25 November 2021
Shailaja Patel
[FYI request #17341 email]
Tēnā koe Shailaja
Thank you for your email of 26 October 2021 to Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Minister for Diversity,
Inclusion and Ethnic Communities, requesting information under the Official Information Act 1982
(the Act). Your request has been transferred to the Ministry for Ethnic Communities (the Ministry) for
response.
What are the funds, if any, that have been awarded to Hindu Youth over the past ten years?
The Ministry can confirm that no funding has been provided to Hindu Youth under the Ethnic
Communities Development Fund (ECDF) or Ethnic Communities Digital Inclusion Fund (ECDIF) during
that period.
What are the funds, if any, that have been awarded to Hindu Council over the past ten years?
The Ministry can confirm that no funding has been provided to the Hindu Council under the ECDF or
ECDIF during that period.
What are the funds, if any, that have been awarded to Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh?
The Ministry can confirm that no funding has been provided to the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh under
the ECDF or ECDIF during that period.
How are panel members selected for the Ethnic Communities Development Fund?
The ECDF recruitment process is as follows:
1. Position specifications confirmed, and expression of interest form and advertisement
created.
2. Call for expressions of interest issued via the Office of Ethnic Communities (now the Ministry)
website, LinkedIn, Facebook page and Community Engagement Advisors.
3. Candidates shortlisted by internal panel consisting of Planning, Systems and Services
Manager and Regional Community Engagement Managers (or delegate).
4. Shortlisted candidates interviewed.
5. Referee checks and Ministry of Justice checks completed.
6. Approval to appoint memo submitted to the Executive Director, now the Deputy Chief
Executive, Community and Partnerships.
7. Signed confirmation letters sent to successful candidates.
8. New panel members onboarded (including half a day training).
www.ethniccommunities.govt.nz
Who are the panel members for the Ethnic Communities Development Fund?
I am refusing this part of your request under section 18(d) of the Act because the information is
publicly available.
The ECDF panel members as at 4 November 2021 can be found on the Ministry’s website at
www.ethniccommunities. govt.nz/our-programmes/ethnic-communities-development-fund/panel-
members-ethnic-communities-development-fund/.
Who have been the panel members for the Ethnic Communities Development Fund over the last
ten years? Please list by year.
The ECDF was established on 15 August 2016, replacing the Settling In Fund. Please refer to
Appendix A for previous ECDF panel members.
How are conflicts of interest on panels handled?
All panel members are required to declare any actual, potential and/or perceived conflicts of interest
once they have been appointed, as well as when assessing requests received under the ECDF. Panel
members can declare a conflict of interest when seeing an organisation with whom they are
associated, if a name of a person they know is in the request or during the meeting itself. Once a
conflict of interest is declared, the panel member is not able to review the request and will not
participate in the discussion or recommendation made to the approver.
Additional information regarding the ECDF can be found on the Ministry’s website at
www.ethniccommunities.govt.nz/assets/Resources/ECDF-Panel-Additional-Information-for-
Candidates.pdf.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi
Anusha Guler
Deputy Chief Executive, Community and Partnerships
www.ethniccommunities.govt.nz
Appendix A: Ethnic Communities Development Panel Members 2016 to 2021
Name
2016
2017
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
Elizabeth Young
X
Tayyaba Khan
X
Vanisa Dhiru
X
X
Ranjna Patel
X
X
Jason Sebestian
X
X
Hirone Waretini
X
X
Nigel He
X
X
X
X
Birgit Grafarend-
X
X
X
Watungwa
Grace Ryu
X
X
X
Fungai Mhlanga
X
Kumar Mather
X
X
X
Mastura Abd Rahma
X
X
X
Prabhavathi Ravi
X
X
Luke Qin
X
X
Cashias Gumbo
X
X
Michelle Huang
X
X
Internal ECDF Panel
Fungai Mhlanga
X
X
Daniel Gamboa
X
Deborah Lam
X
X
Vicky Lister
X
Joanna Arnold
X
Nandita Mathur
X
Natasha Narayan
X
Shane Whitfield
X
Note:
• In 2019 an internal panel was established to review requests less than $10,000. The external
panel reviewed requests over $10,000.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic the external ECDF panel responsible for considering requests
over $10,000 was suspended so the Office could be responsive to the changing needs of our
communities in real time. All applications were to be considered by an internal panel of
Regional Managers and Senior Advisors, with support from Community Operations
representatives. In October 2020, the external panel was reinstated, and the internal panel
dissolved.
• To bring continuity to the panel, maintain the overall diversity of the current membership
and ensure that knowledge and perspectives to contribute to collective good decision
making remain, terms of members have been extended in the past.
www.ethniccommunities.govt.nz
