Families drawn by lifestyle

South African immigrants living in Napier, Ali, 12, (left), Musa, 14, and Kauthar Kotze, 8, Domonique Jeftha, 20, Zahara Abdullah-Kotze and Yaeesh Abdullah say it was hard starting over but they enjoy the region's lifestyle. Photo / Duncan Brown

Zahara Abdullah, a South African migrant living in Napier, said it was hard starting over but she liked the lifestyle.

"Napier is a lot like Cape Town, with the sea and port and much the same weather.

"It's also very clean, neat and safe. In South Africa, you can't go to parks and the library and feel confident. Here, the facilities are good and the education is excellent. My kids love getting involved in sports, and I bake and cook for the school and the homeless shelter."

Ms Abdullah said there were downsides to such a substantial change but it was worth it.

"It's difficult to get ahead when you start from nothing," she said. "I worked in after-school care in South Africa, but you need qualifications to get work here, and I did cake decorating, but you need a licence.

"But I've just got residency and my kids love it here, so we're here to stay."

Statistics NZ groups Africa with Latin America and the Middle East - a small, albeit growing group.