Migrant women’s wellbeing course developed

Helping to organise a migrant women's course are (from left): CAB volunteer and facilitator Christine Schmidli, MCA community connector Sonam Bhandari, CAB manager Jenny Pearce, MCA president Heather Brown and CAB volunteers and facilitators Greer Lean and Teresa Haggerty.

The Napier Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and Hawke’s Bay Multicultural Association (MCA) are collaborating to deliver a wellbeing course for migrant women.

The idea began at a 2018 Ministry of Women council leadership hui at Te Papa, where the key themes were developed and later evolved into four aspirational statements of the women’s framework as part of the Suffrage 125 celebrations, says CAB general manager Jenny Pearce.

“Priority issues for action were identified based on the rights and freedoms of women in New Zealand. The resulting framework was developed by a focus group of women from the Women’s Council of New Zealand, [part of the] Federation of Multicultural Councils (NZFMC), who had migrated to New Zealand and experienced first-hand the significant differences in the culture from their own.”

Guidance and advice were also sought from the NZ Newcomers Network (NZNN). Māori adviser Joy Bullen assisted with knowledge of tikanga Māori and the impact of the Treaty of Waitangi, and additional advice was provided by the Ministry of Women, the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Immigration New Zealand, the Ministry for Social Development and the Office of Ethnic Communities. Jenny says the resulting pilot project, funded by JR McKenzie Trust, was held locally by a member of the Hawke’s Bay Multicultural Association.

“Since then, two courses have been organised and managed by volunteers from Napier Citizens Advice Bureau using the framework in 2020 and 2021. The framework’s aspirational goals for women who attend this course are that women will be able to say, ‘I feel I belong’, ‘My family needs are met’, ‘I am part of the community’, ‘I lead a balanced life’.”

This framework has been developed for women to make the most of living in New Zealand, and can also be a useful programme for men as it “enables a better understanding of settlement experiences”.

“Learning about the Kiwi culture is essential in the settlement process, along with being able to retain and celebrate their own culture within New Zealand. Our aim is to support and improve the women’s community resilience - this is especially relevant in view of the particular risks associated with living in Hawke’s Bay, such as the threat of earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and racism.”

Both the CAB and MCA recognise from previous experiences that they need to empower migrant women so they know how to access local resources during difficult times and who to call on for help and advice.

“Previous attendees tell us that they have benefited [as they’ve] gained confidence, feel greater social inclusion, and are better prepared for employment and more empowered to create great futures for their families,” Jenny says.

Both Napier CAB and MCA have extensive knowledge and experience of the issues facing migrant women and the resources available to support migrant families to settle and thrive in New Zealand.

“The course is informal, friendly, run from the premises of the MCA in Hastings and available for migrant women who live anywhere in Hawke’s Bay.”

Jenny says there will be a variety of speakers invited to come along to share information about their organisations.

“Trips will be organised to local places of interest and [there will be] opportunities to learn more about tangata whenua, the Treaty of Waitangi and also take part in cultural experiences.”

One of the ways migrant women settle more easily is through volunteering.

“It enables women to gain confidence, learn about Kiwi culture and make friends and connections. We have had many migrants volunteer to manage our reception or train as interviewers. It really does add a richness to our CAB team culture, and we learn from each other. Our clients come from all over the world, so it is to our advantage to have people who speak different languages.”

CAB is fortunate to have a team of trained volunteer interviewers covering the whole country who speak different languages.

“We can refer our clients to them. We now have an interpreting service available via our website and an immigration adviser who visits our bureau every fortnight on a Monday, offering a free 30-minute consultation.”

Hastings’ bureau also has an immigration adviser who is available fortnightly on a Saturday.

The group starts on Monday, May 22, meeting from 9.30am -10.30am (revised start date and time) and will run for eight to 10 weeks from the MCA premises at Level 1 in the Tower Building on Railway Road in Hastings. There is no charge and refreshments will be provided. There are still places available, so if you are interested in joining please contact CAB manager Jenny Pearce by emailing manager.napier@cabn.org.nz or phoning 06 825 9664, or community connector Sonam Bhandari at communityconnector@mcahb.org.nz or via phoning 022 569 706.