Twixy

I've heard there is some amount of discrimination against Asians in New Zealand, an unusual concept for me as an American (Asians are the highest earning broadly defined ethnic group in the US).

In what ways are Asians discriminated against? Is it based on skin color, facial features, socioeconomic status, something else?

southerner

Was going to be flippant and say driving (have a look at the emotive news stories over the last week) but is a serious issue, so I will hopefully answer with some more substantial points (noting a certain reticence for anyone to reply to this post).

NZ is an immigrant country, so having a mixture of source peoples should be no big issue, you would think

Most issues I see discussed are the impact of immigration on housing costs and other infrastructure particularly in our largest city, Auckland.

Last 20 years the most obvious (but not only) group of immigrants have been Chinese, and also they make up a large portion of overseas students (both secondary and tertiary), so the proportion of their faces in the mix has changed significantly in that period.

Some politicians would like to limit immigration (from all countries) for various economic, resource and social reasons. Some of their concern seems to be focused on China, which runs in parallel to a separate and related discussion on can we trust the Chinese with their economic intent (in taking over our manufacturing jobs, investing in our farmland and industries, and generally controlling the world economy just as they try to control their own economy).

My point of view:
I have studied with and worked with Chinese descended kiwi borns who are totally integrated into NZ society and they (as far as I'm aware) have no issues. Makes me think, that for a subset of NZers their view of a good immigrant is one who tries to blend in and act like the locals. They want a mono-cultural society (or at an absolute push a bi/tri cultural society with Maori and Pacifica).
For people from anglo-saxon countries (and probably mainland Europeans) blending in is probably an easier task than for those from Asia.
One other thing - NZers are on the whole pretty laidback, so the almost absolute dedication and diligence that young Asian students show to their academic and other endeavours is as bit of a shock for some locals.

Justcol

Many kiwis blame Asian immigrants for the rising cost of housing in Auckland, if you go to an auction you will see Asians biding.
Its not their fault they can afford to buy the houses, and they are not stupid in wanting to invest in property, especially when the kiwis
seem so keen to try and outbid them, and in doing so force up the prices even higher. It seems Aucklanders, despite barely being
able to afford any kind of home are actually quite proud of the fact that its now one of the most overpriced cities in the world...go figure!!

Asian businesses have invested massively in NZ, but it seems kiwis and the govt fight them every step of the way
Personally I dont think it would be an issue if it was a European or US investor, but for some reason the Chinese
scare the bejesus out of Kiwis

Chinese and Asian culture is different and people in general dont like different or anything they dont understand.
New Zealand claims to be a multicultural society but its far from it. Uk migrants are far more tolerant as we have
grown with so many cultures (west indian, Indian, pakistani, Muslim) for decades, kiwis are stuggling a little and
as always its those who look different who are the easiest to blame.

LauraNotts

Is the 'so-called' REALLY necessary in your thread title?

Charismatic

Disagree.

You'll have to go a long way to find a more backwards looking, narrow minded, xenophobic and parochial people than the British right now. Turn on your telly and you'll be embarrass at the tidalwave of filthy closet racism being released in the run-up to elections in the UK. It used to just be unemployed people who's views where heavily influenced by Jeremy Kyle and a few tins of StrongBow but recently people who should know better have started banging on about the EU and immigration.

The longer I live outside the UK the happier I am not to be part of that bucket.

Bo-Jangles

Ha, ha Twixy lifts the lid on another can of worms.

Kiwis don't discriminate against Asians, they're mean to everyone - Americans and Poms included; anyone that isn't born here is fair game but no doubt that Asians are at the top of the hit list and get way more than their fair share of flak. It comes from way up above, drip-fed to the masses in daily doses through media scare-mongering and politicians - so much so that many are totally immune to it and don't even notice it tripping off the tongue, on the radio, news and in the workplace.

Justcol

Notice I said "UK migrants" not British people in general.
I do believe we only see and hear what the media want us to hear and at the moment Right wing views sell
which is why the politicians are now scampering around trying to win the vote of the missing links

Marine Le Pen summed it up yesterday when she said "There is no longer a Political Left or Right, there are only Nationalists and Globalists"

bourbon-biscuit

LauraNotts: I am guessing the "so-called" in the thread title reflects the poster's understanding that 'Asian' is a nonsense as it reflects such a diverse group of cultures. This was my interpretation rather than the poster doubting that such discrimination exists, iyswim.

I do not find immigrant Brits to be particularly comfortable with multiculturalism, JustCol; I find they tend to favour assimilation over integration (i.e. people from different cultures are just fine provided they adopt the majority values and customs).

Charismatic

By the "so-called" Europeans?

I always enjoy it when they have a box on a form labelling people as "Pākehā/European". What do they use this information for?

Justcol

so they know where to deport you to !!

Charismatic

Ridiculous, there are no extradition laws with Euroland because that was one of the first thing most of us checked when we moved here.

Dorothy

I just find it hilarious that an American is worried about discrimination.

bourbon-biscuit

If the poster really wants to understand the historical roots of some of the animosity felt toward Asian immigrants (albeit felt by a diminishing number of ppl), there is plenty of information and commentary out there. For example:

(From: 5. Anti-Asian politics – Ethnic and religious intolerance – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand)

LauraNotts

I am hopefully that they did mean to insinuate that 'Asian' is nonsense due to the diverse cultures but at the same time am also considering the possibility that they did not since they proceed to use the general term with no qualifiers several times within the OP.

It's interesting, I have a friend of mine who quite happily refers to herself as Asian and me as white (in between ribbing me good naturedly me for not knowing anything about Japanese food or Yum Cha) - always makes me wince a little as I think we're generally uncomfortable talking about race but then I am a dyed in the wool lefty and I think a little discomfort is good for me if it makes me confront myself

Moving to NZ has given me a lot of opportunities to examine my own reactions to other cultures and their co-existence alongside my own. Some of what I dug up out my subconscious wasn't all that great - lots of lazy thinking and uncritical assumptions, I hope to slowly unpick it and be a more compassionate human to all people.

garethwm

I guess the irony of that statement in a thread about racism has flown above peoples heads.