Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meets ethnic community leaders on 11 November. Photo: Supplied/Ethnic and Faith Community Leaders Network
Ethnic community leaders have urged the government to consider introducing an additional day of flexible paid leave that will enable the country's diverse communities to mark their culturally significant festivals.
Members of the Ethnic and Faith Community Leaders Network raised the issue during a meeting with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon earlier this month.
The members also met Foreign Minister Winston Peters as well as leaders of the Green Party.
If their proposal became law, members of ethnic communities would be able to negotiate their individual preferences with their respective employers.
In addition to the flexible holiday demand, Debbie Chin called on the government to ensure Asian individuals had access to equitable healthcare.
Abdur Razzaq, national coordinator of the Ethnic and Faith Community Leaders Network, praised Luxon for keeping his promise not to loosen the restrictions on military-style semi-automatic weapons that were imposed after the 2019 mosque attacks in Christchurch.
Daljit Singh, spokesperson for the Supreme Sikh Society, highlighted the existing high financial threshold for sponsorship of parents' visa.
Richard Leung from the New Zealand Chinese Association said Asian communities were increasingly concerned about foreign interference.
Leung suggested introducing a foreign agents registry to provide transparency and safety for vulnerable communities.
Gregory Fortuin, a spokesperson for African Leaders, noted the importance of freedom of speech but demanded some measures to be put in place to prevent people from inciting violence.
David Zwartz from the Jewish community issued a warning about the decision to end the Census, arguing it could result in smaller ethnic and faith communities becoming statistically invisible.
Manisha Morar from the Wellington Indian Association voiced strong concern over recent changes to the national curriculum.
A spokesperson for the prime minister said Luxon enjoyed meeting ethnic community leaders.
"These meetings are important opportunities to discuss a range of issues that matter to some of New Zealand's many diverse communities," the spokesperson said.