Volunteers keen to help newcomers
Levin and surrounds are also well known for their long-established Asian market gardeners.
“I like multicultural societies. We can learn a lot from them,” said Steve.
He hopes his 40-plus years as a head teacher in the UK working with many agencies will help in the role supporting people as they navigate New Zealand systems.
Steve is available during the day to offer support to the Colombian family he is assigned. He knows it’ll be a busy first few weeks, but after that it will settle to several hours each week and sharing the volunteer work with other team members.
And what does he expect? “I want the Colombians to feel welcomed. I guess the educator in me also hopes we will help them some of the way to reach their potential and goals.”
Levin’s newcomers will also bring shared values. Norton and Ute both remember when they visited Colombia how nice the people were and made them feel welcome.
Ute said: “I think Colombians share quite a few values with New Zealanders — their friendliness, hospitality and family values. They also have very much a ‘let’s get on with things’ attitude.”
The Government intends to fulfil the quota of settling 1500 refugees in this financial year. Around 80 Colombians will be settled in Levin, probably two to three families every three to four months.
Steve and Sue had an apartment in Spain previously.
Steve said: “I can get by in a coffee shop and order a meal, but I’ve dug out my Spanish books again now I know the families are arriving soon.”
Norton said while their children are growing up learning English, German and te reo Ma¯ori at ko¯hanga reo, he and Ute have used Spanish as their secret language.
“For example, we’ll speak in Spanish when we want to talk about something in front of the children, like what’s for dessert, but we won’t be able to get away with that any more when our children start getting to know the Colombian children!”
How you can help:
There are plenty of ways you can get involved with former refugees in your community including
■ Becoming a refugee support volunteer. Our refugee support volunteers support new Kiwis to orientate in their communities during the first six months of settlement. You can also visit our Levin office to find out more at Red Cross Hall, 524 Queen St East, Levin.
■ Donating goods to help turn houses into homes, families from refugee backgrounds often arrive with little more than a suitcase or two. Red Cross relies on the generosity of the community to help them set up their homes.
■ Giving a former refugee an employment opportunity, our teams work with refugee background job seekers who have a vast range of skills, qualifications and employment histories.