New Zealand Immigration Settlement Statistics

The New Zealand Immigration Department takes a great interest in how migrants get on in their new lives in New Zealand, to the extent of commissioning research on how things are going for migrants. 

Of particular interest to prospective migrants from the UK is New Zealand Immigration's Longitudinal Immigration Survey (or LisNZ), a huge study involving over 7,000 migrants who were granted permanent residence in 2004-2005.

This is a far larger survey than the annual New Zealand Immigration Skilled Migrant Survey, and (although the 18 and 36-month figures have not yet been released) also re-visits migrants at 18 months and 3 years after they take up permanent residence to see how they are doing over time. It also takes in more New Zealand permanent residence visa categories (including family and business, but not refugees), rather than just the skilled migrant stream.

As we write in May 2009, the first part of the study, examining how these migrants feel 6 months after taking up permanent residence in New Zealand, has just been released. Around 1500 of the migrants who responded to the first stage of the survey were from the UK and Ireland.

Just over 60% of the migrants surveyed from the UK and Ireland were actually already in New Zealand when they were approved for permanent residence, on work or other short-term visas - but the survey results should still give you a pretty good idea of what your first few months in New Zealand may be like.

Settlement in New Zealand:

87.8% of the survey respondents from the UK and Ireland responded that they felt "settled" or "very settled", with only 2.5% feeling "unsettled".

83.4% rated their partner or spouses as feeling "settled" or "very settled", with 6.6% rating their partner or spouse as "unsettled".

89.9% rated their children as "settled" or "very settled", with only 2.6% rating their children as "unsettled". 91.2% of children over 5 were assessed by their parent to be "settled" or "very settled" at school, with only 2.5% rated as "unsettled".

Making Friends:

96% of migrants from the UK and Ireland reported that they had made friends in New Zealand.

• 75% had made friends through work,
• 64.5% through friends, relatives and neighbours,
• 31.9% made friends through their children's schools or pre-schools,
• 30.1% through day-to-day activities and
•  29% through a sports club or group.

Making Kiwi Friends:

50.4% of migrants from the UK and Ireland reported that all or most of their new friends in New Zealand were from the same ethnic group, 13.6% reported that about half of them were, and 35.5% reported that none of them were.

There would appear to be some ambiguity in this question - we're not sure that Brits really regard New Zealanders of European origin as a separate ethnic group, but anyway - quite a few newly arrived Brits do find that their first friends are likely to be fellow migrants from the UK and Ireland. Given that this is a longitudinal survey, it will be interesting to see how these numbers change over time.

In Conclusion

The vast majority of Brits who emigrate to New Zealand settle quite quickly, and seem to like living in New Zealand. You and your family will experience quite a roller coaster of emotions when you emigrate, and there will probably be things about New Zealand that you didn't expect and don't particularly like - but it is good to know that so many Brits looking back at their first 6 months in New Zealand did find that they were settling in pretty well.

Of course, it will take plenty of effort on your part to settle in - read on for our top tips for settling successfully in New Zealand.And we'll update this article as the 18 month and 3 year study results are made available.

Broadbase International will work with you every step of the way to help you make a confident start to your new life in New Zealand. Please contact us if you have any questions about the financial side of life in New Zealand, and don't forget to order your free copy of our comprehensive New Zealand Guide.