Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met ethnic community leaders in Wellington on Tuesday. Photo: Supplied
Community leaders on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to give ethnic groups greater involvement in crafting government policy so they add their voice to the country's future.
The groups also highlighted disproportionate political representation, health inequalities, rising crime and foreign interference at the meeting in Wellington, which included Ethnic Communities Minister Melissa Lee.
Representatives from the Islamic Federation pointed to the positive role that diverse ethnic communities played in national development and economic growth.
However, they expressed frustration over a lack of political representation at Cabinet level.
"There is a need for greater consultation at the policy level and more purposeful engagement by senior officials before any legislation is passed," said Daljit Singh, representing the Sikh associations in New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Paul Patel of the Indian Central Association voiced concern over rising crime in the country.
"We would welcome more attention to victim impact statements when it comes to sentencing," Patel said.
Indian community leaders have expressed disappointment over the government's efforts to restore law and order, despite a series of recent announcements aimed at tackling crime.
Community members in South Auckland also told RNZ they are increasingly worried about safety in the region.
Data from Victim Support in March showed that the Indian community had been disproportionately impacted by aggravated robberies in 2023.
"Twenty-four percent of aggravated robbery victims referred to Victim Support last year were from the Indian community," the organisation said.
Manisha Morar noted that hate crimes against ethnic and faith communities were also on the rise.
Latest data from August showed that police recorded more than 20,000 instances of hate-motivated crime over the past four years.
Richard Leung of the New Zealand Chinese Association highlighted foreign interference as a growing concern.
In March, spy agency chief Judith Collins revealed that New Zealand's Parliamentary Service and Parliamentary Counsel Office had been targeted in a China-linked 2021 cyberattack.
"Foreign interference is impacting our democracy, and we should now consider [the] registration of foreign agents, like all the Five Eyes countries," Leung said.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon requested a follow-up meeting with the community leaders in four months. Photo: Supplied
Health disparities were also a topic of discussion.
According to National cervical screening data in 2022, screening rates for Asian women averaged 61 percent over the past 15 years - the lowest among all major ethnic groups and far below the national target of 80 percent.
"Asian and ethnic communities are missing out as health equity for our communities does not seem to have a priority in the current health policies and programmes, including screening," said Debbie Chen of the New Zealand Chinese Association.
Robert Hunt, chair of the NZ Buddhist Council, noted that the last review of immigration policies for religious teachers, monks, imams and priests occurred 12 years ago.
"These visa policy settings need urgent attention," he said.
Firearms was another topic of concern amongst community leaders.
Gregory Fortuin, representing African leaders, urged Luxon to maintain the current status quo regarding military-style semi-automatic firearms and the gun registry.
"In a country where police are not generally armed, none of our ethnic and faith communities want military-style semi-automatic weapons endangering our families," Fortuin said.
Luxon requested a follow-up meeting with the community leaders in four months.