Stay connected with what’s happening in our communities. Here you’ll find updates, opportunities, and events that support belonging, celebrate diversity, and strengthen connections across Aotearoa. These updates are also shared in our newsletter — sign up to stay informed and never miss out.
Community News and Events
Episode 6 #PassTheMic: How the headscarf makes me feel like a bad-ass
Nilofer Faizal recently moved to Auckland and has travelled and lived in India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania and Morocco. We talk about Nilofer’s travels, culture, sense of belonging as a Muslim woman, her work with New Zealand Muslim Association and how Nilofer’s headscarf makes her feel empowered.
Episode 7 #PassTheMic: Bringing your cultural identity into career coaching
This conversation is with Andrew Tui. He is a podcaster and a career practitioner who loves coffee and a ukulele jam. In this podcast, we dive deeper into Andrew’s Samoan-Chinese heritage and his connections to faith and the rainbow community. Andrew shares some practical insights and advice that organisations can and should take when it comes to equity, diversity and inclusion, especially around Pacific youth.
Episode 8 #PassTheMic: Queer culture, ethnicity & living your truth
This conversation is with Medulla Oblongata. She is a drag Queen performer, who competed in the first season of House of Drag. Medulla is a non-binary former refugee from the Maldives who lived in Malaysia, before finding their home in Aotearoa New Zealand. We talk about queer culture, living your truth, behind the scenes of NZ drag, and discrimination. Fasten your seat belts, get your cuppa and read on (or listed in).
Episode 1 #PassTheMic: Climate Justice & finding yourself as a migrant
Pok Wei Heng is a climate change consultant by day, working on regenerative cities centred on learning from indigenous wisdom, and a climate justice advocate by night. Pok recently moved to New Zealand from Singapore and is passionate about decolonisation, exploring Asian identity, connecting climate justice with diversity, equity and inclusion work. In this episode we discuss the pros and cons of collectivism, migrant relationships with Te Tiriti and Māori, allyship, finding your place as a recent migrant and climate change.
Episode 3 #PassTheMic: African representation, poetry and hot takes
Vira Paky is a young Congolese-Kiwi-South African woman. She is a Chairperson of the New Zealand National Refugee Youth Council, which advocates for, engages & supports refugee background youth around Aotearoa New Zealand. Vira is an outstanding poet who writes about intersections of feminism, race, African identity and many other poignant topics. In this episode we talk about Vira’s poetry, being true to her voice, black-kiwi representation in New Zealand, what it means to be an advocate in this day and age plus Vira's “hot take” about young people and the future.
Episode 4 #PassTheMic: Mental gymnastics of being a woman of colour
This conversation is with Maria Khaydar. She is a self-described “capitalist girl-boss by day and anarchist by night”. Maria currently works in the tech industry and is actively involved in amplifying ethnic voices and advocating for refugee and asylum seeker rights. We talk about her Syrian-Azeri-Russian identity and expectations that come with that mix. We discuss the way we police ourselves as women of colour and reject the notion of being a trail-blazer.
Saying goodbye to WISE
As we say bye to 2021, with a heavy heart we also say goodbye to our beloved project, The WISE Collective.
