What are my chances of settling successfully in New Zealand?
This is a very difficult question to answer because everyone is different. Your own personal qualities are the most important factor influencing how well you'll settle here or anywhere else.Putting personal qualities to one side though, we decided it would be useful to look at how well immigrants from different countries have settled in New Zealand. We asked three questions:
- How will your income compare with New Zealanders' incomes?
- Where are you likely to settle in New Zealand - Auckland or Elsewhere?
- How likely are you to stick with New Zealand after immigrating?
- The Yo-Yo Factor
How will your income
compare with New Zealanders' incomes?
We can use a table to compare the incomes of immigrant groups in New Zealand.
(The average New Zealander's Income is 100.)
| Immigrant's Home Country | Income in New Zealand |
| South Africa | 133 |
| USA | 131 |
| Canada | 123 |
| UK | 123 |
| Switzerland | 107 |
| Netherlands | 106 |
| Germany | 105 |
| Sri Lanka | 103 |
| (New Zealand) | 100 |
| India | 94 |
| Poland | 90 |
| Yugoslavia | 80 |
| Iran | 70 |
| Samoa | 68 |
| China | 59 |
| Taiwan | 40 |
As you can see, incomes seem to be strongly influenced by ethnicity. In fact, they are even more strongly influenced by English language skills.
In terms of English language fluency shown by migrants, South Africa, USA, Canada, UK, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Germany can all be classed as English Speaking Countries. Except for New Zealand itself, none of the other countries in the above table can.
Lack of English fluency makes it much more difficult to succeed in New Zealand. As we said earlier, stricter English language requirements should boost the average incomes of immigrants from the countries that are currently low in the income table.
An interesting theory about the incomes of Germans in New Zealand was made by one of our readers, Anke L. From her own experience, Anke speculated that, on average, Germans in New Zealand earn less than British people because a significant proportion of the Germans who come here are "Greens". These are people who are seeking to distance themselves from nuclear power stations and large-scale industries in order to enjoy a simpler, rural lifestyle. We don't have any information to confirm or deny this theory, but it's certainly worth reporting.
Where are you likely to Settle in New Zealand - Auckland?
If you're from Asia, it's likely you'll migrate to Auckland. Only 35% of Asian migrants settle outside the Auckland region.Auckland seems to be less of a magnet for non-Asians. 57% of British migrants and 55% of European and North American migrants settle outside the Auckland region.
How Likely Are You to Stick With New Zealand?
The figures here probably underestimate the numbers of successful settlers. (See below for an explanation.)If you're British, you have a good chance of settling successfully in New Zealand. About 70% of recently arrived British people are still here five years later. If you "survive" those first five years, it's highly likely you'll stay much longer. In fact, 90% of British people who live here for five years then stay on for at least another 5 years.
If you're from Asia, you have an even higher chance than the British of sticking with New Zealand for the first five years. About 75% of recently arrived Asians are still here five years later. After that, there's about a 75% chance you'll still be here after a further 5 years.
If you're from Europe or North America, you have a similar likelihood as a British person of sticking with New Zealand for five years - about 67%. If you stay in New Zealand for those first five years, there's then about a 75% chance you'll still be here after a further 5 years.
The Census may Underestimate the Proportion of Migrants who Stick with New Zealand
Figures from The Census probably underestimate the proportion of immigrants staying in New Zealand permanently. This is because, even in the 25+ age-group that we looked at, arrivals from overseas were counted in the census who had never intended being long-term immigrants - including people on working visas and working holidays; people attending language schools and universities; work-exchange visitors, etc, etc.And, of course, "Yo-Yo's" also boost the numbers whose migration seems unsuccessful. "Yo-Yos" are people who migrate to New Zealand, then find they miss their families and friends from their home country and return there. Having returned, they decide that New Zealand is a better place after-all and they come back here again.
It's difficult to estimate the number of "Yo-Yos" or the average number of times they swing back and forth. If you ask around though, you'll find a significant number of people seem to fall into this category.
Summary
The census statistics tell us that, on average, if you emigrate to New Zealand you'll probably settle here successfully. If you belong to the European ethnic group, the chances are slightly in favour of you living outside the Auckland region. If you're Asian, you'll probably live in Auckland.After looking at so many averages, we must use the final paragraph to praise the individual. Whatever the averages may tell us, it's your skills, ethics and attitudes that will be the crucial factors in your success in New Zealand. That's the most important thing to remember.
Acknowledgement: The numbers for this article were extracted from a report by Liliana Winkelmann and Rainer Winkelmann for the New Zealand Department of Labour.