First 24 hours crucial for helping migrants settle in

New migrants' encounters with Kiwis in their first 24 hours here are crucial to how well they settle, says a report commissioned by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

After airport officials, newly arrived migrants meet taxi drivers, supermarket check-out operators, dairy managers, motel staff and perhaps real estate agents - and these people need to be trained, says the report, to ensure they are sensitive to migrants' needs.

It's a call backed by the foundation's director of research and policy, Rebecca Foley, who says that positive interactions can hugely influence migrants' confidence and thus their ability to settle. "It's really important [for New Zealanders] to be patient and positive," says Dr Foley. "Maybe I'll speak a little slower, and if I don't quite understand I'll just ask you again.

"You can always see how far you can get with sign language as well, and maintain a positive demeanour."

The report, Engaging Asian Communities in New Zealand, by Terry McGrath, John Pickering, Hilary Smith and Andrew Butcher, plumbed the experiences of 94 migrants on their experiences of finding their feet.

The participants came principally from China, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Laos, India and Indonesia. According to Statistics New Zealand, the proportion of Asian New Zealanders here is expected to nearly double, from 7 per cent in 2001 to 13 per cent by 2021.

Engagement means different things to different migrants, but in general describes settling into the life they seek, whether the priority is getting work, feeling happy, or making friends.

The report found that the first 12 months were crucial, with those not making progress to their goals in that time likely to have long-term difficulty.

The report also said that the first 24 hours were "of vital importance" to a good start, with people's friendliness and helpfulness critical.

"For the migrant to engage successfully at this stage," says Dr Foley, "the New Zealanders they encounter must be able ... and willing to enter into cross-cultural situations whereby they act as ambassadors."

Front-line staff need to have "that service mentality - you're selling your country when you are on the front line".

Arrival is often a stressful time for migrants, she adds: "As you step off the plane, people look different, they speak a different language, and even if you do have some grasp of that language, they usually speak fast - as New Zealanders do - and you can't quite get what's going on.

"It might be a language you can't read, so you're not sure where you are meant to go, and in a way you have to adopt a herd mentality and hope you are following the right people and go and stand in the right queue.

"It's hotter or colder than you're used to, and it smells different. Usually, you are pretty tired if you've been travelling for hours."

The report says that all New Zealanders should learn inter-cultural skills. It's not only good for society, says Dr Foley, it's good for business: "Migrants are customers too".

Chze Pheng Ching, a university chaplain who ran the report's 10 Auckland focus groups, says migrants said they arrived in New Zealand with "a very positive view of this society" and high expectations.

They found airport immigration and customs staff helpful. But some reported that they could discern, from body language of the service workers they met afterwards, that they were being treated less favourably than Kiwis.

For Mr Ching, himself a migrant from Singapore in 1999, good cross-cultural training deals with attitudes, helping develop understanding and respect, and also teaches practical skills. He says, it is "quite acceptable" to write down someone's name if you think you might forget, or ask someone to repeat themselves for clarification. 

WELCOME TO NEW ZEALAND

Chze Pheng Ching's suggestions for engaging with migrant neighbours:

* Take the initiative and befriend them - go over, introduce yourself and welcome them to the neighbourhood.

* Invite them to your home for a meal. "Asian people like to eat, and food is a big thing," says Mr Ching. "When they eat, they usually open up."

* Have children? Invite the neighbours' children to play: "Conversation often sparks off," says Mr Ching.

* Offer to help them locate goods and services - many migrants may not realise where they are.