Historical Background.

The immigration of people to Aotearoa New Zealand began after its discovery by the Māori explorer, Kupe (Te Ahukaramū, 2012). He brought to Polynesian people of Hawaiki, knowledge of the land of the long white cloud.

The reasons for Māori immigration were varied. Many of the major immigrations performed were separated from the others. Some Polynesian movements were due to overcrowding on the pacific islands (Mitchell, 1972), while others carried more romantic incentives or the result of conflicts (Kopi Holdings Ltd, n.d.; Taonui, 2012).

The initial immigrants were not politically aligned and Aotearoa New Zealand was divided into areas that different Iwi chose to settle on. Each area could be considered an independent Socialist Monarchy. An exception was the Moriori (a Socialist Meritocracy) who decided their leaders by the skills they possessed (Kopi Holdings Ltd, n.d.).

The European colonization of Aotearoa New Zealand was more single minded. An important architect of the philosophy for British colonisation was Edward Gibbon Wakefield (1976-1872). His theory was to introduce a workforce who would purchase unused land and transform it into productive land (Fairburn, 2012). He would spark the imagination of potential colonists with the promise of inexpensive land on the frontier (New Zealand Tourism Guide, 2013).  An arrangement between many Māori Iwi (some Iwi were absent and some disagreed with the arrangement) formalised the ability for Aotearoa New Zealand to be settled with British interests in mind (Orange, 2004; Walker, 1995).

While the bulk of the colonists who came to Aotearoa New Zealand were of British descent (English, Protestant Irish, Scottish, & Welsh), immigrants from other nationalities were also invited to perform specific tasks (Brooking, & Rabel, 1995). Scandinavians and Germans were welcomed as they were considered to be hard working and similar in mind-set to the British (Leckie, 1995). Immigrants from other Nationalities (or Catholic Irish) were treated with hostility (Brooking, & Rabel, 1995). The Immigration Restriction act of 1899 dictated that only English speaking people were eligible to settle in New Zealand (Leckie, 1995).

At the conclusion of World War I, led by a rallying cry from the Returned Soldiers Association (Brooking, & Rabel, 1995), a new Immigration Restriction Amendment Act (1920) was introduced (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2012). The new act demanded that persons wishing to immigrate to Aotearoa New Zealand must first obtain permission. British subjects who were not descendants of the British Isles were denied permission. Legislation passed during the 1920s would set a xenomorphic tone for immigration over the following 40 years (Brooking, & Rabel, 1995).

Civilisation flourished in Aotearoa New Zealand, the resident cultures of the land developed what would become known to be “Kiwi Culture” (Smith, 2008). In 1961, new immigrants to Aotearoa New Zealand who were not of British descent were less than 2% of the total (Brooking, & Rabel, 1995). Asian and Pacific island people represented half of that 2%.

Aotearoa New Zealand enjoyed a period of time where everyone was meaningfully employed (Brooking, & Rabel, 1995). Immigration was limited to fill any gaps in the labour. Pacific island communities were invited to Aotearoa New Zealand to perform labour intensive tasks (Isola Productions, 2005). A debate began about the Pacific Island communities’ potential impact on the national identity (Mitchell, 2010).

The economy took a downturn and unemployment began to steadily rise. Pacific Island communities were targeted as the cause (Isola Productions, 2005). A new right wing National government was elected who had made the promise to rid Aotearoa New Zealand of the perceived threat (Brooking, & Rabel, 1995). Throughout the middle of the 1970's, a series of “Dawn Raids” were executed by the police force. Pacific Island people were arrested in the early hours of the morning and deported as overstaying illegal immigrants (Isola Productions, 2005). In the early 1980s the National government was ousted from government after a failed election campaign. The new government acted to open the door to immigrants under a left wing, Neo-liberal philosophy (Walker, 1995).

 

References:

Brooking, T., & Rabel, R. (1995). Neither British nor Polynesian: A brief history of New Zealand's other immigrants. In S.W. Grief (Ed.). Immigration and national identity in New Zealand: One people, two peoples, many peoples? Palmerston North, New Zealand: The Dunmore Press Ltd.

Fairburn, M. (2012). Wakefield, Edward Gibbon. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1w4/wakefield-edward-gibbon.

Isola Productions. (2005). Dawn raids. Retrieved from http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/dawn-raids-2005.

Kopi Holdings Ltd. (n.d). Moriori settlers of early Rekohu. Retrieved from http://www.education-resources.co.nz/early-rekohu.htm.

Leckie, J. (1995). Silent Immigrants? Gender, immigration and ethnicity in New Zealand. in Grief, S.W. (Ed.). Immigration and national identity in New Zealand: One people, two peoples, many peoples? Palmerston North, New Zealand: The Dunmore Press Ltd.

Ministry for Culture and Heritage. (2012). White New Zealand policy introduced. Retrieved from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/page/white-new-zealand-policy-introduced.

Mitchell, J.H. (1972). Takitimu. Wellington, New Zealand: Reed Publishing Ltd.

Mitchell, J. (2010). Immigration and national identy in 1970s New Zealand. Dunedin, New Zealand: University of Otago. Retrieved from NZCER database. (T10249).

New Zealand Tourism Guide. (2013). New Zealand colonisation. Retrieved from http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/colonisation.html.

Orange, C. (2004). An illustrated history of the Treaty of Waitangi. Wellington, New Zealand: Bridget Williams Books.

Smith, I.W.G. (2008). Maori, Pakeha and Kiwi: Peoples, cultures and sequence in New Zealand archaeology. In G.R. Clark, B.F. Leach and S. O’Connor (Eds.). Islands of Inquiry: Colonisation, Seafaring and the Archaeology of Maritime Landscapes. Canberra, Australia: ANU EPress. 367-380.

Taonui, R. (2012). Canoe traditions - Te Arawa and Tainui: Te Ara - the encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/canoe-traditions/page-5.

Te Ahukaramū, C.R. (2012). First peoples in Māori tradition - Kupe: Te Ara - the encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/first-peoples-in-maori-tradition/page-6.

Walker, R. (1995). Immigration policy and the political economy of New Zealand. In S.W. Grief (Ed.). Immigration and national identity in New Zealand: One people, two peoples, many peoples? Palmerston North, New Zealand: The Dunmore Press Ltd.