Indian Settlement in NZ: Then and Now
Despite the myth of cultural prohibitions preventing Indians from crossing the ocean, Indians have been an outgoing people since the ancient period. Coming to the more modern period, with the establishment of the British Empire in India in the eighteenth century, Indians have migrated wherever the Empire expanded. As lascars they were sailing in the East India Company ships; as sepoys they were protecting the empire; as indentured labourers they were developing its plantation economy; as babus they were manning the lower levels of its administration. In a real sense the Indians were partners in empire building.
In the postcolonial period, through professional migration and student mobility, thousands of Indians travel to different parts of the world every year. According to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs of the Government of India, about 22 million people of Indian origin lived in 205 countries in May 2012. A good many of them stay in our part of the world too. Last week the New Zealand India Research Institute organised a workshop to discuss various aspects of Indian migration to the Pacific and Indian Ocean states. Twelve papers were presented to cover the history of this migration to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Southeast Asia, from the colonial period to the present day. We may present here some interesting new information presented at the workshop about Indians in New Zealand.
Our knowledge about the first arrival of Indians in Aotearoa has now shifted, as we now know, thanks to the research of the Waikato scholar Todd Nachowitz, that the first Indians arrived here in 1769, the year James Cook first touched the shores of New Zealand. Nachowitz further showed in his paper in this workshop that throughout the eighteenth century in countless ships hundreds of Indian lascars (sailors) and sepoys (soldiers) visited New Zealand. In other words, along with the Europeans, the Indians were also partners in the early exploration and settlement of this land from the very beginning of its history. It is time that this story is properly recognised in the nation’s history.
I have also mentioned in my previous columns that the size and character of the Indian population in New Zealand have significantly changed in the past decade. Now from Alison Booth’s analysis of the 2013 census figures we know that 93.7% of these Kiwi-Indians live in the North Island; 90.8% can speak English; over 81% have fulltime employment, with $27,400as median income. Most of them are professionals, managers and sales workers, engaged in retail trade, health care and hospitality industry.Also a large section of this Indian population are students, as Indian student enrolment in New Zealand has increased from slightly over 2000 in 2006 to over 15,000 in 2014.
In recent weeks this sudden influx of Indian students has been a subject of public debate, as unlike other Asian students, Indians prefer to take an immigration path. However, what is interesting about of this enrolment pattern is that 66% of these Indian students have enrolled in various Private Training Establishments, 24% in Polytechnics and only 9% in universities. So the question is, are these students coming for the right type of qualifications, which can get them jobs in New Zealand, and eventually residency? If not, then we are seeing here a problem in the making.
Despite the myth of cultural prohibitions preventing Indians from crossing the ocean, Indians have been an outgoing people since the ancient period. Coming to the more modern period, with the establishment of the British Empire in India in the eighteenth century, Indians have migrated wherever the...
Despite the myth of cultural prohibitions preventing Indians from crossing the ocean, Indians have been an outgoing people since the ancient period. Coming to the more modern period, with the establishment of the British Empire in India in the eighteenth century, Indians have migrated wherever the Empire expanded. As lascars they were sailing in the East India Company ships; as sepoys they were protecting the empire; as indentured labourers they were developing its plantation economy; as babus they were manning the lower levels of its administration. In a real sense the Indians were partners in empire building.
In the postcolonial period, through professional migration and student mobility, thousands of Indians travel to different parts of the world every year. According to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs of the Government of India, about 22 million people of Indian origin lived in 205 countries in May 2012. A good many of them stay in our part of the world too. Last week the New Zealand India Research Institute organised a workshop to discuss various aspects of Indian migration to the Pacific and Indian Ocean states. Twelve papers were presented to cover the history of this migration to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Southeast Asia, from the colonial period to the present day. We may present here some interesting new information presented at the workshop about Indians in New Zealand.
Our knowledge about the first arrival of Indians in Aotearoa has now shifted, as we now know, thanks to the research of the Waikato scholar Todd Nachowitz, that the first Indians arrived here in 1769, the year James Cook first touched the shores of New Zealand. Nachowitz further showed in his paper in this workshop that throughout the eighteenth century in countless ships hundreds of Indian lascars (sailors) and sepoys (soldiers) visited New Zealand. In other words, along with the Europeans, the Indians were also partners in the early exploration and settlement of this land from the very beginning of its history. It is time that this story is properly recognised in the nation’s history.
I have also mentioned in my previous columns that the size and character of the Indian population in New Zealand have significantly changed in the past decade. Now from Alison Booth’s analysis of the 2013 census figures we know that 93.7% of these Kiwi-Indians live in the North Island; 90.8% can speak English; over 81% have fulltime employment, with $27,400as median income. Most of them are professionals, managers and sales workers, engaged in retail trade, health care and hospitality industry.Also a large section of this Indian population are students, as Indian student enrolment in New Zealand has increased from slightly over 2000 in 2006 to over 15,000 in 2014.
In recent weeks this sudden influx of Indian students has been a subject of public debate, as unlike other Asian students, Indians prefer to take an immigration path. However, what is interesting about of this enrolment pattern is that 66% of these Indian students have enrolled in various Private Training Establishments, 24% in Polytechnics and only 9% in universities. So the question is, are these students coming for the right type of qualifications, which can get them jobs in New Zealand, and eventually residency? If not, then we are seeing here a problem in the making.
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