my younger brother since 1988. I have six siblings but I don't know them and they don't know me."
When Omari's elderly father died in his arms because he was not eligible for medical attention at a government hospital in Saudi Arabia it was the final straw.
"I decided I had to find something solid for me and my kids."
In 2018 Omari and his family were granted passage to New Zealand.
"I'm very happy because since I stepped in Rotorua I have found people very friendly. They have made our life really easy."
Omari now works as a support worker.
"I enjoy especially working with elderly people because I see my father in every patient."
Omari's wife Lily Joy works at Rotorua Hospital. His sons are studying architecture and carpentry.
For Omari, life in Rotorua is priceless.
"As a refugee you don't have a right to dream. I came to New Zealand with a dream.
"Now I have everything. I have a new page. It's really colourful and I want to enjoy it."
Omari hopes the new ministry will have a small office especially for refugees.
"I wish people met us in the beginning and told us what we needed to know about our rights.
"The situation of the refugee is different from a migrant's. I had many questions but I didn't know who could answer them."
I have made a good life
Hasmukh "Hari" Chaghan moved to New Zealand in 1979 to be with his wife, a Rotorua-born, third-generation Indian-New Zealander.
"At that time immigration was quite easy.
"I got my permanent residency within one week."
But geography lessons in Surat, Gujarat, India did not prepare Chaghan for the shock of being away from his family.
"In India if something happens family is always there. When you lose that family contact you become very homesick. That was the most difficult thing."
When Chaghan landed in Rotorua he knew every Indian person in town by name. This was helpul because even though Chaghan spoke three languages, English was not one of them.
Still, Chaghan considers himself lucky. He was able to find a job in his field and worked in the finance department of Rotorua Lakes Council until his retirement late last year.
Chaghan has also been instrumental in supporting Indian families in New Zealand, and was awarded a Queen's Service Medal in 2008 for his services to the community and to sport.
"I chose New Zealand and I am happy with my choice," Chaghan said.
"I have made a good life here."
One issue Chaghan wishes to be addressed by the new ministry is the plight of international students.
Chaghan said there needed to be more pathways and support for students to find employment after their studies.
"Their families have made sacrifices. They've mortgaged their homes and borrowed money from the bank, going into debt."
Chaghan said he would also like to see a more streamlined application process, particularly with regards to the requirement for police clearance certificates from overseas.
A society where everyone feels valued
Ministry for Ethnic Communities chief executive Mervin Singham, who was appointed on July 1, said communities had been advocating for a dedicated ministry for more than two decades.
"It is now in place. They know their voices have been heard.
"This is the first time in its history that New Zealand has had a ministry solely focused on improving outcomes for our ethnic communities, which make up nearly 20 per cent of our population.
"The new Ministry has a seat at the top table and the leadership, mana, and visibility that is needed to influence decision-making across government to ensure better outcomes for ethnic communities.
"We want to help create a society where everyone feels valued, heard, has a sense of belonging and is able to participate fully in society."
Singham said the ministry would focus on issues such as education, health, employment and access to Government services. Other priorities for the new ministry include setting up an Employment Action Plan and continuing the Ethnic Communities Development Fund.
"We want public sector decision making to truly reflect the needs of ethnic people," Singham said.
Ministry for Ethnic Communities
Launch date: July 1
Role: To advise the Government on ethnic diversity and the inclusion of ethnic communities in wider society.
Represents: Anyone who identifies their ethnicity as African, Asian, continental European, Latin-American or Middle-Eastern.
Minister: Priyanca Radhakrishnan
Chief executive: Mervin Singham
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