Immigration to New Zealand

Immigration to New Zealand began with Polynesian settlement to New Zealand, then uninhabited, in the thirteenth century. European colonisation took place following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi of 1840. Subsequently there have been waves of immigration chiefly from the British Isles, but also from continental Europe, East Asia and the Pacific.

Polynesian settlement

This is the period in which travellers of the South Pacific discovered the landmass of New Zealand. Eastern Polynesian explorers had settled in New Zealand by approximately the thirteenth century AD. Their arrival gave rise to the Māori culture and the Māori language, both of which are unique to New Zealand, although very closely related to those of other parts of Eastern Polynesia. The resemblance is especially strong to the languages and cultures of the Cook and Society Islands, which are regarded as the most likely places of origin. Due to New Zealand's geographic isolation, 500 years passed before the next phase of settlement, the arrival of Europeans. Only then did the original inhabitants need to distinguish themselves from the new arrivals, using the term "Māori" which means "ordinary" or "indigenous".

Migration from 1840

European colonialism sent out a number of waves of migrants to New Zealand that left a deep legacy on the social and political structures of the Maori. Between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, there was a huge outflow of migrants from Europe to many parts of the world today. Early visitors to New Zealand included whalers, sealers, missionaries, mariners and merchants, attracted to natural resources in abundance. They came from Great Britain, Ireland, Germany (forming the next biggest immigrant group after the British and Irish) [ [http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/NewZealandPeoples/Germans/1/en Germans: First Arrivals] (from the Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand)] , France, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, America, and Canada. However, it was not until the end of the nineteenth century that New Zealand was seen by colonialists as a desirable place.

There were three things that prompted the British, the largest imperial power of the time, to proclaim sovereignty over New Zealand in 1840. First, there were plans for a French colony at Akaroa. Another was petitioning from the New Zealand Company. Finally the spread of lawlessness.] . With this in mind, a bill (over 400 pages long) has been prepared that was sent to parliament in April 2007. It follows a [http://www.dol.govt.nz/actreview/ review of the immigration act] . The bill aims to make the process more efficient, and achieves this by giving more power to immigration officers. Rights of appeal are streamlined into a single appeal tribunal. Any involvement of the Human Rights Commission in matters of immigration to New Zealand are removed (Part 11, Clause 350).

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand warned that by reducing the existing appeal rights and giving more power to immigration officers, principles of fairness and natural justice could be more easily overridden by the bill. [cite web|url=http://www.caritas.org.nz/?sid=1076|title=Concern over removal of natural justice from Immigration Bill|publisher=Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand|accessdate=2007-11-06] .

Opposition to immigration

Like in most other Western countries, immigration is a highly contentious issue and has provoked fierce debate from time to time in New Zealand.

The political party New Zealand First has frequently criticised immigration, particularly immigration from Asian countries, on economic, social and cultural grounds. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has expressed the opinion on several occasions that the rate of Asian immigration in New Zealand is too high; in 2004, he stated: "We are being dragged into the status of an Asian colony and it is time that New Zealanders were placed first in their own country." [ [http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/winston-peters-memorable-quotes/2005/10/18/1129401225653.html "Winston Peters' memorable quotes"] , "The Age", October 18, 2005] On April 26, 2005, he said: "Maori will be disturbed to know that in 17 years' time they will be outnumbered by Asians in New Zealand", an estimate refuted by Statistics New Zealand, the government's statistics bureau. [ [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10122478 "Peters' Asian warning"] , "New Zealand Herald", April 27, 2005] In April 2008, deputy party leader Peter Brown drew widespread criticism after voicing similar views and expressing concern at the increase in New Zealand's ethnic Asian population: "We are going to flood this country with Asian people with no idea what we are going to do with them when they come here." [ [http://www.tv3.co.nz/News/NationalNews/PetersdefendsdeputysantiAsianimmigrationcomments/tabid/423/articleID/51355/cat/64/Default.aspx "Peters defends deputy's anti-Asian immigration comments"] , TV3, April 3, 2008]

In May 2008, Massey University economist Dr Greg Clydesdale released to the news media an extract of a report, "Growing Pains, Evaluations and the Cost of Human Capital", which argued that Pacific Islanders were 'forming an underclass' and a 'drain on the economy'. [http://www.stuff.co.nz/4553798a6000.html] The report, written by Dr Clydesdale for the upcoming [http://academyofworldbusiness.com/conf2008.html/ Academy of World Business, Marketing & Management Development 2008 Conference] in Brazil, and based on data from various government departments, provoked highly controversial debate. Pacific Islands community leaders and academic peer reviewers strongly criticized the report, while a provisional review was lodged by Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres. [http://www.hrc.co.nz/home/hrc/newsandissues/reviewpacificpeoplesinnewzealand.php] [ [http://tvnzondemand.co.nz/content/media7_2008_ep10/ondemand_video_skin?tab=CATCH%20UP Media7 report & interview on the Clydesdale Report] ]

See also

*Demographics of New Zealand
*Chinese migration to New Zealand
*Europeans in Oceania

References

*King, M, 2003, The Penguin History of New Zealand, Penguin, Auckland
* [http://www.immigration.govt.nz Immigration New Zealand]
*McMillan, K, 2006, Immigration Policy, pg 639 – 650 in New Zealand Government and Politics, ed. R. Miller, AUP
* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/NewZealandPeoples/HistoryOfImmigration/en History of Immigration]
* [http://www.caritas.org.nz/?sid=1076 News release from Caritas NZ]

External links

* [http://www.immigration.govt.nz/ Official New Zealand Immigration Site]