Multicultural Nelson Tasman’s co-founder has been recognised for her three decades upholding local migrant and refugee communities.
Marie Lindaya was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to multicultural communities, an honour she says came as a surprise.
“Where did this come from… I’m really surprised and shocked because I’m like ‘do I deserve this?’ she says.
After immigrating to Nelson from Manila, Philippines in 1990, Marie worked for ACC and the Department of Internal Affairs, and noticed the local ethnic communities were expanding, and felt they could be better represented.
“We invited people who we knew from that time and organised that first meeting [for Multicultural Nelson Tasman] at Fairfield House, it was well attended and that was when I realised there was a flavour for this,” she says.
“People had all these ideas that I took on and presented, there was an appetite to have a group of ethnic communities, so I followed it through and then by 1997 we got incorporated.
“There’s a need for servicing the ethnic communities and especially with the migrant workers and people coming in looking for belonging, that space, that social connection, and help to navigate jobs, immigration or social issues.”
Marie’s involvement with Multicultural Nelson Tasman (MNT) included establishing the large-scale annual Multicultural Festival and Speak Out, an anti-racism and allyship reporting system triaged by the New Zealand Police.
She says after departing MNT for the birth of her first child in 1999, she returned in 2019 and served as treasurer, acting chairperson, and is the current deputy chairperson.
“The last two years has been really great for multicultural, we’ve thrived, and we’ve got the right staff and board now and we’re all pitching in and that’s made it a success,” she says.
“I had the courage to enter it in the Nelson Chamber of Commerce Business Awards for community impact in 2022, which I never expected to win… it was a validation of the hard work, and I really feel these people are going to grow further.”
Marie says her work as a personal assistant to three Nelson Mayors between 1995 and 2010, also enhanced her vision to acknowledge the local ethnic communities.
“I learned about the whole Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how important it is for us to respect the bicultural heritage of New Zealand, and during that time in the Mayors office I really built those good relations with the community and the different leaders who had come in to see the Mayor,” she says.
“During my time in the Mayor’s office, I saw there were also issues of racism… it started in Christchurch with all the skinheads in 1998 or 1999, and they were coming to Nelson,” she says.
“It really cemented my conviction towards eradicating racism or educating people to be against racism by growing the ethnic communities so people can learn from each other and appreciate that these different cultures are bringing richness to the region and growing the economy.”
Marie has also served with New Zealand Red Cross, Salvation Army, Nelson Budget Advice, Nelson Bays Community Law, InterFaith Council Nelson Tasman, Volunteer Nelson, Te Whatu Ora Health Consumer Council, National Council of Women, and the New Zealand Chinese Friendship Association.
She had also been a cultural adviser at NMIT, and was the national secretary for Multicultural New Zealand, where she received a 2023 Community Service Award.
“We need to be strong with ethnic communities and the richness and appreciation of diversity,” she says.
“That is not just about food or dancing, it’s about those dairy owners behind the counters… these migrants might have come from either the third world or hardship and they really want to make good here.
“You can enjoy your culture here but if you can also be inclusive and learn from each other, and most of all eliminate that racism and prejudice that has no space anywhere, you can thrive as a community.”
