Racism puts off immigrants

Up to a half of Asian immigrants to New Zealand could be thinking of leaving the country, either to go home or to move to Australia or the United States, according to a survey released in Wellington.

The study cites racial prejudice, unemployment and the Government's failure to help newcomers settle once they arrive as key reasons.

New Zealand had not come up to their expectations, said sociologist Professor Paul Spoonley.

'If concern at the re-incorporation of Hong Kong into China begins to wane, return migration might well be contemplated.' More than 110,000 people from Asian countries were given New Zealand residence permits in the past five years. It is estimated that 70 to 80 per cent of them have settled in Auckland.

Professor Spoonley, who co-ordinated the survey on the city's North Shore, said high levels of unemployment had disillusioned migrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea.

Many of them lived on overseas income and capital reserves and even those working had often taken a substantial drop in income in New Zealand, he said.

'Research indicates that while certain skills and occupations provided migrants with the points required to migrate, there have been few opportunities for them to use these skills in New Zealand.' Professor Spoonley said that while migrants found New Zealanders friendly on a personal level, they were puzzled and threatened by racist public comments.

Noting that Asian children particularly were victims of racial abuse, he said: 'Racism has been apparent in the playground and it's very much apparent at the secondary school level.' The survey was carried out after last year's election in which Winston Peters' New Zealand First party campaigned strongly to 'cut immigration to the bone'.

The coalition Government, with Mr Peters as Deputy Prime Minister, is organising a major population conference in November to debate future immigration policy.

Meanwhile, it has cut immigration approvals from more than 50,000 a year to under 34,000 in the 12 months ending June 30.

Approvals of Asians have fallen dramatically following the introduction of strict new English language tests, with approvals to Taiwanese falling from 12,325 in 1995-96 to 659 in the past year.

Britain (5,507 approvals) replaced Taiwan as the main source of immigrants, followed by China (4,950) and South Africa (3,712).

The number of permits to Hong Kong citizens was 1,118, well down on 2,605 in the previous 12 months.