New Migrants Get Guided Tour of New Hometown

Hastings District Council and Settlement Support are giving people who have recently settled in Hastings District a tour of their new hometown.

The new initiative will see 30 migrants touring the area by bus on Saturday, May 22, getting a flavor of the great places to visit within Hastings, Havelock North and Flaxmere, and an idea of the council services available.

During the tour, Hastings District Council and Settlement Support Hawke’s Bay staff will tell migrants about services they can access in the district and how they can settle into life here, and local historian Michael Fowler will give them a taste of Hastings history.

At the end of the tour, migrants will join Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule for afternoon tea in his office.

Mayor Yule says Saturday’s tour is a pilot but if it is as successful as hoped they will be run twice a year for new arrivals.

“Hawke’s Bay is a great place in New Zealand for new migrants to live - we have it all, a great lifestyle, great schools and a strong economy,” Mayor Yule says.

“New migrants contribute hugely to our economy through the skills they bring and the money they spend when they get here and have visitors who also spend. We want to encourage more to come but, more importantly, we want those who do to enjoy our beautiful region and stay.

“Settlement Support does a great job in helping migrants settle here and this sort of initiative will make the transition even easier. It will also give new migrants an opportunity to meet other people going through the same experiences as them.

“This tour is intended as a way not only to welcome migrants to Hastings, but to give them an idea of what Council does and help them become active citizens,” Mayor Yule says.

Settlement Support Hawke's Bay Coordinator Nina Siers says, "Meeting the Mayor of your new town. What better welcome for people who have left their homes and families to come and start a new life in Hastings."

“It’s a pleasure to work with the Hastings District Council on this initiative, and it is hoped to be the first of many,” Ms Siers says.

Anyone needing information or settlement advice can visit Settlement Support at Havelock Library on Tuesdays between 10am-12noon or at Hastings Library on Tuesdays between 1pm-4pm.