Family Reunion

Family Reunion

Throughout my travels in New Zealand, I have noticed that there were a very significant amount of Asian people, particularly in Wellington and Auckland. According to the New Zealand Census, people of European descent make up 69% of the population, Maoris make up 14.6%, and Asians make up 9.2% of the NZ population (Statistics). In Auckland, Asians make up 18.9% of the population (Statistics). I was curious as to the reason for such a large Asian population in New Zealand as well as insights to the Asian population in New Zealand. I was fortunate enough to have an aunt and two cousins who were Auckland Natives. Having not seen them since I was last in New Zealand (15 years ago), I was very excited to get the opportunity to see them again. I also realized that this was an interesting opportunity to get the perspectives of very different people. My aunt, “Auntie” Niece, is a retired Filipino nurse who had been in New Zealand for about 25 years. My cousin, David, is a 29 year old physical therapist who is a graduate of the University of Otago. My second cousin, Ailene, is a 17 year old student who is about to apply for colleges. Lastly was Zoey, David’s fiancé and preschool teacher, who was born in China and was the only one out of the four that was an immigrant.

In response to my question about the reason for the significant Asian population, I received no concrete answer, but rather several different theories and explanations. Firstly, I was told that New Zealand allowed a wave of Chinese people to come in the late 1800s to work as gold miners. This apparently was the first time Chinese people came to New Zealand and set the basis for the influx of Chinese later on as families stayed in contact and expanded generation after generation. Apparently, there are even 4^th and 5^th generation Chinese people in New Zealand today. I fact-checked this later on to discover that in 1869, about 2,000 Chinese people arrived to New Zealand to mainly work in gold mines in Otago (Te Ara). I was also told that during the 1990s, New Zealand immigration laws opened up and were relatively lax, combined with the perception that New Zealand is a “Western” culture and Asia’s fascination the West, New Zealand proved to be an attractive entry point. My aunt and uncle personally went through the application process which was similar to a resume evaluation where points are given depending on certain attributes such as level of education and jobs. Interestingly, they also mentioned that since New Zealand was easier to get into than most other Western countries, it often serves as an attractive entry point before Asians move into other countries in the British Commonwealth such as Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. As I conducted further research into the topic, I found that my aunt and uncle fit almost the exact demographic of 1990s Asian immigrants described in the Tera Encylopedia History of New Zealand. They were educated, fairly wealthy, and generally stuck with their own race (Te Ara). 

However, my extended family also had some criticism about the newer Asian population. My aunt is highly interested in real estate investments and criticized how many highly wealthy Asian investors were very eager to buy properties in Auckland, driving up the demand for real estate while leaving supply relatively static, which leads to higher prices. As I looked deeper into this, I noticed that in May 2015, the Auckland area’s average home price was $829,000 NZD which has grown at an astonishing rate of 13.83% since May 2012 where home prices were a $562,000 NZD (ENZ). According to the NZ Hearld, Auckland’s average annual wages has only grown 2% in the past year, meaning that home prices are increasing at a far greater rate than salaries, making it difficult for people to afford homes (Nichols). 

Reuniting with my family has provided me an opportunity to gain deeper insights into the Asian population and culture in New Zealand. I was fortunate enough to be able to discuss a whole range of topics about New Zealand ranging from the educational system to great food places to New Zealand politics to even New Zealand investment opportunities. By interacting with my family instead of a random stranger, I was able to get deeper and less-filtered insight which has helped me better understand New Zealand culture. 

Works Cited

ENZ. (n.d.). House Prices in Auckland. Retrieved January 16, 2016, from http://www.enz.org/house-prices-auckland.html

Nichols, L. (n.d.). House growth in Auckland outstripping salaries. Retrieved January 16, 2016, from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11434556

Statistics. (n.d.). Profile and summary reports. Retrieved January 16, 2016, from http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports.aspx

Te Ara. (n.d.). History of Immigration. Retrieved January 16, 2016, from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/page-17

Te Ara. (n.d.). Te Ara Encyclopedia of New ZealandChinese Gold Miners. Retrieved January 16, 2016, from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/1365/chinese-gold-miners