‘HOMELANDS THEN & NOW’ was produced by Migrant Connections Taranaki (MCT) New Plymouth, which is a point of contact for migrants and their families who choose to make Taranaki their new home. We are a community based initiative aimed at a broader migrant focus which includes skilled and non–skilled migrants and families.

 

MCT assists migrants to get accustomed with the shift in culture, to overcome challenges in a new country and integrate into the local community by providing ongoing support on a case by case basis with the skills, tools and networks you require to do so.

As a coordinator, I have worked closely with local people, migrants and refugees to encourage and support their participation and inclusion in the community and to help them to achieve their goals. I like working with migrants in Taranaki and help them with their challenges and issues to settle successfully in New Plymouth.

 

New Plymouth is a diverse mix of ethnic communities and there are people from around seventy countries living in our region. This book provides an increased understanding of people’s culture and how well they integrated into New Zealand. Migrants come to New Zealand for various reasons and do face a lot of challenges when uprooted from their culture and country of origin. They develop a sense of belonging with their new community over the years. People from various countries have contributed their stories to this book: Jordan, Chile, Zimbabwe, France, Germany and India.

 

Migrant Connections Taranaki Trustees and I thank the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board for the funding for this book, Ingrid van Amsterdam for writing this book, the migrant participants for their contribution, and Razz print & design for their excellent service.

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I hope you enjoy these insightful stories from these special people.

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Geetha Kutty

Coordinator

Migrant Connections Taranaki

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Click on the following link to read "Homelands Then & Now".

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