Kowi - answer to finding an identity in two cultures

Immigrants from South Korea struggling to fully identify as being Kiwis or Koreans are being told that it is to their advantage to be a little bit of both - by being Kowi.

The local Korean community will meet tomorrow at the annual Kimchi and Marmite conference to celebrate being Korean Kiwis, or Kowi, says organiser Tina Hwang.

Plans for a Kowi empowerment project to help Korean New Zealanders through their "identity crisis" - the result of a Kowi experience survey conducted this year - will also be released at the conference, which targets those aged between 18 and 25.

"Many Koreans still struggle with their identities, and what they will hear at the conference is that they are not alone," said Ms Hwang, 21, who is also the Kowiana Association president.

"It will bring together a group of people who have the two cultures interrelated and combined to form a uniquely Kiwi-Korean culture, which we call Kowi."

The conference at Auckland University tomorrow, titled "Kowis in action: when Kowis take flight" was aimed at empowerment and reaffirming Korean New Zealanders of their uniqueness.

"Problems are especially tough for the younger ones, who face expectations of parents wanting them to retain their Korean roots but at the same time are facing the pressures of society to be more Kiwi," Ms Hwang said.

Many Korean parents who sent their children to Western countries for schooling still disapproved of them adopting Western ways.

Association vice-president Gloria Kim, 23, who came to New Zealand when she was 6, said she had struggled with her identity and often wished she was white.

"It can get confusing and frustrating being stereotyped about being Asian, when I think and feel more Kiwi," Ms Kim said.

But growing up in a New Zealand which is "rapidly changing", she now feels her "unique culture" could be an advantage.

"The Asian region is becoming more important to New Zealand, and we will be in a position where we can be the vital link for New Zealand to our country of origin."

A free-trade agreement is pending with South Korea, which is New Zealand's sixth-biggest export market.

Two-way trade between New Zealand and South Korea is worth more than $2.4 billion a year.

A New Zealand study in February last year said a free-trade agreement with South Korea could double exports within five years.

About 30,000 South Koreans live in New Zealand, most of them on Auckland's North Shore.

"No doubt interest in South Korea will grow, especially after the free-trade agreement, and the conference will help us better understand who and what we are, and position ourselves for the future," said Ms Kim.

"We want to be ready for New Zealand when it needs us."

KOWIANA

What: Kimchi and Marmite Conference - Kowis in Action: When Kowis Take Flight.
When: Tomorrow, 9am.
Where: The University of Auckland Business School.
Website: www.kowiana.org.nz