Four more councils and their communities are now formally accredited as a ‘Committed Welcoming Community’, which is stage 1 of accreditation in the INZ led Welcoming Communities programme — Te Waharoa ki ngā Hapor.
There are 4 stages of accreditation for this programme:
- Stage 1 — a Committed Welcoming Community
- Stage 2 — an Established Welcoming Community
- Stage 3 — an Advanced Welcoming Community
- Stage 4 — an Excelling Welcoming Community.
Accreditation recognises that these councils and their communities’ value newcomers to New Zealand. It also acknowledges that the region is committed to building a welcoming and inclusive community and is taking active steps to create an environment where everyone can thrive and belong.
Welcoming Communities members
There are currently 35 councils, 5 local community boards, 3 mana whenua partners and their associated communities in the Welcoming Communities programme.
Timaru, Marlborough, Kaipara, and Tasman join 14 other communities in the programme to have achieved accreditation status under the 4 stages of accreditation. Table 1 shows those 14 councils and their accreditation stage.
| Welcoming Communities members | Accreditation stage |
|---|---|
| Tauranga City Council | Stage 2 |
| Western Bay of Plenty District Council | Stage 2 |
| Palmerston North City Council | Stage 2 |
| Ashburton District Council | Stage 2 |
| Gore District Council | Stage 2 |
| Invercargill City Council | Stage 2 |
| Southland District Council | Stage 1 |
| Whanganui District Council | Stage 2 |
| Selwyn District Council | Stage 1 |
| Central Otago District Council | Stage 1 |
| Queenstown Lakes District Council | Stage 1 |
| Hamilton Council | Stage 1 |
| Rangitīkei District Council | Stage 1 |
| Hastings District Council | Stage 1 |
