Abstract
This chapter presents the marginalised voices in the Ōtautahi Christchurch recovery and ongoing disasters by exploring the experiences of Asian migrant workers, particularly Filipinos. These Asian migrant workers are essential workers as they have filled the segmented labour market gaps in the Ōtautahi rebuild, redevelopment and further growth. However, they are often exploited and treated as “invisible second-class citizens”. We explore the structural factors in their home countries and Aotearoa New Zealand that shape migrant worker vulnerability and resilience. In our analysis, we take a critical approach and take into consideration the paradox of marginalised groups being simultaneously vulnerable and resilient. We emphasise the importance of social capital yet, instead of solely focusing on individualised empowerment, call for structural transformation to develop new Ōtautahi, which is a more inclusive, diverse, multicultural and just society.
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Notes
- 1.
There are key differences between migrants and immigrants (i.e. immigrants typically move to a destination country as permanent or long-term residents). However, while we do not intend to use the terms interchangeably, migrants on temporary visas may change their status over time and sometimes become immigrants.
- 2.
Our inquiries were conducted in 2015–2021: (1) as a part of his doctoral research, one of the authors conducted 28 in-depth qualitative interviews with migrants, refugees and linguistic minorities on their experience of the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and (2) the other authors conducted field work, face-to-face interviews and an online survey of Filipino migrants (n = 68) in Ōtautahi between January 2016 and March 2017 (a few follow-ups in 2021). The purpose of these studies was to elicit specific and personal responses about their experience prior, during and after the Canterbury earthquake sequence.
- 3.
See Philippines Statistics Authority’s 2018 family income and expenditure survey (available at https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/FIES%202018%20Final%20Report.pdf).
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Garces-Ozanne, A., Makabenta-Ikeda, M., Uekusa, S. (2022). Asian Migrant Worker Experiences in Ōtautahi Christchurch. In: Uekusa, S., Matthewman, S., Glavovic, B.C. (eds) A Decade of Disaster Experiences in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6863-0_10
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