Until the end of the 1980s, New Zealand’s experience with immigrants from Asia was limited in two ways: Firstly, the New Zealand Asian population was rather homogenous and practically limited to mainland Chinese and Indians, who recruited the two visible Asian communities in the country. Regarding ethnic origin, the 1986 census still divided the New Zealand population into European (2,651,376), New Zealand Maori (295,317), several Pacific Island Polynesian origins (total 94,656), Chinese (19,506), Indian (12,126) and ‘other’ (14,487).1 Secondly, the Asian population was disappearingly small. Since the arrival of the first Chinese and Indians in the 19th century, their proportion to/with the total population had only grown very little, from 0.3 % in 1945, over 0.7 % in 1966 to 1.0 % in 1986.
Changed immigration rules led to a far broader influx of Asian immigrants from 1987 onwards. The fourth Labour government had initiated the first ele mentary recast of immigration policy since 1961. In the 1986 White Paper, which set out the policy of the 1987 Immigration Act, there was no reference to traditional links with Britain – a novelty since the foundation of New Zealand. Its main objective was to ‘select new settlers principally on the strength of their potential personal contribution to the future well-being of New Zealand.’2 In the same year, the Business Immigration Policy (BIP) was introduced. Many Asian immigrants took the opportunity under the general and business categories. In 1991 the newly elected National government substituted the general category with a points system. Under the new 1991 system, the business immigration numbers dropped sharply, and the points system became even more important. 2
Whereas Asian immigrants had comprised under 20 % of the total immigration numbers until 1986, this figure rose to well above 50 % after 1991. The main sources of Asian immigration were no longer China and India, but mainly Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, also Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Japan. The traditional New Zealand conception of who Asian immigrants were, was no longer applicable. The change faced New Zealand academics with a challenge, when they were writing about Asian immigration after 1986. This essay examines the academic discourse about new Asian immigrants in the years 1995 and 1996. It focuses on a selection of three texts from Manying Ip (1995), Ravi Arvind Palat (1996) and Malcolm McKinnon (1996)...
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Ethnicity
- Economic Status
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay examines the academic discourse about new Asian immigrants in New Zealand during the years 1995 and 1996. It focuses on three texts from Manying Ip (1995), Ravi Arvind Palat (1996), and Malcolm McKinnon (1996), all of which try to explain facets of developments after the influx of new Asian immigrants started in 1987.
- The impact of new Asian immigration on New Zealand society
- The challenges of defining "Asian" identity in the context of diverse immigration
- The economic status and social integration of new Asian immigrants
- The role of ethnicity and economic factors in shaping perceptions of Asian immigrants
- The limitations and contradictions in existing academic discourse about new Asian immigrants
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter sets the context for the essay by outlining the significant changes in Asian immigration to New Zealand that occurred after 1987. It discusses the shift from a largely homogenous Asian population to a more diverse influx of immigrants from various Asian countries, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Japan. This change presented challenges for New Zealand academics who were writing about Asian immigration.
- Ethnicity: This chapter explores the challenges of defining "Asian" identity in the context of diverse immigration. It examines how the concept of ethnicity has become more complex since the 1980s, as immigrants now come from a range of countries and ethnic backgrounds. The chapter discusses the difficulties in categorizing and counting ethnic Chinese immigrants in New Zealand, due to the lack of comprehensive data and the diverse origins of Chinese migrants.
- Economic Status: This chapter focuses on the economic status of new Asian immigrants and the anxieties surrounding their arrival. It analyzes the perception of Asian immigrants as wealthy, driven by investment from Asia and the "chequebook immigration" label attached to business immigration. The chapter examines the use and misuse of statistics and how different perspectives on the economic status of immigrants shape their portrayal.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The main keywords and focus topics of this text include new Asian immigrants, Asian immigration, ethnicity, economic status, social integration, academic discourse, New Zealand, immigration policy, and the challenges of defining Asian identity in a diverse context.
- Quote paper
- David Glowsky (Author), 2002, The academic discourse about new Asian immigrants in New Zealand, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/20226
