JUDITH COLLINS MP for Papakura

Good afternoon.
 
Thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. It’s great to be here.
 
The International Association of Women Judges is an association of great ability, accomplishment and potential.
 
It’s a great privilege to be a part of your conference for the Asia Pacific Region.

Building on what today’s keynote speakers have covered in terms of pornography and child exploitation I will talk specifically about the sexual abuse of children online and New Zealand’s commitment to combatting this abhorrent crime through our membership to the Global Alliance against Child Sexual Abuse Online.
 
It’s a sad fact that the majority of sexual abuse goes by unreported.
 
Last year alone, Child Youth and Family found 1355 children under the age of 17 were sexually abused in New Zealand.
 
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates there are more than 4 million websites featuring victims who are children – some even including children younger than 2 years old.
 
While accurate statistics for this problem are hard to come by, one thing is certain – the digital age has drastically increased ways offenders access, disseminate and sell this criminal material.
 
The advancements of the 21st century mean people are living longer, healthier, more secure and productive lives.  Individuals and communities also have more opportunities than ever before to engage, communicate and share information.
 
With these benefits comes responsibility – responsibility to use modern technology appropriately. Unfortunately these benefits are all too frequently misused and abused. 
 
 

Dame Susan Devoy, Race Relations Commissioner

Mervin Singham, Director Office of Ethnic Affairs

Ethnic community leaders

My parliamentary colleagues

Ladies and gentlemen

Good morning.

It’s great to be here in Auckland for the second of the three EthnicA events happening around New Zealand.

EthnicA Christchurch held last month was a great success and it’s fantastic to see another impressive turn out today, here in New Zealand’s most diverse city.

Auckland is now a truly international city.  Many people from around the world have made this city their home.  Because of them, this city and this country, are a better place to live.

More than one-third of the people living in Auckland were born overseas. And more than 200,000 Aucklanders are of Asian ethnicity; 18,000 are of African, Middle Eastern or Latin American descent.

Thank you all for taking the time out of your weekend to be here and participate. I hope you all leave today inspired to lead by example, not just in your own communities, but as role models for all of New Zealand.

I would like to acknowledge the sponsor for EthnicA Auckland – Alexandra Park. Thank you for supporting today’s conference.

Conferences like EthnicA are all about empowering ethnic New Zealanders.

We’re encouraging you to realise your ability to succeed, regardless of your ethnicity, cultural background or who your parents are.

Today you will hear inspiring stories from people who have done just that.

You’ll also have the opportunity to meet like-minded Kiwis, share experiences and learn from each other.

Make the most of it – introduce yourself and connect with as many different people from as many different communities as you can.

Building a strong network of contacts from across New Zealand’s ethnic communities, not just your own, will give you the support you need to achieve success – whether it be at home, at school, at work, university, in business or in your community.

Your success is important to you and it’s important to your families –

But it’s also important to New Zealand.

Our nation is home to over 4 million New Zealanders and it’s important that each one of us makes a positive contribution.

There is a great deal of potential in this room today. 

This year’s EthnicA has a special focus on leadership – specifically how the ethnic sector can show leadership and how leaders from this sector can be developed and supported.

I want you to understand and value your ability to be a strong voice for your communities, and a strong voice in the decision-making process of New Zealand.

This Government is working hard to give you the tools and support you need to dream big, and make your dreams a reality.

As part of the wider government work, The Office of Ethnic Affairs is delivering a range of workshops and initiatives designed to give all ethnicities the tools they need to participate in all aspects of life in New Zealand and take on leadership roles.

Later today you will hear from participants of the Young Leaders Programme based here in Auckland.

It’s important that ethnic youth have the support they need to succeed and act as role models to their peers.

The Programme focuses on ten young individuals each year, from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, to build their leadership skills and plan a successful career path.

The young people you will hear from today have been identified as potential leaders in their communities, and for New Zealand. The Government is backing young ethnic Kiwis and is committed to ensuring they reach their full potential.

I’d like to see an increase in participation across all our ethnic communities in these leadership programmes and I’d especially like to see more ethnic women in leadership positions.

Ethnic women are often natural leaders in their own communities – but few branch out and use their leadership skills in the wider community.

Women are creative thinkers, great multi-taskers and excellent problem solvers.

To support ethnic women leaders in New Zealand, the Office of Ethnic Affairs is running the Ethnic Women’s Leadership Programme.

This programme aims to develop leadership skills and give women the support they need to be agents for change both in their own communities and wider New Zealand society.

We are a nation that values the contribution of all its citizens.

Everybody has the right to build a brighter future for their families and the right to have a say in the way our country is run.

To ensure that ethnic communities are having their voices heard and their strengths utilised, the Office of Ethnic Affairs runs a Nominations Service.

This service provides a database of ethnic New Zealanders who are suitably qualified for appointment to government boards, committees and advisory groups.

It provides an avenue for leaders within our ethnic communities to register their interest and availability to take up such appointments on more than 400 state sector boards and committees.

The positions are an excellent opportunity to contribute to the prosperity and strength of New Zealand’s economy and communities.

If you or anybody you know is interested in being a part of the Nominations Service, I encourage you to contact the Office of Ethnic Affairs and give a voice to your communities.

The Office also operates the Language Line telephone interpreting service. Language Line breaks down the barriers that ethnic Kiwis with limited English sometimes face when talking with government agencies.

This service ensures it’s easier for ethnic communities to seek government services or advice.

By continuing to work closely with the Office of Ethnic Affairs, the government can continue to identify and remove possible barriers, to make sure all ethnic New Zealanders participate in all aspects of life here.

It was a privilege to travel to Geneva earlier this year to present New Zealand’s report on our progress in tackling racial discrimination and inequality to the United Nations’ Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

There’s a lot of positive work taking place to harness the potential of our diverse communities and make sure all ethnic Kiwis are given a fair go.

Our report was well received by the United Nations and I’m pleased to say New Zealand remains a positive model of social harmony to which many other nations aspire.

Finally,  I congratulate you all for coming here today and participating in EthnicA, and for putting your hands up to be the future leaders of not only your communities, but of New Zealand.

I encourage you all to get out there and realise your leadership potential, and help us build the brighter future this country deserves.

Thank you.

Namaste, good morning.
 
It’s a pleasure to here today at this New Zealand Indian Central Association Women’s Conference, especially as you celebrate your ten year anniversary.
Congratulations. I hope you leave today’s forum, encouraged and inspired to reach your full potential and achieve your goals.
 
I thank the Women’s Committee of the New Zealand Indian Central Association, not just for your efforts in organising today’s event, but for your dedication and hard work as leaders.
 
Your Association is a great example of women coming together for mutual support to overcome barriers.  You have every right to aspire to positions of leadership, not just in your communities, but across all of New Zealand.
 
Today is an excellent opportunity for Indian women to meet and connect with like-minded women.  By sharing your personal stories you can learn from each other’s experiences.
 
Building a strong network around you and drawing from the strengths and contacts of your peers will help you achieve both your personal and your professional goals – whether it’s assisting in finding a school for your children, or helping you to find a new job or business opportunity.
 
And it’s important you don’t just restrict your networking to within New Zealand’s Indian communities – connecting with a range of New Zealanders will ensure a greater opportunity for  success.
 
You all have the potential to be leaders in both your personal and professional lives.
 
By helping each other to remove barriers, you will ensure the voices of Indian women are being heard not just in your own communities, but across the whole country.

Good afternoon.
 
It’s great to be here in Christchurch for the first of the three EthnicA events happening around the country.
 
It’s fantastic to see so many of you turn out today to support this conference.
 
I acknowledge and thank you for participating and hope that you all leave today inspired to lead by example, not just in your own communities, but as role models for all of New Zealand.
 
I also acknowledge the sponsors for EthnicA Christchurch - The Westpac Business and Community Hub, the Confucius Institute at the University of Canterbury and the Yobee School of Design.  Thank you for helping make EthnicA Christchurch possible. 
 
Conferences such as this are all about empowering ethnic New Zealanders.
We’re encouraging you to realise your ability to succeed, regardless of where you are from or who your parents are.
 
This weekend you each have the opportunity to share and learn from the experiences of your fellow ethnic Kiwis.
 
Make the most of it – introduce yourselves to each other and connect with as many different people as you can.
 
Building a strong network of contacts from across New Zealand’s ethnic communities, not just your own, will give you the support you need to pave your way to success.
 
Your success is important to you and it’s important to your families –
But it’s also important to New Zealand.
 

Address to the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration – “The pursuit of excellence and innovation in courts and tribunals”

Good morning.

Thank you for the invitation to speak to you today.

On behalf of the Government, I welcome all the international attendees to New Zealand, and to Auckland.

It’s great to see you here.

This morning I will talk briefly about what we’re doing in New Zealand to drive excellence and innovation in the courts.

Our justice and courts system is one of our greatest assets.

By international accounts, we have one of the best performing justice systems in the world – we have a strong judiciary, high public confidence in our  justice sector institutions, and consistently rank as one of the most transparent governments in the world. 

For the seventh year in a row, New Zealand was placed first by Transparency International as the least corrupt country.
This reflects the integrity of our system and the people who work in it.

It also means the people who live, do business and invest in New Zealand know that they can trust our laws to protect their rights and freedoms.

Overall the crime rate is down and the number of people in our courts is falling.

This means we have an unique opportunity to rethink our justice and court system to ensure it’s accessible, modern and sustainable and works better for those people who use it.

We have an opportunity to work differently – to focus more on the underlying causes of crime and crime prevention, to modernise and improve our operating model, and to build a more customer focussed lower cost and more accessible justice system.

Mr High Representative Sampaio

Our Austrian host, His Excellency Minister Spindelegger

Your Excellencies

I’d like to begin by acknowledging our hosts, the Austrian Government – it’s great to be here in Vienna.

New Zealand is a small nation located in the South Pacific Ocean.

Although our population is only around 4.5 million, we are one of the most diverse nations in the OECD – and this diversity is expected to increase significantly over the next 10-15 years.

The story we have to tell about our diversity is an immensely positive one. 

On behalf of the New Zealand Government, it’s a great privilege to have the opportunity to share this story with you all today.

This month New Zealand re-issued its Plan of Action to support the Alliance of Civilisations.

With this third issue of a Plan of Action, we reaffirm our commitment to the Alliance and signal our continued contribution to a global effort to bridge the divide between cultures.

New Zealand’s human rights record is strong and we continue to work hard to ensure it remains strong.

We are a multi-racial, multi-cultural nation that prides itself on the promotion of human rights and equal treatment for all of our citizens.

Regardless of a person’s race, colour or ethnic background, we are all equal in the eyes of New Zealand law.