Q How are you enjoying your new role as chairman? What do you enjoy most about it?
It’s an exciting and challenging role to handle both the governance and the day-to-day operations of Waitaki Multicultural. It’s exciting because there is always something happening. Either we set those events up or others across the district have something special going on, in which we collaborate. We use our Facebook mostly to notify our community of these events. Challenging, as governance in New Zealand is a bit different than what I’m used to from the Netherlands. I have my own style to run our committee meetings, but that’s what makes it fun. Our committee includes a range of different cultural backgrounds: Uruguayan, Argentinian, Italian, Tongan, Filipino, Indonesian, Kiwi and Dutch. I encourage anyone who is interested to join us, to reach out to me. You do not have to be a migrant to join our committee.
Q Can you please tell us what has been happening since Maria Buldain stepped down as chairwoman and what updates you can provide on what the organisation has been up to? Have there been any changes or new staffing?
There is always heaps going on. We are creating an exciting new strategic plan to guide us in the next five years. We’re working hard to make sure we are compliant with the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 — this includes a complete refresh of our constitution. We are in the process of recruiting a third staff member to help us with applying for grants and organising events. The vacancy will go live soon.
Q What events (like Festive Feast or Multicultural Day) are coming up that the public might like to know about?
We celebrate Multicultural Day on the last Friday of August, this year on August 29. We encourage people to wear their traditional apparel and make their cultural food, wherever they may be — at workplaces, at home, it doesn’t matter. Be proud of your culture. This includes Kiwi culture too! Festive Feast is coming November 22, a grand celebration of our diverse culture in the district. We are in the early stages of planning for this beloved event. You can find our newsletter on the Facebook group or subscribe via our website, to keep up to date about all our other activities.
Q You are a not-for-profit organisation. What is the staffing/volunteer structure? Can you explain how Multicultural Waitaki is set up and how it works with Waitaki District Council and other organisations in the community?
We are fully dependent on our funders, such as Ministry of Social Development, ETu Whanau, Catalytic Foundation and New Zealand Lotteries Commission. Other key local funders are Network Waitaki and Waitaki District Council (WDC). We do not fundraise but donations are always welcome. Our structure is independent. Some people sometimes assume we are part of WDC, which we are not. Our committee provides the oversight and governance of Waitaki Multicultural. We work with volunteers in the community, which we appreciate so much. They provide activities, such as English Conversation Club, Active Movement Programme, Coffee Group, Friday Night Drinks and Migrant Meet and Share. These are co-ordinated by our lovely community connector Justyna. She is the face of our organisation. Rico keeps the office running by providing promotional material and administering our finances. We collaborate with many organisations across the district on events and wellbeing. I can’t name them all but I’ll provide a small selection: Stronger Waitaki, Oamaru Pacific Island Community, Filipino Association, Oamaru Muslim Association, Welcoming Communities, YMCA, English Language Partners, SHAMA — Supporting Ethnic Women, Plunket and a range of social service providers.
Q You were vice-chairman before becoming chairman. Can you please tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to be involved with Waitaki Multicultural?
My wife and I moved to New Zealand back in January 2020, just before Covid happened. I was working as a team leader at Rabobank in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and my wife worked as a GP. Before we made the move to live on the other side of the world, we travelled across New Zealand-Aotearoa in 2018. In an instant we fell in love with the beauty, the nature and the friendly Kiwis. Making the decision to move was quite easy for us; the family took it a bit harder. When we were still in the Netherlands, I found the Waitaki Multicultural website and Facebook group. So within the first two weeks we were in Oamaru, we both attended several Waitaki Multicultural events. Making these connections and friends helped us settle in the region, especially during those rough times. It was just a matter of months after our arrival when I was asked to join the committee, which I did with great enthusiasm. We live on a lifestyle block and currently have 11 alpacas, five chickens and two cats.
