This research draws on data from the 2022 Counting Ourselves survey to examine the push and pull factors influencing transgender migrants to come to Aotearoa New Zealand. Transgender participants who independently chose to migrate were drawn by the country’s reputation for embracing trans identities and offering greater openness around gender. Those from the Global South, recent migrants, and people on temporary visas were more likely to migrate to Aotearoa due to escalating threats in their home countries. A media report on the study can be found on Stuff
Tag: Aotearoa New Zealand
A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of the Afghan Evacuee Resettlement Programme in Aotearoa New Zealand
Summary
In 2021, over 1,700 Afghan evacuees resettled in New Zealand received tailored support from NFACT. A mixed-methods evaluation found high satisfaction, with evacuees praising guidance and staff commitment despite limited resources. Findings highlight the importance of culturally sensitive, sustainable resettlement programmes to support integration and humanitarian responses.
Refugees and mental wellbeing. A call for community approaches in Aotearoa New Zealand
Summary
The purpose of this paper is to examine community based, trauma informed to support refugee mental health and wellbeing, recognising that refugee status is met through forced displacement in which refugees have experience of personal human rights abuses and have survived atrocities in which family and community have been lost.
Mental health and wellbeing of ethnic migrant women and girls in Aotearoa New Zealand: a scoping review
This review examined studies on the mental health of Asian and MELAA women and girls in New Zealand. Findings highlight limited and inconsistent data, with few studies providing detailed breakdowns. More focused research is needed to inform evidence-based policies and support equitable wellbeing outcomes for these communities.
Structural and Cultural Competencies in Maternity Care for Ethnic Minority and Migrant Women: Practitioner Perspectives from Aotearoa New Zealand
Abstract
Purpose – With global migration, the number of ethnic minority and migrant women receiving maternity health care in dominantly Anglo-European societies has increased significantly but they consistently have among the worst pregnancy and maternal outcomes. This paper aims to analyse gaps in structural (migration-related inequalities) and cultural (responsiveness to ethno-cultural practices) competencies among maternal health practitioners in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ).
Design/methodology/approach – Using a semi-structured interview guide, in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 maternal health practitioners in NZ. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis framework.
Findings – The results highlight significant barriers around language and communication, cultural stereotyping by professionals, ethnic women’s own constraints around family and cultural expectations and their lack of knowledge about reproductive health. In addition, practitioners’ own ethnic differences are inseparable from their approach to structural and cultural competencies; there were instances of ‘over-’ or ‘under-’ reading of culture, practitioner constructions of ideal pregnancies and anti-racism concerns that shaped maternal care practices that were sensitive to, but also marginalised, ethnic migrant women who attended maternity services.
Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the only study in NZ that examines the impact of complex dynamics of migration and culture on knowledge, beliefs and values of practitioners, in context of their own personal biographies. Identifying strategies to improve the way diversity is practiced in hospital settings can be transformational in improving maternal outcomes for ethnic migrant women in NZ.