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Thread: Multiculturalism in NZ

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
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    Israel
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    Default Multiculturalism in NZ

    As a person who loves multiculturalism (which my country lacks and if it exists , it's suppressed by the Zionist establishment), I would like to know about the multiculturalism in NZ. How diverse is the country ? Is it similar to the US, Canada and Australia ? Are Kiwis open to racial, cultural and ethnic diversity ? do they want their country to be more ethnically diverse ?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    From my experience, New Zealanders as individual as any human beings anywhere, so you can't generalize about what 'Kiwis' think and feel, just on the basis of their citizenship.

    The political system is anti-prejudice, with very strong laws against discrimination on any grounds, so the generations who have been raised in this system are accustomed to working and living alongside people from different backgrounds. But of course, the incidence of this is different in the bigger centres of population from in smaller country communities, and you can meet people with a closed attitude simply on the basis of your being an outsider. For some, to them, you seem like a foreigner if you come from Auckland or Wellington, never mind from another country.

    Also, many NZers are very outspoken. It's quite often been said on the forum that people have been shocked and hurt to hear workmates and neighbours talking in an overtly hostile way about 'foreigners, coming in and taking our jobs' and the like, with them standing there, but then someone has turned to them and said, 'Oh, not YOU - you don't count.' It makes an impression, nonetheless.

    So it's an odd mixture. But don't assume anything about ONE person because of a generalized idea.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    New Zealand
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    Default

    From my experience - yes. The cultural diversity is similar to that of Canada and Australia.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    NZ (Auckland; via Canada)
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    I would rank countries as follows, in terms of how culturally diverse they are and how well they "do" multiculturalism:

    Canada
    UK
    NZ
    Australia
    US

    I've lived in all these countries except the UK--though my husband is English and I've spent a lot of time there for personal and work purposes over the last 3 decades (he's my second English husband; call me a crumpet queen™).

    Canada does the best job at integration and celebrating diversity. There are, paradoxically, more issues around French versus English language rights than there are with multiculturalism in Canada. I put the UK second because they do rather well, but there remain persistent inequities with respect to educational and work attainment for some long establish communities (Bengali/Bangladeshi come to mind). I have NZ ahead of Australia because, while both are similarly diverse, both are still finding a national settlement about multiculturalism: racism is a more overt problem in Australia, which also impact ex-pat Kiwis living there who are of Pacific Island descent. The US is last because policy there is focused on assimilation rather than integration--though the rapid hispanicisation of the US might well tip the balance on this question.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    NZ
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    108

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    If you are coming from Israel you shouldn't be worried about it. Foreigner looking people are least comfortable in south island. Auckland is the preferred destination for non-white immigrants.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    UK->NZ
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    Default

    We moved from Vancouver to Auckland just six months ago. Vancouver is a very multi-cultural city so before we left, we wondered if Auckland is less multi-cultural or not. In the six months we have been here, we had been to the following festivals

    Jan: Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival - celebrate Maori culture, saw the best ever haka!
    Feb: Lantern Festival - celebrate Chinese New Year (despite all the Chinese living in Vancouver, we don't even have anything remotely similar!)
    Mar: Pasifika Festival - celebrate Pacific Islanders culture

    Auckland Event Cinema shows lots of foreign movies. Saw the highest grossing Japanese anime movie "Your Name". Saw Bolshoi Ballet Live "Swan Lake" on screen. Saw National Theatre Live on screen (the only way I can see Patrick Stewart on stage). Central library also have special sections for foreign language books or DVDs. Recently I even saw a poster advertising a Mongolian concert!

    So I think if a city has Maori, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Russian, Mongolian cultural events, it is as multi-cultural as it can be! I am sure we will go to Diwali Festival next :-)

  7. #7
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    Aug 2015
    Location
    hamilton
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    Default

    I can't say about Auckland which is the biggest city, it might be different.
    But around the country you may say its multicultural though I still think that people tend to stick with their ethnic groups.
    E.g. You go to a pub, there aren't groups with a mix of Europeans, Asians etc. Maybe because most are still first and second generation and there's a culture/language barrier.
    You often see these mixed ethnic in teenager groups.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    New Zealand
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    It is hard to ask "how diverse is the country"? In some parts of North America, there is a lot of diversity. In some parts, you have to worry about being treated badly. Some kinds of "diversity" are ok -- and some are not. Like what jawnbc said -- I have heard terrible things said about "Frenchies", even though they were born in Canada! Many immigrants have it much easier.

    In NZ, some people are open to diversity and some aren't. I have witnessed discrimination against a white female -- because she was not Kiwi. So, it is not always about color of your skin. Also, Kiwis are always saying that I have certain opinions because of where I was born. They don't realize that some NZ-born Kiwis have the same opinions -- they think my opinions have to be because of my birth. This is false attribution.

    This is all very common. I have lived in many countries and seen these things EVERYWHERE. One interesting thing is that 20% of Kiwis were born in a different country. This is WAY higher than most countries (like USA it is less than 7%).

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
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    New Zealand
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    Default

    wrong forum

  10. #10
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    Jun 2008
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    UK to USA to Waikato, NZ
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    WE are from the UK, kids are Amercian and generaly find NZ very diverse and generally accepting. It probably helps as I work in the health care field where about half of staff are foreign. I have heard racist comments made by some Kiwis but they are the exception. I think, like any country, if you attempt to assimilate and accept the norms/cultures of NZ you will be fine. I saw a lot more racism in the US when we were living there.

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