Schools invited to celebrate inclusion through National Welcoming Week 2025 Competition

Immigration New Zealand’s Welcoming Communities team is excited to announce the first-ever Welcoming Week National Schools Competition.

Welcoming Week is a nationwide celebration of belonging, connection, and inclusion. It shines a light on the efforts of communities across Aotearoa to create spaces where everyone, especially newcomers, feel welcome and valued.

For Welcoming Week 2025 – Te Wiki o Manaaki (5 to 14 September 2025), schools across New Zealand Aotearoa are invited to participate in the first Welcoming Week National Schools Competition. This new competition initiative encourages students to creatively explore and express what welcome, inclusion, and community building mean to them. Entries may take the form of writing, art, performance, or other creative ways that reflect the theme of building stronger communities together.

This initiative is part of the broader Welcoming Communities – Te Waharoa ki ngā Hapori programme, which helps councils and communities foster inclusive environments where everyone feels they belong.

To enter, teachers must complete the official entry form provided to local schools by the Welcoming Communities Coordinator. Students and caregivers should review the Terms & Conditions. Submit entries by Friday 8 August 2025 by email.

Welcomingweekcompetition@mbie.govt.nz

Regional finalists will be announced during the week of 25 to 30 August 2025 on the Welcoming Communities page and the Immigration New Zealand Facebook page, with national winners revealed during Welcoming Week.

Welcoming Communities

Local Welcoming Communities Coordinators are available to support schools with questions and submissions.