Joris de Bres, New Zealand Human Rights Commission

An employment mentoring program for new migrants in Christchurch, a legal education program in Nelson to tackle racial discrimination and African-language classes in Auckland are just a few of nearly 600 projects that are helping build stronger race relations in New Zealand.

“What is impressive is that so many of the projects have been developed and run by local groups and organisations to bring about positive change in their community,” says Joris de Bres, Race Relations Commissioner with the New Zealand Human Rights Commission since 2002.

“I’m constantly impressed by the energy, enthusiasm and creativity that people bring to these projects, whether it’s coming up with a solution to a specific problem in their local area or bringing together people from different backgrounds for a concert or festival.”

The Commission attempts to harness these community-led efforts through Te Ngira: The NZ Diversity Action Programme, which involves around 250 organisations working across a range of areas including business, education, health, local government, ethnic diversity and the arts.

“One of the roles of the Commission is to encourage the development and maintenance of harmonious relations in New Zealand,” says Joris.

“We’ve made a conscious decision to develop networks and build relationships with organisations who can in turn work with their own staff, their own members or in their own communities. That’s how you can build a strong and active constituency that can bring about real change at a grassroots level."

Diversity Forum

Many of these projects will be showcased at the New Zealand Diversity Forum, to be held from 22-23 August in Wellington.

It marks the sixth year that the Commission has hosted the event, which is an opportunity to share best practice approaches to promoting cultural diversity, to review the past and plan future initiatives.

With a background as a community organiser, union official and public service manager, Joris says that linking people working on similar projects is essential in building the reach, influence and success of these initiatives.

“The secret of getting people involved is asking them what they can do, rather than telling them what to do. It’s also about identifying groups that are doing good work in a particular area and then talking with them about how this might fit with what other groups are doing,” he says

“The more we share, the more we learn from each other, the more likely it is that two projects will develop into four and then become six.”

He also says that recognising and celebrating the positive contributions of individuals and groups – much of it done on a voluntary basis – is critical, be it an acknowledgment in the Commission’s monthly newsletter or through the presentation of the annual New Zealand Diversity Awards.

International efforts

In the same way that community groups can learn from each other and become more effective, the same is true for national human rights institutions (NHRIs), says Joris.

During the Durban Review Conference in April 2009, almost 40 NHRIs from all parts of the globe took part in a meeting to share ideas and develop strategies to monitor and combat racism, discrimination and intolerance.

The discussions, which Joris facilitated, explored a number of common challenges, including protecting the rights of migrant workers and refugees, trafficking and cyber racism.

The meeting concluded with a set of commitments by NHRIs to implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

“A series of valuable points came out of that discussion, which have now been taken up by the International Coordinating Committee. In particular, we’re looking to develop an international network of contact points in national human rights institutions on diversity and race relations,” says Joris.

“How does this affect our work back here in New Zealand? Well it’s about learning from the work and strategies of other NHRIs and sharing with them what we are doing.”

Progress and challenges

He says that reporting on the state of race relations in the country is a critical tool to help assess positive developments and identify emerging challenges.

The Commission produces an annual review of race relations, “which partly looks at what the Commission has done over the year but, more broadly, it’s goal is to examine what has been happening across the country.”

He cites some key developments in recent years: a growing use of Maori language among all New Zealanders, a positive shift in public attitudes towards Asian migrants, and advances in the area of Maori self-determination and redressing historical grievances.

“The Commission has also helped develop, through a process of dialogue and consultation, some key statements on religious diversity and race relations,” says Joris.

“Those two documents have been very useful in setting some common standards which we can then use in talking with others.”

But he notes that there are a number of pressing issues that still require dedicated efforts, such as ensuring the safety of international students and giving a greater voice to Maori, Pacific and ethnic groups in local government.

“It is an area of work where you’re always seeing positive developments but at the same time you’re constantly facing new challenges too.”