Q&A: Manying Ip

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Associate Professor Manying Ip
Asia:NZ Trustee; Associate Professor of Chinese, School of Asian Studies, University of Auckland

Manying Ip came to New Zealand in 1974 from Hong Kong where her family lived for five generations. With her strong classical Chinese education at home and colonial English education at shool, she grew up sharply aware of the challenges of being cross-cultural.

Her interest in Maori-Chinese interactions started from the mid 1980s when she conducted extensive qualitative interviews among the pioneering Chinese families, which grew ever stronger with the immigration and ethnic identity debates of the recent decade.

Manying is Associate Professor in Asian Studies at The University of Auckland and the author of several critically acclaimed books on Chinese in New Zealand. These include: Aliens At My Table: Asians as New Zealanders See Them (Penguin, 2005), Unfolding Identity, Evolving Identity: The Chinese in New Zealand (Auckland University Press, 2003) as well as numerous journal articles and book chapters on issues pertaining to recent Asian immigrants. Dr Ip’s most recent book Being Maori-Chinese: Mixed Identities (Auckland University Press, 2008) uses extensive interviews with seven different families of mixed Chinese-Maori descent to explore both historical and contemporary relations between Maori and Chinese, a subject which has not been given serious extended study before. Her edited volume The Dragon and The Taniwha: Maori and Chinese in New Zealand will be published in April 2009, investigating the complex social fabric of New Zealand and offering a nuanced study of ancient and contemporary shared identities amongst two significant ethnic minority groups.

Dr Ip is a respected advocate for Chinese communities living in New Zealand. She was awarded a Suffrage Centennial Medal in 1993 and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996.  In 2004 she co-directed New Faces Old Fears, a television documentary exploring racism, multiculturalism and social cohesion in New Zealand. In late 2008, she was elected a Fellow of the New Zealand Academy of Humanities (FNZAH) in recognition of her distinction in research and the advancement of the humanities.

1. Your most recent publication Being Maori–Chinese: Mixed Identities explores the historical and contemporary significance of the relationship between Maori and Chinese New Zealanders.  How did you become interested in this topic and what were some of the most interesting findings?

Ever since I started conducting oral interviews on the early days of Chinese New Zealanders, I heard my interviewees mentioning their relationship with Maori people: as co-workers in the market gardens, as neighbours  and workmates. Quite often they mentioned the existence of mixed Maori-Chinese families because early Chinese men came to New Zealand as bachelors and many of them formed relationships with Maori women.

But in recent decades, ever since the arrival of the new Asian immigrants, a number of prominent Maori leaders have been very vocal in their opposition to immigration. The changing relationship between these two ethnic groups therefore became a worthy subject of investigation for me.  I firmly believe that it holds the key to better understanding of race relations in New Z ealand.

The most interesting findings are:

• The noticeable difference between the general attitude of the urban and rural populations

• The apparent influence of the media on how these two groups feel towards each other

• The very powerful determinant of how the Pakeha majority view them and place them.

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

Asia is where New Zealand’s future lies.  For too long New Zealand had a blinkered vision towards this very important region: pretending that Asia did not matter, that it was far away  - calling it the Far East, ignoring the potential of Asian trade links and downgrading Asian cultural influences.

Geopolitical realities mean that New Zealand must understand Asia better, for strategic, political and economic reasons.  The presence of a significant number of recent Asian migrants also means that their customs and culture need to be understood, because they are New Zealand’s new citizens.

3. What are some of the main challenges Asian immigrants and international students face when they first arrive in New Zealand?

New Asian immigrants and international students need to adapt to a new culture.  New Zealand has never been very experienced in welcoming people who are non-Pakeha.  Its racial homogeneity has made it very self-centred.  Immigrants are expected to be acculturated.  The country is largely monolingual, with little understanding and respect for other languages and cultures.

While most newcomers would praise New Zealanders for being friendly and honest, they are also taken aback when they find out that New Zealand society is so monocultural, with inadequate support systems in place for people of other cultures.

4. Since you first arrived in New Zealand in 1974, how have perceptions changes towards Asian immigrants?
In the 1970s, Asian immigrants were few and far between.  They were expected to be hardworking, intelligent but keep a low profile, be trouble-free, be very competent in their professions but socially and politically to ‘know their place’ - they should not be tall poppies.

In the 1990s, Asian immigrants were perceived to be super-rich, high-flying, with little commitment to New Zealand, brash and rude.  Their presence was tolerated only because they were needed to ‘kick-start the economy’.  Their children were seen to be too smart, taking most of the academic prizes by working too hard. Curiously, some of these children were also criticised for their lack of English ability, and becoming a drain of their teachers’ time.

In 2009, the Asian ethnic group is still widely recognised as the group that suffers the greatest social discrimination.  At the same time, some public events like the Chinese New Year and Diwali are widely recognised and celebrated.  The Lantern Festival, for example, has by now become an iconic event in which a large numbers of non-Asians widely participate.