Eastern Bridge's Migrant Engagement Service is dedicated to fostering seamless integration between local communities and migrants in New Zealand, ensuring informed participation, cultural harmony, and economic growth through tailored strategies and collaborative initiatives.
Eastern Bridge Consulting exists to bridge the crucial gap between local communities and migrants, ensuring a seamless integration. By keeping migrants informed, involved, and actively participating, communities can thrive. The repercussions of failing to engage with the migrant community can be grave. Marginalisation of large segments of the population means lost opportunities for socio-cultural growth. On a personal level, migrants face the risk of isolation. But, how do we truly grasp the importance of migrant engagement? The Migrant Perceptions Survey, annually facilitated by Eastern Bridge, has been instrumental in highlighting areas of migrant engagement often overlooked by councils.
Since its inception in 2014, Eastern Bridge has been fostering international connectivity, initially between New Zealand and China. Today, our span covers a multitude of ethnic communities and language backgrounds. Our primary focus remains on understanding and respecting the vast tapestry of cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and values. This approach ensures the creation of a harmonious and inclusive community.
Migrants, by nature, infuse freshness into economies. They bring forth innovative business ideas, fill labour market gaps, and boost consumer demand. Eastern Bridge provides clients with tools to tap into the potential of migrant communities for local economic development. Our collaboration with councils aims to usher in migrant businesses, thus creating local employment opportunities. Moreover, the Eastern Bridge Education department runs numerous government-funded programs, such as work-readiness, job placement, and training to acquaint migrant business owners with New Zealand's work ethics and responsibilities.
Vulnerable communities, particularly migrants with language barriers, are disproportionately affected during civil emergencies. This could lead to their marginalisation, jeopardising their well-being. Eastern Bridge has pioneered tools to circulate emergency alerts through social media networks and Hongi's emergency updates. In collaboration with our clients, we ensure that emergency messaging is tailor-made for migrant communities.
Migrant Perceptions Survey, funded and run by Eastern Bridge since 2017, offers invaluable insights into the migrant population. Having received an impressive 15,666 respondents in 2022 alone, the survey sheds light on the unique needs and preferences of the migrant community. Such insights empower Eastern Bridge to refine its services catering to migrants. In 2023 we were contracted by Statistics New Zealand to assist them with their migrant engagement.
Effective communication lies at the heart of successful migrant engagement. The Hongi Platform, developed by Eastern Bridge, stands as a testament to our commitment. Available in 10 languages, it offers daily news and community updates, guides, and essential information. Clients can use Hongi to promote their community, providing information on council services, facilities and share community updates.
Hongi, along with our Migrant Survey, serves as a pivotal feedback tool. It's supplemented by our sentiment analysis services which keep a pulse on migrant community sentiments. This comprehensive system ensures that our client's concerns are always addressed promptly.
Eastern Bridge Consulting places significant emphasis on its collaborations, working in harmony with various community organisations, NGOs, and governmental bodies. This collaborative approach stems from our origins, where a pivotal contract from the Ministry of Business Innovation Employment set us on a path of defining migrant engagement strategies for local governments, subsequently moulding the Welcoming Communities Initiative. In the present day, our alliances have expanded. This network has empowered us to organise events, conduct training sessions, host award ceremonies, and even pioneer an ethnic radio programme.
Accountability and impact are paramount to Eastern Bridge. We are not just content with the process; we meticulously measure outcomes. Whenever we collaborate with clients, it’s essential for us to define what success constitutes for them. Internally, we gauge success through ongoing dialogues with migrant communities, viewership of our Hongi platform, and the responses to our annual Migrant Surveys, which provide a tangible metric indicating the efficacy of our engagement.
Recognising the unique challenges of each community, Eastern Bridge Consulting offers tailored services rather than a uniform approach. Although there are shared experiences across migrant communities, nuances exist. Addressing these unique needs is essential. Our extensive engagement across New Zealand enables us to discern these nuances and adapt our strategies accordingly. Each client engagement begins with understanding their distinct objectives, ensuring a bespoke strategy that aligns with their aspirations.
The landscape of migrant needs is dynamic. Eastern Bridge is committed to evolution, adapting its services in tandem with these shifting challenges. Our investment in digital tools has not only augmented our service capabilities but has also created cost benefits for our clients. Pioneering in technology, we're integrating AI and machine learning, particularly in areas like sentiment analysis, content creation, translation, always refined by our human experts. This synergy of technology and human intervention allows us to predict and often mitigate community concerns before they develop.
Eastern Bridge is deeply conscious of the budgetary constraints that local governments face. Our extensive network, encompassing community groups and governmental departments, allows us to leverage community funds or tap into governmental resources. This model ensures that our clients derive maximum value, getting access to a spectrum of skills and expertise without the burden of prohibitive costs.
Trust is the cornerstone of our engagements. Eastern Bridge Consulting holds the confidentiality of sensitive community matters in the highest regard. We are adept at handling delicate situations and maintaining discretion. Our experience with councils and community organisations equips us to handle sensitive discussions while ensuring the utmost respect for all involved.
We view migrant engagement as a journey rather than a destination. Our long-term vision is rooted in amplifying our digital reach, refining community services, and expanding our physical presence with more satellite offices across New Zealand. Recognising the growth trajectory of the migrant population, our endeavour is to ensure a welcoming New Zealand for all. This involves enhancing cultural awareness, starting at the grassroots with schools, advocating for stronger international ties, and fostering student exchanges.
