#Pass the mic
Pass the Mic is a co-designed media campaign amplifying the stories of migrants and former refugees, created by and for the communities it represents. Born from a collective call to challenge racism through authentic storytelling, the project reframed public conversations on belonging in Aotearoa. Through two seasons of podcasting, radio, and digital storytelling, it has reached tens of thousands, inspired allyship, and influenced shifts in how inclusion and representation are understood - both within media and in everyday community life.
— “Pass the Mic has shown what’s possible when people from migrant and former refugee backgrounds lead the conversation, rather than being spoken for. It’s shifted how inclusion is practiced—by making space for authentic voices, shared leadership, and deep allyship across communities. The campaign has helped change behaviours, attitudes, and relationships around what it truly means to belong in Aotearoa.” —
Impact
29
individuals
To date 29 individuals have been supported to share their experiences and perspectives. This has reached audiences in the tens of thousands online and gained mainstream media attention.
>55,000
people reached
Engagement data from May 2025 shows a reach of 33,500 on Instagram and 22,000 on LinkedIn, reflecting strong public resonance and participation.
Meaningful
behaviour change
The campaign has catalysed meaningful behaviour change, with survey respondents reporting new actions such as adding their names to anti-racism submissions, sharing educational content, and encouraging others to speak up.
Influence
At a societal level, Pass the Mic has helped deepen public understanding of racism as a shared issue rather than an isolated incident, while reinforcing the role all communities have in building belonging. Its influence continues to grow through partnerships, community dialogue, and the storytellers who carry its kaupapa into other spaces.
Over two podcast seasons Pass the Mic has influenced how inclusion and representation are approached across sectors. By centering migrant and former refugee voices, the Pass the Mic has modelled a new standard for allyship and authentic storytelling - one that several partner organisations and media producers have since adopted in their own work.
Community partners, local agencies, and advocacy groups have cited the project as an example of co-design done well, particularly in its blending of empathy-driven communication with structural advocacy. The campaign has also contributed to shifting narratives within mainstream media, encouraging journalists and producers to collaborate more directly with lived-experience voices and to represent migrant communities with greater accuracy and respect.
Organisation
Belong Aotearoa works to understand the settlement experience for newcomers to Aotearoa New Zealand, and to influence and advocate for migrants and former refugees to have access to better opportunities and wellbeing outcomes.
Belong’s purpose is to spotlight, amplify and celebrate the lived experiences and contributions of people from migrant and former refugee backgrounds - with a focus on challenging racism, shifting narratives, and fostering inclusion in Aotearoa.
The aim of Pass the Mic is to challenge racism through allyship, amplify the voices of migrants and former refugees and to ensure they are the ones who speak for their communities.
Purpose
Context and challenges
Racism underpins many of the challenges experienced across different systems in Aotearoa New Zealand and is seen at a systemic level through to individual impact.
The idea for Pass the Mic was born after the Christchurch terror attacks in 2019, during a hui where communities raised concerns about underrepresentation and misinformation in media. Many people from migrant and refugee backgrounds felt their voices were either unheard or filtered through a mainstream Pākehā lens. The challenge was twofold: to amplify authentic voices from those communities and to challenge discrimination by making space for people to speak for themselves.
What makes it stand out
Pass the Mic stands out for being designed by the communities it centers - not merely about them. The project moved beyond standard diversity campaigns by inviting people to control how their stories are told and recorded
Co-design
Belong Aotearoa partnered with Auckland Central Library to host a hui that asked attendees “what does an inclusion campaign look like for you?” A clear theme emerged around amplifying diverse voices and to challenge racism through allyship.
A working group was formed with expertise across migrant, former refugee, Māori, Pacific and Pākehā communities that co-designed #PassTheMic; a community-led media campaign which aimed to strengthen inclusion and belonging for migrants and former refugees in NZ.
Topics raised by participants in the first season of Pass the Mic became the focus of the second season, demonstrating the iterative approach taken by Belong to ensure the podcast reflects the needs of its audience.
Why
it works
Pass the Mic skillfully combines authentic storytelling, partnership, and allyship.
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Authentic voices: Every story is told directly by lived-experience storytellers rather than external narrators, creating intimacy and trust.
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Cross-cultural collaboration: Māori, Pākehā, migrant, and refugee partners were involved from the start, ensuring representation was broad and relationships reciprocal.
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Accessible formats: Using radio, podcasting, and social media means anyone can tune in - especially migrant audiences who connect through community radio and multilingual content.
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Empathy-centered communication: Rather than issues-based advocacy, episodes are structured around shared values - home, work, family, and belonging -eliciting empathy and changing perceptions more effectively than facts alone.
This emotional and participatory approach allows listeners to experience inclusion as a story felt, not a message told.