New Zealanders who pride themselves on their open-minded attitude to multi-cultural immigration might be surprised at how hurtful some of their casual, good-natured comments can be. They need to read a small book we feature today by New Zealander Emma Ng.
She is a New Zealander born and bred, two generations removed from China, yet she is well accustomed to being asked where she comes from, or receiving a Chinese or Japanese greeting, or being told with surprise how well she speaks English.
Well, no offence intended, we might say. We are trying to be culturally sensitive. How are we supposed to know her family is one of those who has been here for generations rather than one of the far greater number who have migrated here in the past few years?
But there have in fact been Chinese in New Zealand for most of our history. Many established market gardens around Auckland 60 or 70 years ago and they remain a thriving community to this day.
Ng"s book is called Old Asian, New Asian. The "old Asians" did not altogether welcome the new immigration wave, fearing its greater numbers would cause tensions they could not avoid. The old as well as the new hear themselves blamed for house prices, bad driving, organised crime and the like.
