Dear readers, we are happy to inform that we have finished analysing the feedback on our last year’s pilot launch of Multicultural Times (MT), New Zealand’s first nation-wide multicultural newspaper. As was the case with our Christchurch-based multicultural newspaper, The Migrant Times (TMT), MT too received innumerable accolades, appreciation and love from all of you. We are also very grateful to various communities, leaders, decision-makers and organisations from across the country who have shown immense faith in the idea of MT, and TMT before that. Based on the feedback, and after a lot of introspection, we have taken two strategic decisions to ensure that we continue to lead New Zealand’s journalism landscape towards diversity and innovation, while staying true to the basic tenets of the fourth estate. 1) The future of journalism is digital. We will continue publishing MT on our various digital media platforms and will cease publication of our print version. The reach, engagement and scope of innovation in the digital space is far superior to print. The financial viability is also superior in digital, due to the trade-off between the cost of production and results achieved. A better reach, engagement, innovation and viability, will ultimately lead to better-quality journalism for our society. 2) The future of journalism is data and artificial intelligence (AI). We are exploring how to use open data and natural language generation techniques to generate quality content and narrative stories, pertaining to local issues relevant to people’s everyday lives. We are immensely excited.

Stay tuned.

Consumers: Recalls.govt.nz a hit

Consumers: Recalls.govt.nz a hit

Migrants Centre
Economy, News

(- screenshot from the website's homepage)

The government’s new first-stop-shop product recall website has been embraced by consumers, claimed Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Paul Goldsmith recently.

The site www.recalls.govt.nz went live in March this year. Since then 125 products have been recalled, and over 28,000 people have used the site to search, subscribe and keep safe by knowing which products may pose a safety risk, the Minister added.

Notably,baby products top the list of recalls viewed, with users making the most of the site’s social media capability to share information with their social network. The site also links to food recall information on MPI’s website. Earlier, product safety recall information was distributed by a variety of different government agencies.  

“Recalling unsafe products is an essential part of our product safety system but informing consumers of these recalls has posed quite a challenge in the past. As consumer engagement with the website continues to grow, businesses will be able to reach more consumers, making the recall process easier," the Minister said.

Family: Overhaul of family violence laws

Family: Overhaul of family violence laws
Protest: "March for Democracy" in Christchurch

Protest: "March for Democracy" in Christchurch