Free public event in Whangārei to celebrate Race Relations Day

Last year's Race Relations Day in Whangārei included a public walk picnic at the Wave and Waka sculpture in the Town Basin. Photo / John Stone

Race Relations Day will be marked in Whangārei with a free public event featuring three invited speakers who will accept questions from the floor after their speeches.

The event, from 5pm on March 18 at Forum North's Cafler Room, is being organised by Multicultural Whangārei, Citizens Advice Bureau, English Language Partners and Women's International Newcomers Group Social.

Additional support has been provided by the Whangarei District Council community development team and Northland's Immigration NZ relationship manager.

Speakers will be Dr Tim McCreanor, a Pākehā researcher experienced in qualitative research and discursive methods in the study of culture, equity and justice, Ngāti Wai elder Hori Te Moanaroa Parata and Iranian migrant to Whangārei Maryam Ghouzivand.

McCreanor is a social scientist who has been studying race-based discourse for several decades analysing the role talk and texts play in maintaining colonial power relations of Aotearoa.

Parata is a member of the national Māori advisory groups for the Environmental Protection Agency and MPI's Kauri Dieback programme, and pioneered whalebone retrieval by initiating a protocol with DoC.

An Iranian woman, Ghouzivand joined her husband in Whangārei in 2014 and one of her biggest challenges has been learning English so that she can work as a computer software engineer.

She worked to improve her English by doing courses, and is now working for the Kaipara District Council.

Each of the three speakers will give a presentation and there will be time for questions from the floor.

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on March 21.