Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Marlborough’s multicultural community
For many members of the Marlborough Multicultural Centre in Blenheim, their involvement began with a weekly morning tea.
Kim Ng started going along when she first moved to Marlborough in 2008.
Before long, Ng had met a whole group of people who were also new to Blenheim.
It was great to meet people that way because, for migrant people in Blenheim, many don’t have extended family in the region, Ng said.
“We are kind of like each other’s family.” Being part of the centre had been “good” not only for Ng herself but for her kids too.
She said it was good for them to understand that although they were different, they were still the “same”.
“We are all different cultures, but we are actually the same. We can all be a big family.”
She said the good thing about the morning tea was that it was always available. If there was anything that bothered her, she knew she could “always go there to get support”.
Ng’s youngest daughter was born in New Zealand. However, because Ng was on a working visa at the time, she went to Immigration New Zealand to get a visa for her daughter.
They told her that her daughter needed a passport until she could get a visa, but she could stay in New Zealand until she got her passport, as long as they didn’t travel.
But advice varied and another person from Immigration NZ told her that her daughter was unlawfully staying in New Zealand and would be deported.Ng said the situation made her feel “hopeless” and she turned to the centre for support.
The centre was able to help Ng write
a supporting letter detailing the family’s community involvement within Marlborough to send to Immigration NZ. It also got her a community lawyer.
“They helped me through all the paper [work] and then finally she got her residency.”
In New Zealand, international migration had bounced back to record numbers after the Covid-10 pandemic, Stats NZ has revealed. Marlborough recorded a net gain of 480 people from international
migration in the 12 months to June 30, 2023.
The region’s international migration had fluctuated in the past few years, from 1800 in the year ending on June 30, 2020, to 10 in the year ending on June 30, 2021, to a net loss of 310 migrants in the year ending on June 30, 2022.
Matilde Figuracion, chairperson of the Marlborough Multicultural Centre, said they were proud to have more than 500 clients, and demand for the centre’s support was growing.
“One of our strategic goals is to support social cohesion. Marlborough is a wonderful place to live, and we want to host communities and new communities to come together and enjoy all our region has to offer.”
The centre collaborated with locals and service providers such as the Marlborough District Council, the Marlborough Primary Health organisation, and the Electoral Commission.