Q&A with Andrew Butcher

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Dr Andrew Butcher
Director, Research and Policy at Asia:NZ

Andrew joined Asia:NZ in 2006. A sociologist, also with degrees in history and criminology, he has previously worked in the New Settlers Programme at Massey University and in the National Research Unit of Inland Revenue. He has delivered guest lectures at the universities of Oxford, Otago, Massey and Victoria University of Wellington, where he is also a Fellow of the Asian Studies Institute. He has authored or co-authored over thirty papers, chapters, books and articles. His PhD, which he completed in 2002, was on the re-entry of Asian students after they had studied in New Zealand.

1. In your view, why is increased knowledge and understanding of Asia in New Zealand so important?

The New Zealand of the twenty-first century will be significantly shaped by how it interacts with the Asian region, on one hand, and the Asian populations in New Zealand, on the other hand. The geo-political and economic shifts will increasingly centre upon Asia and, as New Zealand’s major trade is with the Asian region,that has important economic implications for us. But more than that, the Asian populations in New Zealand are projected to equal those of New Zealand’s Maori population while in places like Auckland the Pakeha/European New Zealander population is projected to be at only 50%. So the neighbourhoods in which we live, the places we go to work, the schools we send our children to: all will be very different because of the impact and influence of New Zealand’s Asian populations. We need to be well equipped to deal with those changes.

2. Tell us more about the range of research projects Asia:NZ commissions.

Asia:NZ commissions a wide range of research. In the past few years’ we’ve commissioned research on the Asian population in New Zealand’s major cities; doing business in Korea; Chinese owned and operated businesses in Auckland; track two institutions in Australia and New Zealand; school principals’ awareness of Asia and New Zealanders’ perceptions of Asia and Asian peoples, to name just a few of our main research projects.

3. Can you comment on the experience of many international students who come to study in New Zealand? How could their experiences both in coming to New Zealand and in returning to their home country be improved?

The experiences of international students who come to New Zealand are as diverse as the number of international students who study here. Otago University, for example, has more American students than Chinese students (as in students from China). So no longer can we say that ‘international student’ in New Zealand equates with ‘Asian student’. And even amongst Asian students who study in New Zealand, there is remarkable diversity and change. When we first accepted students from Asia to New Zealand, they were predominantly from Southeast Asia. Now, most of our students from Asia are from China and India.

Students’ experiences in New Zealand and once they return home (and if they return home; latest figures show 20 percent of international students stay in New Zealand after they’ve graduated) can be influenced by a range of factors. Managing their expectations is important. I remember one student I spoke to when I did my PhD was told that New Zealand was ‘crime-free’! Other students expect that when they return home they will get a well-paying job immediately. That’s certainly not true now in a recession. It can be distressing for students who had this expectation to wait two or three months before they get a job.

There are other challenges students face upon their return home: adjusting to living back with their parents can be very tricky, especially if the student has adopted different beliefs or values while they’ve been in New Zealand; being physically distant from friends they’ve made in New Zealand (even co-nationals, who might live in another part of a big city) can make their re-entry experience isolating and difficult. It’s important that students are realistic about what life will be like and how difficult it will be for them when they return home. The reverse culture shock that students’ experience when they return home is often far worse than the culture shock they experienced when they first came to New Zealand, often because they’re completely unprepared for it.

4. Tell us a little about your upcoming publication ’Being a good neighbour: New Zealand and Track Two Diplomacy in Southeast Asia’.  How did you become interested in this topic and what did you consider some of the most interesting findings?

This is a book chapter for a book based on the 2008 Otago Foreign Policy School “Public Participation in Foreign Policy”. Track 2 diplomacy is an important part of the Foundation’s work and this chapter summarises some of the key issues surrounding Track 2 diplomacy in the Asia Pacific generally and New Zealand in particular. It takes its title from the 2007 Government White Paper “Our Future with Asia”, where it notes New Zealand’s aspiration to be a “good neighbour” in the region.