# Ministry for Ethnic Communities Te Tare Mātāwaka

**Type:** Public Service Department
**Sector:** Central Government

The Government's chief advisor on ethnic diversity and inclusion. Established 1 July 2021 in response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry following the Christchurch mosque attacks (March 2019). Operates as a departmental agency hosted within the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). CE: Mervin Singham (since Jul 2021). Ministers: Mark Mitchell (from 2025); Melissa Lee (2023-2025). 58.7 FTE (60 staff). Serves NZ's 1.1 million ethnic community members. Key programmes: Ethnic Communities Development Fund ($4.2M/yr, 408 grants in 2024/25), Ethnic Evidence report, Ethnic Advantage conference, RIECE regional forums, foreign interference resources (24 languages). Baseline reduced $1.244M in Budget 2024. Unplanned turnover 20.9%.

## Finances (from the agency annual report)

| Financial year | Revenue | of which Crown | Expenses | Personnel | Net surplus | FTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | $13.8m | $13.7m | $17.9m | — | $82,000 | 58.7 |

Performance measures met, 2024/25: 100%.
Audit opinion, 2024/25: unqualified.
Source: https://www.ethniccommunities.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/99771/aa0
  eb38b0f5499301704c498bb0a7bfded9e94dd.pdf

## Leadership

The chief executive and their remuneration are on the page below. This summary names no individual.

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Publisher: PublicData NZ (publicdata.co.nz) — licensed CC BY 4.0.