Moving to a new country can be challenging, especially if you don’t speak the language or know many people. This Welcoming Week (6 – 15 September), Council is encouraging newcomers to share their experience of settling into the Waimakariri community.
As part of the Welcoming Communities programme, we want to know what sorts of things have made people feel welcome here, and what is needed to help other people when they arrive to the District.
One woman who understands the importance of a welcoming community is Julie Cloughley, who has been running Waimakariri District Council’s English language classes for seven years. At times she can have more than twenty people enrolled in her Saturday classes, some even making the trip from Christchurch.
Julie says it’s been really nice seeing the connections that people build among themselves. She also encourages those who might be looking for a job to do voluntary work first because it shows they’ve got New Zealand-based work experience, and it helps with their English.
“I’ve had three students volunteer with the Hope Community Trust Op Shop in Rangiora because the manager is really positive about having students there.
“The great thing is they can speak as much as they like to customers and if they’re not brave enough, they can help out the back with the donations.”
Julie says teaching her students to be confident is just as important as learning the language.
“I love seeing them use it, when they’re confident enough, to spring into something else, like the Multicultural Cooking Class Series, which is being run by Global Locals of Waimakariri.”
One student who did just that is Linda Lian, who moved from China six years ago to seek better education opportunities for her two children. Linda hosted the recent Chinese cuisine cooking class where she shared the traditional Chinese dish, Black Pepper Beef. She’s also been involved in Chinese language week activities through Waimakariri Libraries.
Although Linda says there’s only a small Chinese community in Waimakariri, she’s enjoyed settling into life in Rangiora.
“Everyone has been so friendly. I get lots of support through the school, from friends and through the library.”
One thing that Linda says would’ve made her experience easier, however, was finding a doctor’s clinic that would take her.
“The first year I moved to Rangiora, I wanted to find a family doctor but everywhere was full, so I had to see a doctor in Christchurch.”
Welcoming Communities Coordinator Aimee Claassens says it’s this sort of feedback that she wants to hear from newcomers.
“Anything to do with social inclusion – for example accessing a doctor or information about events – it’s not just going to be helpful for a particular group, it’s actually helpful for the whole community.
“Ensuring everyone feels included and has a sense of belonging is vital for building a strong and resilient community that enjoys better social outcomes and stronger economic growth.”
More information
- Complete the Welcoming Communities online survey at letstalk.waimakariri.govt.nz/welcoming-communities
- Request a physical copy of the survey by emailing aimee.claassens@wmk.govt.nz
- Welcoming Communities is a programme led by Immigration New Zealand that supports newcomers to feel included and have a sense of belonging in the economic, civic, cultural and social life of their new community.
Photo (from left to right): Aimee Claassens, Julie Cloughley and Linda Lian