Pushpa Prasad is the president of the Multicultural Council of Rangitīkei/Whanganui. Photo / File
Pushpa Prasad is the president of the Multicultural Council of Rangitīkei/Whanganui. Photo / File
The Ministry for Social Development has given the Multicultural Council of Rangitīkei/Whanganui $54,680 to put itself onto a strong platform for the future.
The money is from the ministry's Community Capability and Resilience Fund of $36 million over two years.
It started in August 2020 and those applying for grantshave to be "priority populations", such as Māori, Pasifika and ethnic groups.
It's to help the groups respond, rebuild and recover after Covid-19.
Multicultural Council co-ordinator Robin Williamson made the application. She's been in the job for about 18 months and hopes she can eventually hand it to a migrant.
As a result of the grant, the council will need think about what it has been and what it wants to do for new migrants and refugees, she said.
It will look at its own processes and policies and those of other groups, seek mentorship and take on new ways if they are better.
The fund will provide for some equipment to be updated, some training, and the ability for staff to attend conferences and hui, and to upskill and shadow current leaders.
Robin Williamson co-ordinates the Multicultural Council. Photo / Bevan Conley
The overhaul project will last 12 months and have two main contractors. One will be Williamson, who will work 15 to 20 hours a week. Contractors will co-opt volunteers for specific tasks.
The council will look for need in the community and focus on that, president Pushpa Prasad said. Youth, including Māori, are likely to be one of its focuses.
"The Multicultural Council is for everyone, including tāngata whenua," she said.
Another focus could be immigration issues.
"People coming to New Zealand on a work visa should be told their children will have to pay international fees for their university education."
The council has been through a process, and is now accredited by the Ministry of Social Development as a Level 4 Social Services Provider.
Over the past year it has received four lots of money to support needy people, and it has accounted to the ministry for how that was spent.
