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S e cti o n One – General
• call on the police to record complaints and incidences
police. In order to achieve this, two outcomes were
of racially motivated crime, and for education
identified: building police capability and capacity to
providers, local government and other stakeholders
engage with ethnic communities and implementing
to provide accessible reporting systems for racial
culturally appropriate strategies with communities to
harassment and discrimination, including web-based
increase their safety, and prevent and reduce crime, road
systems
trauma and victimisation. 25 The foundation strategy
• encourage the provision of reliable and accessible
is under review. In building on its first ethnic strategy,
web-based information to prospective international
the police are actively considering priorities in relation
students, including about their human rights and the
to ethnic communities that will achieve their desired
support available
outcomes for all New Zealanders of ‘confident, safe and
• monitor progress in addressing the human rights of
international students and support student organisations in their advocacy and support for an improved
experience for international students in Australia and
New Zealand
• increase public awareness of the rights of international
students; their contribution to the Australian and New
Zealand economies and societies; and the importance
of speaking out when they witness instances of
harassment, discrimination and abuse.
In New Zealand, a coalition of Christchurch organisations, including tertiary institutions, the police, the Human
Rights Commission and Ngäi Tahu, established the ‘Report
secure communities’ and ‘less actual crime and road
trauma, [and] fewer victims’. 26
In addition to the strategy, police have undertaken a range
of initiatives to improve their responsiveness to ethnic
communities and increase the number of ethnic police
officers. Some of these include:
• tailoring police recruitment and marketing strategies
in response to changing New Zealand demographics
to specifically target Mäori, Pacific and Asian people
and recruit a more culturally diverse and responsive
workforce
• encouraging ethnic communities’ participation in
It!’ website in August 2008. 24 The site provides interna-
community safety initiatives and developing formal
tional students with information on racial harassment and
partnerships to encourage their input into policing and
a simple way to report it. In the first year, 2204 individuals
to enable better understanding of crime and safety
visited the site. In 2009, the coalition received 36 reports,
issues 27
of which 26 requested follow-up action. Some reports
• establishing Asian safety patrols in Auckland to
involved serious physical assaults.
provide greater police visibility and engagement with
Police ethnic strategy
communities, to reduce crime, victimisation and road
The New Zealand Police have developed both national
traumas
and regional strategies for engagement with ethnic
• establishing Asian-ethnic advisory boards in major
communities. In 2004 the police developed a foundation
districts to enable communities to engage directly with
strategy for ‘Working Together with Ethnic Communities
senior police
Towards 2010’. The foundation strategy focussed on
• sponsoring ethnic football tournaments and the Race
reducing the fears of ethnic communities about being
Unity speech awards with the aim of fostering positive
targets of crime, and increasing their confidence in the
race relations among youth and communities
24
‘Report It!’. Accessible online at http://report-it.org.nz/
25 New Zealand Police, Working Together with Ethnic Communities – Police Ethnic Strategy Towards 2010, pp 4–5. Accessed 6 May 2010
from https://admin.police.govt.nz/resources/2005/ethnic-strategy/index.html
26 New Zealand Police, Strategic Plan to 2010. Accessed 21 September from http://www.police.govt.nz/resources/2006/strategicplan-to-2010/index.html
27` Examples include MOUs with NZ Federation of Multicultural Councils and the Federation of Islamic Councils of New Zealand