Gore District Welcome Plan

Over the years, we have seen an increasing number of people move to the Gore District for work, a better work-life balance or affordable housing.

Moving to a new place can be challenging, particularly if there are language and cultural barriers.

To ensure we build on our reputation as a friendly place to live and visit, we have developed a Welcome Plan in collaboration with locals and newcomers to the Gore community.

The plan gives us a cultural diversity snapshot. It outlines current challenges and suggests things we can do to create a community where newcomers feel valued and welcomed.

What is a newcomer?

A newcomer is a person or persons who are new to an area or have been in a place for some time but have not successfully engaged in the community.

Newcomers include:

• New immigrants to New Zealand

• Immigrants already in New Zealand who have recently relocated to a different area

• New Zealanders who have recently relocated to a new area

• International students

Did you know we have 45 ethnicities living in the Gore District? Or that the most common languages spoken other than English are Māori, French and Sinitic (a Chinese dialect)?

Why have a Welcome Plan?

This Welcome Plan aims to create a realistic and achievable path to assist all newcomers in becoming part of our community. It provides actions for us to embrace and be proactive in inviting those new to the Gore district. There are also actions for newcomers to help them integrate into the community.

What’s in the Plan

The feedback from our newcomers’ workshop highlighted four themes to improve their experience in our District. They were:

• Integration Assistance

• Local Community Information

• Bridging the Cultural Divide

• Involvement in Activities

The plan takes a close look at these themes and how we, as a community, can address them. We have suggested a range of opportunities and initiatives to raise cultural awareness and overcome barriers to integration for both our local community and newcomers.

Get Involved

We want to hear your thoughts about our Welcome Plan. Please read the plan and fill in our feedback form below. Feedback is open until Thursday 9 December.

You can also contact Community Empowerment Coordinator Mark McCann, email mmccann@goredc.govt.nz if you would like more information or a hard copy of the feedback form.