Hakatere Multi Cultural Council

03/10/2026

30/09/2026

Ethnic Leaders Monthly Hui

Our Ethnic Leaders Forum meets on the last Thursday of every month, bringing ethnic community leaders together to share information, learn about local services and support our communities across Hakatere Ashburton.

We were grateful to welcome Jess Wilson, Coordinator of HIPPY Hakatere Ashburton and Rasela Sa from Ashburton Kindergartens to our recent hui.

HIPPY Hakatere Ashburton is a home-based programme supporting parents with children aged 2–5 years to help prepare their tamariki for success at school. It’s a great programme for migrant and newcomer families, with support provided in the family home.

Rasela also shared information about changes to kindergarten hours and how these can benefit families.

For many migrant and newcomer families, finding suitable early learning and support for their tamariki can be challenging, especially when families are still settling into the community.

Our Ethnic Leaders are now able to take this information back to their communities and help connect families with these valuable services.

Thank you Jess and Rasela for joining us and sharing your knowledge!

Together, we continue to build stronger, more connected communities in Hakatere Ashburton.

28/09/2026

Ashburton Latin Festival is coming!

The Latin American Community is inviting everyone to come along and celebrate the vibrant flavours, talents and traditions of Latin America! ❤️

Enjoy an afternoon of food, music, performances and raffles, and experience the wonderful cultures that make our community so diverse.

📅 3 October
📍 Tinwald Hall
🕞 Doors open: 3:30pm
🎭 Show starts: 4:00pm
🎟️ $5 entry — free for 15 years and under
💵 Please bring cash.

Brought to you by The Canterbury Latin American Association.

Come along, bring the family and celebrate together! 🌎❤️

28/09/2026

🧡 Join Us for Our 2026 AGM 🧡

Hakatere Multicultural Council warmly invites you to our 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM)!

📅 Tuesday, 13 October 2026
🕐 1:00 PM
📍 Community House, Ashburton

Come along as we reflect on our achievements over the past year, hear from our guest speaker and connect with others over afternoon tea.

Everyone is welcome!

Please RSVP by 7 October for catering purposes:
[[email protected]]

We look forward to coming together with our community and celebrating another year of Hakatere Multicultural Council 🧡🌏

28/09/2026

🇵🇭 Join us for our next Cultural Awareness Talk! 🇵🇭

Come along and learn more about Filipino culture, traditions, food and community as we celebrate the richness and diversity of our multicultural community 🌏❤️

Everyone is welcome! We look forward to sharing, learning and connecting together.

Join us for our next Cultural Awareness Talk showcasing the Philippines!

In this Cultural Awareness session, you will learn about Filipino culture and discuss basic social protocols to help you interact with clients, whānau, and friends.

This session will be run by Kristin Monoy, a Whakatere Ashburton local.

All are welcome - nau mai koutou katoa!

Organised with Welcoming Communities - Ashburton District and Hakatere Multi Cultural Council

Tuesday 13 October, 11am

28/09/2026

Last week, Ashburton College celebrated Afghan Language Week 🇦🇫✨

A beautiful celebration of Afghan language, culture and heritage, shared with the wider school community. Thank you to our Afghan community for sharing these special moments with us. ❤️🌏

23/09/2026

🌏 17th Annual Regional Refugee Forum – Christchurch 🤝

Yesterday was a great day of learning, connection and kōrero as our HMCC Coordinator joined our Refugee Settlement Support team in Christchurch for the 17th Annual Regional Refugee Forum.

We were fortunate to hear from some amazing speakers, each bringing different perspectives and experiences:

💙 Dr Paul Dalziel – Wellbeing Economy Alliance
🏫 Dr Abdirazak Abdi & Dr Zahra – Ministry of Education, sharing the importance of communication and strong connections between parents and schools.
🧠 Jo Elgin – Odyssey House Christchurch, speaking about the impact of drug abuse on mental health and the challenges it can bring.
🤝 Habib – NZSIS, sharing insights around community resilience and the strength of our communities.
💻 Professor Jorg Finsterwalder – University of Canterbury Business School, talking about digital inclusion and ensuring everyone can participate in our increasingly digital world.

So much to take away from the day — new ideas, valuable knowledge and meaningful connections with people working across the refugee settlement and community sector.

Our cups were definitely full! 💙🌏

Thank you to everyone who made the forum such a valuable day of learning and connection. We look forward to bringing these learnings back to our communities here in Mid Canterbury ❤️

21/09/2026

Clinic Times – Hakatere, Ashburton

Sharing this information from Arowhenua Whānau Services for our Ashburton community.

📍 Hakatere Clinic
Eastfield Health, 135 Tancred Street, Ashburton

🗓️ Thursdays
🕙 10:00am – 3:00pm

🍽️ Clinic closed for lunch: 12:30pm – 1:00pm

💚 Consultations are FREE.

20/09/2026

HAVE YOU ENROLLED TO VOTE?

If you’re 18 or older and eligible to enrol, we can help!

Pop into the Hakatere Multicultural Council Centre at Safer Mid Canterbury, 255 Moore Street, Ashburton, and we’ll help you with the enrolment process.

Information is available in Māori, Korean, Samoan, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Tongan, Fijian, Punjabi, Hindi and Tagalog.

⏰ Enrol by 25 October.

👉 Enrol online: vote.nz

🗳️ Make sure your voice is heard! 🇳🇿

20/09/2026

🌏 Connecting, Learning & Celebrating Diversity

Earlier this month, our HMCC Coordinator attended the Multicultural New Zealand AGM in Wellington alongside our Chairperson, Selwyn. 🇳🇿🌏

It was a privilege to come together with representatives from 20 Multicultural Councils across the motu — sharing experiences, ideas, challenges and the mahi happening in our communities.

Two days of workshops, learning, sharing and connecting with so many inspiring leaders from across Aotearoa. We came home with our cups full and even more inspired to continue supporting our diverse communities here in Mid Canterbury. ❤️

A heartfelt thank you to Multicultural New Zealand for creating such a valuable space for connection, collaboration and learning.

Stronger together — celebrating diversity, strengthening connections and building belonging across Aotearoa. 🌏🤝❤️