Know your neighbour: Immigrant's 'hell of a journey' to NZ

Multimedia Journalist·NZME.·

13 Jan, 2015 08:34 PM3 mins to read

Maritess and Anthony Eltanal with their children (from left) Kit, 15, Frances, 4, and Kevin, 11. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Filipino immigrant Anthony Eltanal, 43, described his path to New Zealand residency as "one hell of a journey", but one that was well worth it.

The Vodafone radio technician moved from Manila in 2007, but his initial family application for permanent residency was turned down because of health issues with his wife Maritess, 40.

"It's a long story ... we had to withdraw my wife from the application in order for me and the children to get the visa," Mr Eltanal said. "Then we had to spend over $35,000 in legal fees to fight for her to stay, so that we can remain as one family unit."

In the last Census, Mr Eltanal identified with the Filipino ethnic group -- a population that had increased 138.2 per cent since 2006. The group is now the third largest Asian ethnic group, behind Chinese and Indian.

More than half of the population live in Auckland, and most of those live in the Kaipatiki, Howick and Henderson-Massey Local Board areas.

The Eltanals have three children, boys now aged 15 and 9 and a New Zealand-born daughter aged 4.

Mr Eltanal, a Catholic, described Filipinos as a "friendly, hardworking and very religious" people.

More than 37,800 or 95.6 per cent said they were affiliated to at least one religion, most were Catholics.

Both Mr and Mrs Eltanal, a caregiver, said they spent a lot of their time with community organisations that helped other migrants.

Mr Eltanal said their first language was Tagalog, which they used at home to ensure their children did not lose their mother tongue. English was the most widely spoken language used by 95.9 per cent, followed by Tagalog which was used by 66.3 per cent of the group. Two in three Filipinos spoke two or more languages.

Mr Eltanal believed many Kiwis knew little about Filipino food, and some would consider ethnic favourites such as balut (duck egg with a developing embryo, sometimes with feathers and beak) and sisig (sizzling pork parts of the pig head and liver) as "too exotic".

"Majority of my Kiwi friends, they like adobo [braised pork and chicken in garlic, vinegar, oil and soy sauce] ... but to try real Filipino cuisine, I think people have to be a little more adventurous."