Palmerston North's Lorna Johnson: Let's all be welcoming neighbours

Palmerston North city councillor Lorna Johnson says she and her family were warmly welcomed when they arrived in the city 20 years ago. Photo / Supplied

OPINION:

Twenty years ago, I arrived in Palmerston North from England with my husband and three children under 10 years old.

We knew no one here.

It is a challenge to re-establish your life in a new country, but there are some things that make it easier.

We were warmly welcomed by people in Palmy. Some lent us furniture and toys until our own arrived months later in a shipping container.

Some brought round fresh veges from their gardens, others invited us for meals, to join a playgroup, with many other simple acts of kindness that meant a lot.

That's one of the reasons why today I'm a big advocate for the council's Welcoming Communities programme - Te Waharoa ki ngā Hapori, and a member of the Welcoming Communities Advisory Group.

Welcoming Communities started as a pilot programme initiated in five regions across the country by MBIE in 2017.

It has now expanded and been adopted as part of council's regular activities. It recognises that communities are healthier, happier and more productive when newcomers are welcomed by the existing community.

The aim of the programme is to create actively inclusive communities, with a focus on migrants, former refugees and international students.

The advisory group action plan for the next three years is focused on strands such as civic engagement and participation, welcoming public spaces, and culture and identity.

Sharing and celebrating our cultures helps everyone feel respected and valued. For example, the council has been working with specific communities for the public celebrations of culturally important events.

So, we can now all join in and enjoy Diwali in The Square, Lunar New Year, Eid, Moon Festival and Holi, for example.

Similarly, initiatives to make public spaces more welcoming have seen the opening of the Proverb Pathway - He Kupu Rangatira by the Manawatū River, proverb posters in George St shop windows, and the multicultural Passport to Play edition launched last year for Welcoming Week.

Welcoming Week 2021 has just finished but that doesn't mean our efforts to be welcoming to newcomers are over.

I encourage you to reach out by introducing yourself to new neighbours, inviting new colleagues to social events, and sharing in some of the cultural events the city offers.

You can also volunteer with organisations providing support to newcomers such as Red Cross, Manawatū Multicultural Council and Network of Skilled Migrants Manawatū.

Nurturing the connections between locals and newcomers means everyone feels included and knows they belong - and that helps achieve one of the council's four main goals for the city, to be a connected and safe community.

• Lorna Johnson is a Palmerston North city councillor.