This is continued from November 16th.
Napier and Hastings – twin cities – have employment opportunities in horticulture, especially fruit growing, and grain crops. There is also sheep and beef farming and increasingly, tourism. The Asian population tripled between 1991 and 2013; notably more people are from India.
Tauranga has had very fast growth in their Asian population, especially the Indian population which tripled in the last 12 years. The kiwi fruit industry, tourism, the busy port and the pleasant climate are all attractions to this city. Tauranga is especially attractive for retired New Zealanders from Auckland and Hamilton. Consequently, care of the aged provides work for many, especially Filipinos. Again, many of them are over qualified. It is common to find nurses who were qualified in the Philippines working as nurse aides.
Nelson is a little different from the other cities in the report because it is an important city for refugee settlement. The report focuses on the Bhutan and Burmese refugee groups. Learning English is a particular problem for older refugees and the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) has English classes to help them. NMIT also has a large number of international students – about 1,000 each year. About 90% of them are Asian, mostly Chinese. There are job opportunities in fishing and fish farming, as well as horticulture – apples and pears – and viticulture, growing grapes for wine. Sister city relationships play a role in some cities like providing the Chinese garden in Nelson
The report points to fast changes in the makeup of our smaller cities. It is obvious in shop signs, food places, in places of worship, in the different ethnicities of people in the streets and in schools. New Zealand is becoming much more diverse. This will continue as long as new migrants are attracted to our country by jobs or life style.
Questions
1. Why are many Asians coming to New Zealand?
2. What are the benefits of settling in the regions rather than the main cities?