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    Communicating work culture adaptation techniques of Filipino migrants in New Zealand : Kampanteng Kiwinoys : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Communication and Journalism at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2025-08-26) Separa, Lenis Aislinn
    Filipinos are the third-largest Asian ethnic group and the second-fastest-growing population of migrants in New Zealand (Asia New Zealand Foundation, 2020; Statistics New Zealand, 2024a). With the continuous influx of migrant workers from the Philippines for the last 19 years, New Zealand has been home to several migrants working in the health, construction, dairy, and information technology industries. Through the lens of cultural fusion theory, this study provides insights into the cultural adaptation of Kiwinoys in the workplace. Specifically, this study: (1) describes the cultural adaptation experiences of people in New Zealand; (2) identifies to what extent Filipino migrants choose acculturation over cultural maintenance; and (3) determines the extent receptivity and conformity pressure from the dominant culture in New Zealand affect intercultural transformation among Filipino migrants. The first article reveals that the cultural adaptation of immigrants in New Zealand can be traced along the acculturation, cultural adaptation, and cultural fusion of Berry (1970, 2003, 2005, 2006), Aycan and Berry (1996), and Sam and Berry (2010) on acculturation, Kim (2001, 2017) on cross-cultural cultural adaptation, Kraidy (2005) on cultural hybridity, and Croucher and Kramer (2016) on cultural fusion theory. The results of the second article reveal that ecological adaptability, language use, media language, and community engagement positively relate to acculturation. The results of the third article suggest that both host receptivity and host conformity pressure are positively related to intercultural transformation. The results of this study enrich existing theories on cultural adaptation and intercultural communication and provide deeper and wider perspectives on how Filipinos thrive as an ethnocultural group in New Zealand.
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    Wie is ek? : a study of Afrikaner identity in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Finlayson, Kris
    Afrikaners have had a tumultuous history since the Dutch arrived in what is now known as Cape Town. Using Barth’s (1969) concept of ethnic boundary construction and maintenance, this research examines the state of Afrikaans identity in a New Zealand diasporic context. The research employs a novel approach to interview data collection, using a modified version of Wengraf’s (2017) biographic narrative interview method in conjunction with a dual-participant interview method. This approach allows a multiplicity of subjective viewpoints, exploring Afrikaner perceptions, their experiences, how they see themselves fitting into their Afrikaans community and how this community fits into New Zealand society. The findings from this study show that Afrikaners refer to a representation akin to a Barthian model of Afrikaner. Through interviews, participants implied this presentation which was then constructed into an analytic model for the study. The model they indicated consists of four key characteristics: heritage, faith as a cultural value, language and a conservative worldview. Participants referred to themselves against this model in order to ascertain how ‘typical’ they are regarding shared community behaviour and perspectives. The study then discusses this Afrikaner identity in a New Zealand socio-cultural context. It discovers that even though New Zealand and Afrikaner-South African societies are vastly different, New Zealand’s socially liberal worldview allows an easy transition for today’s comparatively diverse Afrikaners. This transitional process and ethnic boundary modification was found to impact Afrikaner identity in varying ways, particularly related to areas of personal security, new relationship formation and hospitality, manner of speech, and how they perceived what members of New Zealand society think about Afrikaners.
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    The motivation to migrate, acculturation, and finding employment : the case of African migrants in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of a Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2008) Udahemuka, Martine Marie-Gloria
    The present study tested a model whereby Psychological Acculturation mediated the relationship between the Psychological Motives to Migrate and the Employment Outcome of African migrants in New Zealand. These concepts had not been previously studied together. Job search strategies, interview behaviours, qualifications and duration of time in the host country are principally known as predictors of employment outcome; therefore, their impacts were also taken into consideration. One hundred and five African migrants completed a questionnaire, which included a number of reliable measures used to assess the concepts of: (a) Psychological Motives to Migrate (Tharmaseelan, 2005), (b) Psychological Acculturation preferences (Ward & Rana-Deuba, 1999) and (c) Employment Outcome (Mace, 2004; Tharmaseelan, 2005). Job search strategies and interview behaviours were assessed with Mace's (2004) measures. Multivariate analyses showed that over and above demographic migration categories (economic, family, humanitarian, student and visitor), psychological motives to migrate (financial betterment, family building, exploration and escaping) predicted acculturation preferences. Specifically, voluntary migrants (those motivated by 'family building' and 'exploration') preferred to adapt to New Zealand culture, while less voluntary migrants (those motivated by 'escaping') had a higher preference to maintain their culture of origin. Acculturation preferences were not found to mediate the relationship between motives to migrate and employment outcome. The predicted links to employment outcome were not supported. Duration of time in New Zealand was correlated with acculturation preferences. Implications of the findings point to the fundamentally of assessing reasons to migrate from a psychological perspective, and also provide important linkages between motivational theory and acculturation theory. The implication must however be interpreted cautiously as per the limitations of the study. It was recommended that future researchers test the same model with improved measures and with a larger sample. In addition, future researchers could assess and compare the acculturation preferences and employment experiences of the 1.5 generation and their adult parents.
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    A sense of belonging : local Sansei women's experiences in Hawai'i : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2002) Olliver-Richardson, Yumiko Ann
    While Issei (first) and Nisei (second) generations of Americans of Japanese Ancestry (AJA) in Hawai'i have been well documented, limited literature exists in relation to non-Issei women, and the Sansei (third) generation. Based on six months of fieldwork in Hawai'i and, in-depth interviews and personal inventories of thirty Sansei women, this dissertation primarily provides an ethnographic investigation into the diversity and complexity of what it means to be a Sansei woman in Hawai'i, focusing on themes identified by Sansei women - of the past, values and social relationships. Drawing on these themes, this dissertation explores how they relate to a 'sense of belonging' in Hawai'i. It also considers the significance and politics of Local identity and the consequences of emphasising the existing historical stereotypes and narratives for Sansei women, AJA and Locals in Hawai'i
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    The settlement of skilled Chinese immigrants in New Zealand : issues and policy implications for socioeconomic integration : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Policy at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2002) Henderson, Anne MacGibbon
    Changes in New Zealand's immigration policy, particularly the points system introduced in 1991, have facilitated the entry of large numbers of skilled immigrants from Northeast Asia. The emphasis in the points system on employment and settlement factors suggested that skilled immigrants who met the requirements would not experience settlement problems or would be significantly less likely to do so. Unfortunately, the reality was rather different. Many immigrants, especially those who were visibly different and/or from non-English speaking backgrounds, were failing to secure employment in their professions or, indeed, in any positions at all, with consequent negative effects on other aspects of their settlement. This thesis examines the importance of English language proficiency in immigration policy and its role in conjunction with other factors in the settlement experiences of skilled immigrants from China. Policy changes over the period 1986-1998 are examined and the specific language requirements are analysed, along with their operationalisation. The role of English language proficiency and other factors in the settlement process are then examined via a longitudinal study of a panel of skilled Chinese immigrants who took up residence (mainly in Auckland) between August 1997 and August 1998. Three main conclusions are reached in this study. First, the English language proficiency requirement, promulgated as a necessary prerequisite for successful settlement, was undermined by its manipulation as a tool to regulate the entry of certain groups of skilled applicants. Second, the expectation that skilled immigrants who met the English language and other selection requirements would be able to find suitable employment without post-arrival assistance failed to take into account the negative effects of various institutional, social and personal factors. Finally, the failure of immigrants to secure any or suitable employment had serious ramifications for their acquisition of further English language proficiency, social participation and socioeconomic integration. The findings presented in this thesis support the need for a balanced, well integrated institutional structure of immigration that includes not only a policy to regulate the entry of immigrants but also policies designed to meet their post-arrival needs and intergroup relations in a multicultural society.
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    "New" New Zealanders, or harbingers of a new transnationalism? : 1.5 generation Asian migrant adolescents in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2003) Bartley, Allen
    This thesis is concerned with the experiences of acculturation, settlement and ethnic identity formation of a sample of 1.5 generation adolescent migrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea, who migrated to New Zealand as children, and who participated in the research as fifteen-to-nineteen year-olds. Advocating a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods as a particularly effective way of 'doing sociology', the thesis addresses the experiences of these migrants by exploring their perceptions and assignments of meaning with regard to their own ethnic identity, their sense of belonging and the social distance between themselves and others in New Zealand society; their acculturation experiences and strategies; their relationships with their parents and other family members; and their engagement with the wider community, through participation in clubs and other extra-curricular activities. The thesis posits that the experiences of migrant adolescents have been under-theorised, despite their particular sociological appeal, as they are located at the convergence of a number of different social pressures: between childhood and adulthood; often between their parents and the local community; between origin and host societies; and between competing demands on loyalty and attachment. These particular migrant adolescents are also sociologically interesting as children of highly-skilled, well-educated parents, who possess not only significant economic capital, but also high levels of social capital, and who have employed strategies of transnationalism in order to preserve and enhance these forms of capital. They have maintained their businesses and relationship networks - and sometimes their family homes - in their origin societies, in addition to pursuing forms of settlement and acculturation in New Zealand. With reference to survey and interview data, and drawing on the relevant literature, the thesis explores the meanings, motives and aspirations of migrant adolescents, and problematises conventional explanations of migrant adjustment and settlement. It posits that many 1.5 generation migrant Asian adolescents develop transnational identities through strategies of selective acculturation and aspirations of pursuing educational and occupational opportunities in other overseas destinations. Analysis of the data suggests that these particular migrants possess the cultural, social and economic resources to reproduce their parents' transnational identities, rather than the conventional and normative model of migrant settlement.