9. Social Integration Outcomes and Policies

9.1. New Zealand Settlement Strategy

The New Zealand Settlement Strategy brings together government agencies to present a coordinated approach to providing services for migrants, refugees and their families. Since the last report provided in 2007, the actions under the Settlement National Action Plan (SNAP) have made progress. Seventeen of the 25 actions are now complete against the revised milestones. This stocktake will inform a briefing to the Minister of Immigration, and will afford the opportunity to establish appropriate evaluation mechanisms for range of actions undertaken by various agencies.

The Department of Labour convenes an interdepartmental committee that connects other government agencies working in the settlement arena, including the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Education, Office of Ethnic Affairs and the Ministry of Health.

The Department leads and coordinates two regional strategies in partnership with local government, namely the Auckland Regional Settlement Strategy, and the Wellington Regional Settlement Strategy. Both regional strategies have accompanying action plans that involve a range of central and local government agencies and non-government organisations.

9.2. The National Settlement Structure

The National Settlement Structure is intended to improve settlement-related coordination and information-sharing across Government, as well as between central government, local government, and other stakeholders. The outcome sought is to foster a climate of collaboration that leads to a coherent approach to settlement.

The initiative is evaluated annually through an action research approach. The evaluation identifies whether outcomes have been achieved, and it informs future developments. Key evaluation outcomes include:

• review of the interdepartmental structure to determine the roles and purposes of the senior officials group within the current settlement context;
• the establishment of an inter-agency settlement newsletter; and
• the establishment of a settlement issues register for inter-agency resolution through the Department of Labour.

9.3. Settlement Support Services

• Settlement Support New Zealand (SSNZ) is operational in 19 areas around NZ and provides newcomers with a clear point of contact for information and referral to appropriate service providers. The SSNZ initiative also delivers local information activities such as workshops and seminars for newcomers. SSNZ provides a coordination role for settlement specific and mainstream service agencies to plan to address the settlement needs of newcomers, and supports increasing their responsiveness to the needs of newcomers to NZ.
• The 'Welcome to New Zealand' publication was completed containing settlement information for newcomers to NZ. The publication is distributed to all newcomers at the point of permit/visa approval, and is available on the Immigration New Zealand website. The publication also informs newcomers about how to contact local Settlement Support New Zealand initiatives.
• A DVD 'A Welcome that Works' has been produced to strengthen employer understanding of the settlement process, and needs of newcomer employees. The key message includes the importance of settlement support in the workplace to retain skilled migrants.
• The Life Skills House at the Mangere Refugee Reception Centre was been successfully completed following cross-sectoral engagement. Work is progressing to expand the use and access to the house so that a greater number of each Quota refugee intake can use it.
• The Strengthening Refugee Voices initiative that provides support to a local framework for engagement with settled refugee communities, was rolled out in the fourth refugee resettlement area according to plan. The first Regional Refugee Resettlement forums were held this year, where regional refugee community groups brought a strengthened united voice to the National Refugee Resettlement Forum where regional and national issues were discussed.
• The review of the refugee resettlement policy was progressed during 2008 and further decision around this paper is expected to occur at the reconvening of the Senior Officials Group on Settlement in 2009.
• The settlement knowledge base which aims to build an improved understanding of the settlement outcomes for newcomers to New Zealand is now in its second phase which will involve mapping of settlement research.
• The Auckland Regional Settlement Strategy and Auckland Settlement Action Plan are in their implementation phase. The Wellington Regional Settlement Strategy and Plan of Action for Wellington Regional Settlement were launched in June 2008. A governance structure is currently being formed, and numerous actions are being progressed.

9.4. Support for Migrant and Refugee Students in the Compulsory School Sector

9.4.1. Ministry of Education Ongoing Support Initiatives

In addition to the standard operational funding that each student generates, schools are entitled to special funding that addresses particular needs of students from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

1. Schools are provided with ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) funding for migrant- and refugee-background students for whom English is not their first language. Students are eligible for up to five years. In 2008, there are 31,031 students from 5-19 years who qualify for ESOL funding.
2. Additional discretionary initiatives allow for the employment of bilingual tutors and bilingual support workers, as well as the provision of homework support programmes, and career-and-pathway planning support for refugee-background students.
3. An extensive range of teaching and learning resources are distributed to schools. Recently, these have included the English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP). ELLP provides teachers with a guide to the typical pathway along which learners progress as they acquire English as an additional language. ELLP helps teachers to track and monitor learners' written and oral language progress.
4. The English Language Intensive Programme (ELIP) resource is a set of levelled programme guidelines related to a range of curriculum areas. For each level, it describes language learning outcomes, along with suggested teaching strategies and grammar teaching points.
5. The Ministry of Education also supports a number of professional development initiatives to up-skill staff in meeting the needs of migrant- and refugee-background students.
6. Each year approximately 140 tuition fees scholarships are awarded to schoolteachers. The scholarships facilitate study toward a Teaching English in Schools to Speakers of Other Languages (TESSOL) qualification at one of five tertiary providers (University of Auckland, Waikato Institute of Technology, Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Canterbury and Massey University).
7. Six universities deliver regional support through School Support Services. Approximately 70 schools receive in-depth professional development from ESOL Advisors each year. Support is also available to schools new to this area, and to help facilitate the uptake and appropriate use of new resource materials.
8. Training courses are also available to train English Language Assistants, teacher aides, and bilingual tutors who work with migrant- and refugee-background students.
9. Schools are supported in fostering links with families and communities.
10. Refugee Education Co-ordinators and Migrant Education Co-ordinators liaise with schools, families, and communities to ensure the learning needs of refugee and migrant students are met.
11. The Computers in Homes (CIH) project for refugee families aims to empower the refugee background communities by providing them with the tools and skills to become active participants in online activities. Each year, the scheme gives approximately 80 families a computer, phone line where necessary, internet access, training, and technical support. A bilingual family liaison worker is employed by the local CIH provider to assist with training, and to monitor use of the computers.
12. Information (web and print material) in a range of community languages is available to assist families to comprehend the New Zealand education system.
13. Home School Partnership supports schools to improve the educational achievements of all students, by encouraging schools to engage with parents and communities. It particularly targets parents who, for a range of reasons, are less involved with their children's schooling.
14. The Ministry is creating a website with information and tools to help schools to recognise the level, and nature, of their engagement with parents and communities. The website is expected to be live before the end of 2009.
15. In October 2008, the Minister launched the Migrant Team Up booklets. These are available in six languages (Chinese, Korean, Hindi, Dari/Farsi, Somali and Arabic) as either a downloadable file or printed booklet. The booklets will provide all of the information a migrant- or refugee-background parent needs to know about education in New Zealand, as well as how to support their children, and how to get the best from New Zealand's education system.

9.5. Access to Social Housing

Policy

Permanent Residents of New Zealand are eligible to apply for social housing after two years residence in New Zealand or before two years residence if in receipt of a Work and Income benefit (either emergency or statutory).  As Permanent Residents, who are eligible for WINZ assistance, Quota Refugees are eligible for social housing from the date of arrival in New Zealand.  Asylum seekers in New Zealand are eligible for social housing while they have an application pending for recognition as a refugee and if and when they are found to be a refugee.  New Zealand Citizens are always eligible to apply for social housing.

Outcome

In the year to June 2008, Housing New Zealand housed 752 Quota refugees in 191 HNZ Corporation homes and 28 City Council or private sector rentals. Similar figures are expected next year. Numbers of migrants housed are not recorded.

9.6. Language Preservation

9.6.1. Mind Your Language

This Pacific language project, led by the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs (MPIA), supports the use of Pacific languages in the home.  The Ministry has developed a series of language resources in partnership with Niuean, Tokelauan and Cook Islands communities. The resources will become available on the Ministry's website, as well as in paper-based format.

Phase Two of the project has seen the launch of a Cook Island language website, development of a Tokelau language website, and a redesigned Niue language website. The next phase of this three-year project involves monitoring and evaluating the resources.  The Niue language resources will be available online at http://www.learnniue.co.nz

9.7. Geographic concentration

The report Settlement Patterns and the Geographic Mobility of Recent Migrants to New Zealand contains information about patterns that arise and influence migrants' choice of area when settling in New Zealand.^[55] To study this, New Zealand is divided into 58 labour market areas (LMAs) using the Newell and Papps definition that uses an algorithm to ensure that the majority of a population who live in an LMA also live in that LMA. The study used census figures from 1986, 1996 and 2001.

The Auckland, South Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown LMAs had a higher relative population of recent migrants in 1986, 1996 and 2001. In 1986 Wellington had the greatest concentration of recent migrants in 1986. By 1996 Auckland had the greatest concentration of recent migrants. This remained true in 2001. Over time, there has been an increasing concentration of recent migrants in Auckland and South Auckland and a decreasing concentration in most other LMAs. Both recent and earlier migrants live in highly concentrated locations compared to the New Zealand-born, and earlier migrants are more geographically mobile than the New Zealand-born population.

Migrants generally settle in LMAs that support large populations. In these LMAs the population is approximately 10 times that of the average LMA. Other characteristics of LMAs supporting high migrant concentrations include higher income and house prices than are characteristic of the average LMA.

Results indicate that recent migrants are more likely to settle in areas where a larger proportion of previous immigrant populations from their region of origin have settled ('migrant networks'). Earlier migrants (in New Zealand for between five and ten years) are also likely to be resident in these areas, but to a lesser extent. Interestingly, controlling for migrant networks from the same region of origin shows migrants are less likely to settle in areas with high proportion of migrants from other regions of origin. This is true for both recent and earlier migrants. Somewhat surprisingly, migrant networks have a greater impact on the settlement decisions for those with English speaking backgrounds than those from non-English speaking regions.

This report found that labour market outcomes were not a factor influencing recent migrants' decisions in their settlement location.^[56] However, there is some evidence that earlier migrants are more likely to have relocated to areas with better labour market outcomes for the general population. This suggests that labour market conditions become a more important determinant of settlement location in the longer term. However, migrant networks remain the dominant factor influencing settlement patterns of new migrants.

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Footnotes

^[55] David Maré, Melanie Morten and Steven Stillman: Settlement Patterns and the Geographic Mobility of Recent Migrants to New Zealand; Department of Labour (2007)

^[56] Namely better labour market outcomes for either the general population, previous migrants from the same region, or individuals of the same skill level.

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