Migrant experiences
The Families Commission has recently published two studies, funded under its Blue Skies programme, on the experiences of migrants – one on migrant women who become new mothers and the other on Korean migrant families in Christchurch.
The first report, New Spaces and Possibilities: the Adjustment to Parenthood for New Migrant Mothers says migrant women who become new mothers in New Zealand find their cultural needs are often not met or understood by health professionals. The researchers interviewed 40 Chinese, Korean, South African, British, American, Indian, Palestinian and Iraqi women about their experience of pregnancy and birth in New Zealand.
Report author Ruth DeSouza of AUT University's Centre for Asian and Migrant Health Research says many of these women felt that they had poor communication with health professionals and that their need for support and information was not always met. There was also sometimes a lack of understanding about their cultural needs.
She has made a range of recommendations as a result of the study. These include making improvements to support services and communication, providing translations of relevant information, and more training in understanding cultural needs.
In the second study, Korean Migrant Families in Christchurch: Expectations and Experiences, Korean migrants told Canterbury University researchers they found it hard to get to know Kiwis, they felt rejected, and almost all had experienced some kind of harassment.
The researchers, Suzana Chang, Carolyn Morris and Richard Vokes, interviewed 36 migrants who arrived here between one and 23 years ago. They found that many of the migrants had come to New Zealand for their children's sake. "They wanted them to have access to good education, less school stress and they wanted the family to have a better life and future," says Carolyn. Once in New Zealand, while most enjoyed the more relaxed lifestyle, they said that they found few work opportunities outside of the Korean community, partly due to a lack of English skills, but also in some cases because of discrimination. The migrants also said they experienced harassment in their daily lives.
The researchers suggest strengthening local and national social and institutional support for new migrants. This could include seminars on their civil and legal rights in relation to harassment and racist abuse.
