News and events
9 December 2024
News
Congratulations to Ministry for Ethnic Communities on the launch of the Ethnic Evidence report
The Ministry for Ethnic Communities launched the Ethnic Evidence report in the Grand Hall of New Zealand Parliament on the evening of Monday 9 December 2024. The report is the first of its kind. It brings together data and evidence to show how New Zealand’s 1.1 million people from ethnic community backgrounds are doing across economic, social, and cultural domains.
The Minister for Ethnic Communities, Melissa Lee, opened the event and there was an expert panel discussion with:
Emeritus Professor Edwina Pio ONZM, a leading voice on social cohesion and diversity,
Dr James To, National Secretary of the NZ Chinese Association
Aphra Green, Deputy Chief Executive - Policy, Data and Insights at the Social Investment Agency
Pratima Namasivayam, Deputy Chief Executive - Advisory, Analytics and Ministerial Services at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities.
We encourage you to engage with the report and the data tool to improve government investment, policy development, and service delivery intervention.
4 November 2024
News
We warmly welcome our new trustee, AK Yap!
We announce our new trustee, AK Yap, to the Board of Ethnic Research Aotearoa.
AK Yap brings a constructive and collaborative eye to Ethnic Research Aotearoa, with deep experience in consultancy, entrepreneurship, governance, and leadership. As a relatively new New Zealander, she brought a strong Te Tiriti o Waitangi lens to her previous governance role in a social housing NGO that had $300 million in assets.
She currently serves as an advisor with CLM Community Sport which delivers Aktive and AktivAsian in Counties Manukau. Aktive seeks to enhance the wellbeing of Aucklanders and create more connected communities through sport and physical activity. AK recently relocated from Tāmaki Makaurau to the Kāptiti Coast.
AK seeks to support the representation and empowerment of diverse communities, and is a strong advocate for equity, inclusion, and social impact.
Ak’s referees provided glowing endorsement - she is one to watch!
9 October 2024
News
Our Managing Director, EeMun Chen, is now a member of the Aotearoa Research Ethics Committee | Te Roopu Rapu i te Tika
The Aotearoa Research Ethics Committee (AREC), formerly the New Zealand Ethics Committee (NZEC), is an independent, not-for-profit ethics advisory committee, with members throughout the motu. Its committee members are dedicated volunteers with a strong interest in supporting ethical research practices in Aotearoa. As well as former and current academics and researchers, the committee includes lay members who bring important community perspectives.
AREC provides independent ethical review of community research conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand, predominantly outside the medical and tertiary sectors, and to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of research participants and researchers.
The AREC Board were unanimous in its decision to invite EeMun to the review committee.
EeMun will be paying special attention to ethics related to ethnic communities, and research participants and researchers of ethnic backgrounds.
16 September 2024
News
Our trustee, Gail Pacheco, was successful in securing a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Endeavour Fund for a 5-year research programme on “Boosting productivity growth by creating equal workplace opportunities for all”
New Zealand’s largest contestable science fund is investing in 72 new projects to address challenges, develop new technology and support communities, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. “This Endeavour Fund round being funded is focused on economic growth and commercial outputs,” Ms Collins says. “It involves funding of more than $236 million for a range of ambitious ideas and research programmes during the next five years”.
Gail Pacheco is Principal Investigator of a 5-year, $6 million research programme on “Boosting productivity growth by creating equal workplace opportunities for all”. The research programme continues Gail’s work on New Zealand’s gender and ethnic pay gaps. The research programme adopts a mixed-methods approach to create an evidence base for policy and practice to improve workplace diversity.
The research team, led by Professor Pacheco, includes academics from New Zealand, Australia, Denmark and Germany. The team is supported by industry, government, and non-government partners in an advisory group, who actively participated in the co-design of research priorities and will drive implementation of the findings.
9 September 2024
News
Our board trustees were successful in gaining funding from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Fund
Our board trustees, Tayo Agunlejika, Mustafa Farouk, and Sandar Duckworth are hard at work with ethnic and diverse communities to develop an app to help critical thinking on the Gaza Conflict.
This project is supported by the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Fund.
Contact our trustees if you want to stay updated on this innovative project.
2 September 2024
News
Congratulations to Leal Rodriguez on her consultant role with evaluation and research consultancy, Dovetail Consulting Ltd
Adrian Field (Director, Dovetail) approached Ethnic Research Aotearoa to access an ethnic researcher/evaluator to support their evaluation of a problem gambling programme. We circulated the opportunity to our network. Dovetail received eight applications and the process allowed them to rethink their initial assumptions of a sub-contracted researcher. They could instead look to bring someone into the team and with a plan to bring them on a development pathway in consulting. Leal is in the finishing stages of completing her PhD in Sociology and started as a consultant with Dovetail in August.
For Dovetail, Leal is bringing cultural capability into the team, and Dovetail is able to develop her capabilities in a consulting environment.
We are chuffed to have played a part in her new role. Sign up as a collaborator or supporter to get access to opportunities such as this.
16 August 2024
News
Ethnic Research Aotearoa trustee, Gail Pacheco, is the next Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner
On 16 August 2024, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced the appointment of Dr Gail Pacheco as the next Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner.
Gail is currently Professor of Economics and Director of the New Zealand Policy Research Institute at AUT. A key aim of Gail’s research agenda has been to address inequities for priority populations.
We congratulate Gail on this opportunity and appointment.
19 July 2024
News
Ethnic Research Aotearoa is piloting a Postgrad Network
We want to foster a community for postgrad researchers so they can:
connect with like-minded researchers.
share challenges and wins in a safe space.
build knowledge and skills.
be inspired by each other.
The pilot network will be convened by Kurt Cordice. Find out more and sign-up for the network here.
News
29 June 2024
Deadline for abstract submissions for the Evaluation Journal of Australasia Special Issue on culturally sensitive evaluation has been extended to 8 July 2024
We have extended the deadline for abstract submissions for Evaluation Journal of Australasia Special Issue on culturally sensitive evaluation to midnight Monday 8 July 2024.
Further details on the scope of the Special Issue, submission requirements, and the timeline are found here.
Recruitment
15 May 2024
Ethnic Research Aotearoa is seeking to appoint one new Trustee
Ethnic Research Aotearoa is governed by a Trust that oversees and makes decision on its direction and services. Trust members are elected to cover the range of skills and expertise necessary for effective and efficient administration of the Trust’s responsibilities, to its funders, its members, and ethnic communities.
Ethnic Research Aotearoa is seeking to appoint one new Trustee. Existing trustees are particularly interested in individuals with the following experience and skills:
Represent, or demonstrated support of, communities of culture, ethnicity, and/or faith
Legal (compliance, contracts, health and safety)
Financial (budgeting, financial analysis, profit and loss, risks)
Technology (AI, data, IT systems, sovereignty, cyber attacks)
Trustee meetings take place monthly for approximately 2 hours, virtually, with special meetings arranged as required. This is a voluntary role. Time at meetings and other Ethnic Research Aotearoa activities are not reimbursed.
How to apply:
Please email the Director, EeMun Chen, eemun@eraotearoa.org, with your CV and cover letter describing the skills and experience you could bring to Ethnic Research Aotearoa.
News
29 April 2024
Ethnic Research Aotearoa and Evaluation Journal of Australasia are collaborating on a Special Issue on culturally sensitive evaluation.
It is with great pleasure that we announce our collaboration with the Evaluation Journal of Australasia. We are calling for submissions for a Special Issue of the journal on culturally sensitive evaluation.
There has been much published recently on indigenous research and evaluation methods, but there has been less light shed on methods and practices developed within, and for, broader ethnic, cultural, and faith-based communities. This Special Issue fills this gap.
Further details on the scope of the Special Issue, submission requirements, and the timeline are found here. Expressions of interest and an abstract should be sent to the Editor of EJA by 1 July 2024.
If you will be submitting an abstract, please let our Director, EeMun Chen, know via email.
News
13 March 2024
You, or your organisation, can now become a member of Ethnic Research Aotearoa.
We have created two membership options:
- COLLABORATORS: Individuals who are research and evaluation practitioners
- SUPPORTERS: Organisations, community groups, community organisations, and NGOs who support and work with ethnic communities
By becoming a member you’ll be part of a network and community of practice, and be able to contribute to, and support, our projects and initiatives. And you’ll be the first to know about some exciting projects we’ve got lined up for this year!
Check out the benefits, and sign-up today!
News
12 February 2024
Ethnic Research Aotearoa welcomes on board a new trustee - Gail Pacheco.
Ethnic Research Aotearoa is excited to announce that Gail Pacheco has joined as a trustee.
Gail is a Professor of Economics and Research Institute Director with a passion for evidence-based analysis of relevance to economic welfare in Aotearoa. She specialises in leading and advising cross-disciplinary teams working on a broad spectrum of complex, system-wide policy issues.
She has previously been a Commissioner at the New Zealand Productivity Commission, and is currently the Co-Chair of the Business and Economics PBRF (Performance Based Research Fund) panel for Tertiary Education Commission.
Gail was born in Kuwait and has ancestral links to India and Portugal. Her passion for improving social policy and outcomes particularly for priority populations has been inspired by childhood experiences living through an invasion, war and time as a refugee.
News
1 January 2024
Ethnic Research Aotearoa congratulates all recipients of the New Year 2024 honours.
ERA highlights the following recipients on the honours list:
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Ms Marie Carmel Celebrado Lindaya, of Nelson. For services to multicultural communities.
Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Mrs Anuradha Ramkumar, of Auckland. For services to Indian classical dance.
Mr Prem Singh, of Wellington. For services to multicultural communities.
Honorary Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Mr İsmail Kaşdemir, of Çanakkale, Türkiye. For services to New Zealand-Türkiye relations.
Queen’s Service Medal
Mrs Manisha Morar, of Wellington. For services to the Indian community.
Mrs Hansaben Dhanji Naran, JP, of Auckland. For services to the Indian community.
Mr Athula Cuda Bandara Wanasinghe, JP, of Wellington. For services to the Sri Lankan community and cricket.
Honorary Queen’s Service Medal
Mr Liyanage Sadun Sampath Kithulagoda, of Wellington. For services to the Sri Lankan community.
Event
25 October 2023
ERA trustees Sandar Duckworth and Tayo Agunlejika were guest judges for the Community Research Te Auaha Pito Mata Awards for New and Emerging Researchers 2023.
These awards celebrate and encourage the invaluable contributions of up-and-coming researchers from the tangata whenua, community, and voluntary sector. They highlight the remarkable work being accomplished within the community sector and serve as a catalyst for building new collaborative partnerships and relationships.
The awards event was held Wednesday 18 October 2023. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners, including Pooja Jayan, winner of the Ethnic and Migrant Community Researcher Award for Community-led culture-centred prevention of family violence and sexual violence
Event
14 September 2023
Ministry for Ethnic Communities and Ethnic Research Aotearoa hosted the inaugural Ethnic Research Hui Aotearoa 2023 in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington).
Theme: How can we better embrace ethnic voice and evidence in public policy?
The primary focus for this hui was research and evaluation that relates to the following communities: African, Asian, Continental European, Latin-American, and Middle Eastern.
Speakers included:
Mervin Singham (CE, Ministry for Ethnic Communities)
EeMun Chen (Director, Ethnic Research Aotearoa)
Tracey McIntosh (Chief Science Advisor, Ministry of Social Development)
Anjum Rahman (Founder, Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono)
Ganesh Nana (Chair, Productivity Commission)
Roshini Peiris-John (Associate Professor, University of Auckland)
Rachel Simon-Kumar (Associate Professor, University of Auckland)
Jaga Maya Shrestha-Ranjit (Senior Lecturer, AUT)
Mustafa Farouk (Trustee, Ethnic Research Aotearoa)
News
1 September 2023
We are pleased to announce that EeMun Chen is Ethnic Research Aotearoa’s inaugural Director
EeMun will lead the operations and management of Ethnic Research Aotearoa. Her immediate priorities are to set up ERA for success, raise visibility of ERA, and establish community-led research networks and communities of practice.
EeMun takes on this role with the support of MartinJenkins, where she is a Principal Consultant.