Immigration and the Changing Face of New Zealand

1. Immigration and the Changing Face of New Zealand Joris de Bres Race Relations Commissioner University of the Third Age, Wanaka October 2011

2. 1. The demographic revolution • Demographic change 1951 – 2051 • Census 2006 • School enrolments 2010 • After school?

3. The demographic revolution

4. 2006 Census 2006 2001 1976 European 67.6% (80%) (86%) New Zealander 11.1% Māori 14.6% (14.7%) (8.6%) Pacific Island 6.9% (6.5%) (1.9%) Asian 9.2% (6.6%) MELAA etc 0.87%

5. School enrolments 2010

6. School enrolments 2010

7. School enrolments 2010

8. School enrolments 2010

9. School enrolments 2010

10. School enrolments 2010 Northern Southern

11. Ethnicity of all students 2010

12. After schoolFalling by the wayside? • Further education and training • high cost; unequal access; unequal achievement • Employment • high youth unemployment; even higher Māori and Pacific unemployment • Emigration • greater opportunities across the Tasman?

13. 2. Migration and settlement • History of settlement • Migration trends • Perceptions of migrants and immigration • Public debate • Summary

14. History of settlement • From 1200’s Māori • From 1800’s Mainly British/Irish • From 1950’s Dutch • From 1960’s Pacific • From 1980’s Quota Refugees • From 1990’s Asian, South African, MELAA

15. Migration TrendsKey Indicators 2010-11 • Published by Department of Labour • 40,737 people approved for residence • Permanent long term arrivals up 2% • Permanent long term departures up 22% • Net permanent long term arrivals 3,867 (down from 16,504 in previous year) • Permanent long term migration to Australia increased by 46% (up 12,492)

16. Resident approvals from top source countries for 2009/10 and 2010/11

17. Net permanent & long-term migration totals (1981-2011)

18. Net permanent & long-term migration totals (1981-2011) • Total Arrivals +1,986,442 • Total Departures - 1,848,587 • Total net migration +137,855 • % of current NZ population 3% • Average in per year +66,214 • Average out per year - 61,619 • Average net per year +4,595

19. Perceptions of Migrants and Immigration • Published by Department of Labour July 2011 • Based on 2010 community survey • Reports on: • perceptions of permanent resident numbers • perceptions of New Zealand as a welcoming place • attitudes towards migrants and immigration. • respondents’ ethnicity was the most significant determinant of attitudes towards migrants and immigration

20. Perceptions of NZ as a welcoming place for migrants

21. Perceptions of permanent residence numbers

22. Views of specific migrant groups

23. Most positive and most negative rating for migrants by ethnic group

24. Perceptions of migrants and immigration (positive statements)

25. Perception of migrants and immigration (negative statements)

26. Most positive and most negative rating for migrant groups by ethnic groups

27. Conclusion re Māori attitudes The negative statement that Māori are most likely to agree with is “Migrants take jobs away from other New Zealanders” with almost half of Māori (45 percent) agreeing with this. This is higher than those agreeing with the statements around immigration being a threat to New Zealand’s culture, suggesting that the reasons for the more negative views of Māori have an economic basis. This is likely to be because migrants are seen as a threat in the job market, particularly during a recession.

28. Sunday Star Times, 4 September • “Curb White Immigrants: Academic” • “Report exclusively obtained by SST” • “Māori are more likely to express anti-immigration sentiment than Pākehā or any other ethnic group.” • Professor Margaret Mutu reportedly “agreed with the findings and called on the government to restrict the number of white migrants arriving from countries such as South Africa, England and the United States as they brought attitudes destructive to Maori. “

29. Sequel • Media and public focused on Margaret Mutu’s comments • No media went back to look at the actual findings of Labour Department report, which did not support her interpretation • Indicative of the need for facts to inform the discussion on immigration • No sign of immigration being an election issue

30. Summary • Immigration from the Pacific, Asia and elsewhere from 1970 has changed the face of New Zealand, but the net population gain from migration has not been large • Future change is coming from natural growth in New Zealand populations rather than immigration • People are generally positive about migrants, but Māori less so

31. Summary • We should worry about emigration and social and economic inequality more than immigration • We need to secure the unique place of Māori as tangatawhenua in New Zealand and honour the Treaty relationship between the Crown and Māori • New Zealand society is no longer solely bicultural, it is also more generally culturally diverse

32. 3. Race relations today • Race relations report • Ten priorities for 2010 • Scoreboard • Human Rights Commission programmes • NZ Diversity Action Programme • Race Relations Day

33. Race Relations Report 2011 • Published in March • Ten priorities for action: • Children, structural discrimination, unemployment, imprisonment, Maori representation, Auckland transition, Immigration Act, language, CERD report, human rights action plan

34. 1. Children protecting children who are vulnerable to abuse from harm and ensuring that all New Zealand children equally enjoy the right to education, good health, housing and freedom from poverty • Green paper for vulnerable children • Māori Affairs Select Committee inquiry into determinants of wellbeing for Māori children “Too many children are being hurt, abused, neglected and badly let down but we can change this and now is the time to act” – Paula Bennett

35. 2. Structural discrimination identifying and working to remove any structural or institutional barriers to racial equality in the enjoyment of civil, political, social and economic rights • Research and discussions with government agencies • Draft discussion paper published • Community consultation and further research • Revised discussion paper to be published by April 2012

36. 3. Unemployment reducing the high rate of unemployment of Māori and Pacific peoples, and particularly of young people June 2010 -June 2011 All 6.8 6.5 Euro 4.4 4.7 Māori 16.4 13.7 Pacific 14.1 13.1 Asian 10.5 6.1 MELAA 9.0 12.1 Youth 18.2 17.4 Māori 30.3 24.8 Pacific 30.6 27.4

37. 4. Imprisonment reducing the number of people in our prisons and the disproportionate number of them who are Māori Imprisonment September 2010

38. 5. Māori representation making better provision for Māori representation in local government in this year’s representation reviews • Approach to all Mayors in March • Approach to all local government CEOs in July • 48 out of 78 councils are considering the issue • None have supported the establishment of Māori seats • Deadline 23 November • Constitutional review

39. 6. Auckland Council ensuring that the transitional arrangements of the Auckland Council to provide for cultural diversity, inclusion and responsive services for diverse communities are confirmed and enhanced • Mayoral leadership • Māori, Pacific and ethnic boards appointed • Major diversity events recognised • Auckland Plan: strong emphasis on equality and diversity

40. 7. Immigration Act monitoring the impact of the new Immigration Act 2009 on migrants and refugees • Roundtable held in June • Implementation generally going well • Issues: • Tribunal backlog • Shortage of refugee specialist lawyers • Access to education • Exclusion for disability

41. 8. Languages renewing efforts to provide for the learning and use of te reo Māori, Pacific Island and other community languages • Waitangi tribunal report • Te Reo Māoriora report • Kohanga reo claim • Pacific languages strategy • Canterbury earthquakes highlight need for use of translators and interpreters • Language weeks

42. 9. CERD report promoting public discussion and input into New Zealand’s 2010 report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination • Draft government report for public consultation • Final report due February 2012 • Shadow reports invited from civil society organisations • Hearing in Geneva in August 2012?

43. 10. Human rights action plan agreeing on actions by the public and private sectors and communities to implement the priority areas identified in the Human Rights Commission’s 2010 review of human rights. • Thirty top priorities identified • Government asked to identify commitments that contribute to these • Commission will action some itself with others • Commission will continue to advocate those that Government does not commit to

44. Children Structural Discrimination Unemployment Imprisonment Māori representation Auckland Council Immigration Act Languages CERD report Human rights action plan Scorecard

45. Human Rights Commission race relations programmes • Enquiries and complaints service • Te Manai Waitangi • Community human rights development: Tuhonohono and TakuManawa • New Zealand Diversity Action Programme • Race Relations Report • Race Relations Day • Acknowledging positive contributions • Engaging with the United Nations • Projects: Māori representation, structural discrimination

46. NZ Diversity Action Programme Goals: • recognise and celebrate the cultural diversity of our society • promote equal enjoyment by everyone of their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, regardless of race, colour, religion, ethnicity, or national origin • foster harmonious relations between diverse peoples • give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi

47. NZ Diversity Action Programme • 237 participating organisations • 159 community sector • 61 public sector • 11 private sector • 7 iwi • 676 diversity projects • Networks for media, religious diversity, language, refugee issues

48. Race Relations Day 2012 A fair go for all Rite tahitatoukatoa