In 2006, I moved into a social policy role focused on diversity and inclusion at an Auckland council. Day one, I overheard a Pakeha colleague say: "We already had to get used to hearing Māori at work, and now we have to hear the Asians."
I cringed inside. I understood the discomfort, even as I found it deeply troubling. I told myself: Aotearoa is a young nation. It will find its way.
Fast forward to 2026.
At a recent social gathering — friends, all of Indian origin — one person, who had returned to New Zealand after some years said, with some agitation: “Things are worse. People should speak only English in workplaces."
The same cringe.
One from a Pakeha New Zealander, one from a returning Indian migrant. (And yes, I did pause at that phrase — returning migrant. Once a migrant, always a migrant?)
When I asked gently whether she meant speaking to customers or to each other, it became clear: the anger was about changed demographics, about hearing Hindi spoken between colleagues. I found myself wanting to unpack what really sat behind it. Fear of being lumped under a single label — *"those Indians speaking another language," "outnumbering us"*? A retreat to *"we are an English-speaking nation"* — quite the coincidence, given the Bill currently before Parliament to make English an official language.
Both reactions came from the same place. Discomfort with difference that reaches for uniformity as the answer — a push for assimilation, with diminishing space for multicultural identities. Or at best, those languages and cultures permitted to exist only in designated boxes, defined by structures of authority and power.
The challenge is real. When demographics shift and people demand that the container change — whether that's workplaces, streets, or neighbourhood parks — imposing a monocultural rulebook is not the answer.
Context matters enormously. A child speaking their home language at an early learning centre. A university classroom. An informal lunch break. A formal meeting. These are not the same. How do we behave? what are our actions? What drives people to assert ethno-cultural identities. Identity politics plays out all the time. The signals of inclusion and exclusion — overt or covert — shape each environment differently. It is these accumulated behaviours and biases, conscious and unconscious, that make up the fabric of society.
Language is an asset. Recognise it. Value it.
Recent research shows that indicators of Belonging at a community level are of concern “84% feel they belong. More than 8 in 10 New Zealanders feel a sense of belonging to the country, and take pride in the New Zealand way of life. But only half feel a strong sense of community in their local area.”
(Ref. Social Cohesion Report, April 2026, Helen Clark Foundation)
That should concern all of us. The effort has to come from all sides — those seeking space, those adjusting to make room, and those who resist or deny the need to. Question and assert, through communication, care, and commitment.
There is no tidy answer. But there is no excuse not to try.