A New Zealand flag envelops the head of a Buddhist monk, U Sasana, in Auckland's Queen Elizabeth Square in December 2007. The occasion was the start of the Global Human Rights Torch relay which went through 35 countries in an effort to encourage a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. Changes in immigration rules in 1986 opened up New Zealand to a range of new settlers of more diverse origins than previously. The result was a big increase in immigrants from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.  Increasingly multiculturalism and diversity became central to New Zealand identity.