Deciding Where to Live: Chinese migrants’ choice of residential areas in Auckland

Abstract

This thesis examines the reasons behind the Chinese ethnic settlement model (Ethnoburb) in Auckland, New Zealand. It explores the factors that drive Chinese migrants to choose a residential suburb by using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data. Chinese migration has changed dramatically since the implementation of the 1987 immigration policy, and recent Chinese migrants are more highly-skilled and educated than those who arrived in New Zealand prior to the 1900s. These changes in the characteristics of Chinese migrants have also led to changes in Chinese settlement patterns, particularly during the past decade. Indeed, migration is a constant changing process that depends on socioeconomic circumstances. This process may be associated with social, economic and political influences between the origin and destination countries. This thesis thus reviews several theories related to the social changes that accompany migration and also the literature that illustrates human perceptions of choice of residential area. This research aims to explore choice of residential area among Chinese migrants and the associated sociocultural and economic factors that resulted in the creation of Chinese ethnoburbs in Auckland. To present a comprehensive study on choice of residential area, this thesis focuses on three main themes: first, migration motivations, with a particular focus on decision-making in relation to post-arrival settlement choices; second, major residential indicators exhibited during residential area selection; third, other associated location indicators, with a particular focus on sociocultural indicators, to demonstrate the relationships between the ethnic makeup of neighourhoods and the resulting ethnoburbs. Keywords: Ethnoburb, Chinese migrants, migration, Auckland, residential preferences, ethnic neighbourhood