Story Summary
Arrivals and settlement
Immigration from the Philippines to New Zealand increased from the 1980s and boomed in the 2000s. In the 1980s most migrants were young women, many of whom had met New Zealand men through friends or advertisements. Over time, more Filipino men also arrived.
Skilled migrants have included IT workers from the late 1980s, medical professionals from the late 1990s, and technicians, electricians and rural workers in the 2000s.
Filipino students came to New Zealand from the 1960s under the Colombo Plan, and Filipinos continued to study in New Zealand in the 2010s.
Employment issues
Filipinos looking for work overseas often use immigration agencies in the Philippines, which arrange papers, work and travel. Many come to New Zealand on temporary visas, and hope to be able to stay.
Some Filipino nurses and dairy workers have been exploited by agents charging high fees and giving wrong information, and sometimes by employers offering low wages and poor conditions. Support groups and organisations have been set up to address these problems.
Culture
Traditional Filipino values of smooth social interaction, self-esteem, reciprocity and extended family are important. People enjoy shopping and sports, especially basketball.
The first Filipino club was set up in Auckland in 1976, and in the 2010s there are dozens of organisations around the country. They hold events including cultural performances, basketball and beauty contests. Philippine Independence Day is celebrated on 12 June, marking the day the Philippines became independent from Spain in 1898.
Today most Filipinos are bilingual – at home, many speak ‘Tag-lish’, a mixture of the Filipino language Tagalog and English. Most are Roman Catholics.
Many Kiwi Filipinos call themselves ‘Fiwis’.