Working with ethnic communities

Ethnic communities in Aotearoa New Zealand are incredibly diverse, encompassing many different nationalities, languages, traditions, and religions. Ethnic communities include people who identity as African, Asian, Continental European, Latin-American, and Middle-Eastern. Each person’s identity, experience, and needs are unique; it is important to ask the person what support they need and not make assumptions. Take time to check what processes people need to feel safe and engage, and seek support from cultural organisations and interpreters when appropriate.

eCALD® Services (Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand – Waitematā) provides a range of training and resources for addressing cultural competencies within the Aotearoa New Zealand health context.

In the Let’s get real framework, a key aspect of the Real Skill: working with people experiencing mental health and addiction needs is to respect diversity and ensure services are responsive to the needs of diverse communities.

The resources listed below are intended to support the learning and development of health workers who work with people and whānau with mental health and addiction issues. These resources are in a variety of different formats, such as videos, e-learnings, fact sheets, reports, and links to support services.

In line with Let’s get real, the resources are organised into three levels:

• Essential level (for everyone working in health, regardless of role, profession or organisation)
• Enhanced level (for everyone working in mental health and addiction roles)
• Leadership level (for everyone who is leading, guiding, educating and resourcing the work of others in health).

Resources for everyone working in health, regardless of role, profession or organisation. These resources focus on understanding the identities and experiences among ethnic communities, barriers to accessing health services, effective intercultural communication, and the range of support services available.

Resources for everyone working in mental health and addiction roles. These resources focus on building cultural safety across the mental health and addiction workforce.

Resources for everyone who is leading, guiding, educating, and resourcing the work of others in health. Culturally diverse representation across the health workforce is important for health equity, so the following resources for leaders focus on growing the cultural diversity of the health workforce and supporting a culturally diverse workplace.

• The goal of developing the mental health and addiction workforce to reflect the cultural diversity of the population is outlined in the Mental Health and Addiction Workforce Action Plan 2017–2021 and Oranga Hinengaro System and Service Framework.
• Toolkit for Health Workforce Working in a Culturally Diverse Workplace provides guidance for the health workforce working in a culturally diverse workplace to improve cross-cultural interactions (from eCALD). The toolkit includes a section for managers who lead multicultural teams.
• Ethnic diversity in the workplace on the Ministry of Ethnic Communities website provides information and tools about recruiting and managing staff from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds.
• Diversity Works New Zealand is the national body for workplace diversity, equity and inclusion.
• The Health Equity Assessment Tool: A User's Guide facilitates the use of the HEAT tool which aims to promote equity in health in Aotearoa New Zealand (developed by Signal et al. (2008) at the University of Otago and published by Manatū Hauora Ministry of Health).