Welcoming Week Te Wiki o Manaaki
Welcoming Week is led by Immigration New Zealand in partnership with the Ministry for Ethnic Communities and the Human Rights Commission.
Celebrate Welcoming Week
Welcoming Week is a time to showcase and celebrate how communities across Aotearoa New Zealand are working to be more welcoming places for all. It provides an opportunity to celebrate our welcoming values through local events and initiatives. It is a time to show whanaungatanga (the importance of relationships) and manaakitanga (the value of extending hospitality and caring for other people).
Welcoming Week 2026
Celebrate Welcoming Week from 4 September to 13 September 2026.
Aotearoa New Zealand is one of the most diverse countries in the world. With over 200 different ethnicities and a quarter of all people who call New Zealand home born overseas, our diversity is our strength. It is what makes us a vibrant and attractive place to be.
So, for this year's Welcoming Week, let's roll out the welcome mat and celebrate the connections that bring us together. By sharing our stories, cultures, and experiences, we help create communities where everyone feels valued, included, and at home. Because when we welcome one another with openness and respect, we build stronger communities where together we belong.
Central Otago Welcome Guide — Central Otago District Council
Welcoming Week 2026 - Together We Belong — Christchurch City Council
Thursday 3 September 2026
Social English Class — Libraries Queenstown Lakes
Queenstown Creative Writing Group — Libraries Queenstown Lakes
Wednesday 9 September 2026
Thursday 10 September 2026
Harakeke (flax) Plant Guards Weaving Workshop with Te Kākano — Libraries Queenstown Lakes
Screenwriting Group — Libraries Queenstown Lakes
Saturday 12 September 2026
Welcoming Communities — Heretaunga Hastings District Council
Welcoming Week 2026: Together We Belong — Timaru District Council
Get Involved in Welcoming Week
Welcoming Week — National Schools Competition
In 2025, INZ with the support of Welcoming Communities coordinators, local councils and the Ministry of Education launched a National schools’ competition to support student participation in Welcoming Week.
The competition encourages students to share their stories of connection, collaboration, and community which provides an opportunity for schools to amplify their student voice while reinforcing inclusive values. Students from primary school through to secondary school are invited to showcase their creativity and compassion by designing projects that celebrate diversity and promote inclusion. Whether through art, a poem, rap or video – your students’ voices matter.
Get involved as Regional finalists and national winners will be featured on our website as part of our Welcoming Week 2026 campaign,