North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Migrant votes important for Auckland
An Auckland charity is working with the electoral commission to run workshops for migrants to will get them ‘‘election ready’’ and confident to vote.
Community information sessions are targeted to migrants who may feel shy or unsure about the process, something one Aucklander who arrived 17 years ago, said was true in his case.
‘‘For the first five years, I cared about the policies but I didn’t know how to vote.
‘‘To understand their policies, I had to read a lot and sometimes it was too challenging,’’ Northcote resident Felix Lin said.
Auckland Regional Migrant Services is running workshops with African, Indian, Pacific, Middle Eastern, South East Asian, Filipino and Russian communities.
ARMS’ chief executive Rochana Sheward said the workshops do not tell migrants who to vote for, rather provide them the tools to make their own decisions.
Michelle Machin, registrar of electors of North Shore electorates, said a post-election survey from the last election indicated recent migrants are less likely to be enrolled.
‘‘It can be a bit of a challenge, because they are new, but we want them to have those key messages,’’ Machin said.
‘‘We want to demystify it for them and make it easier and feel confident about [voting].’’
It is a brilliant opportunity for refugees to be involved in a democratic process, she added.
New Zealand’s liberal voting system allows all residents who have lived in the country for one year or more to vote.
One former refugee, Northcote resident Kelenia said she will ‘‘definitely’’ vote.
‘‘I vote because I have the privilege, unlike some people in different countries, to have a voice in the place I live,’’ Kelenia said.
Massey University’s Paul Spoonley said it is important migrant voters are represented, particularly on the North Shore, with Northcote’s Asian, Albany’s Chinese and Browns Bay’s South African communities.
‘‘Sixty percent of Aucklanders are immigrants or children of immigrants,’’ Spoonley said. The 2015 World Migration Report from the International Organisation for Migration shows Auckland is the fourth largest foreign-born population in the world.