Auckland's multicultural future

The Royal Commission has a lot to say about many aspects of Auckland’s future, but there is one omission that is puzzling. There is relatively little acknowledgement of the way in which migration – both internal and international – has remade the city in the last 3-4 decades. Yes, there are references to the fact that ‘Aucklanders are culturally diverse and cosmopolitan’, that the mayor would need to promote and welcome diversity, and that there should be Pacific and Ethnic advisory panels. But given how similar cities address diversity, especially in terms of an economic dividend, are these adequate?

Vancouver is a similar sized city to Auckland, with much the same proportion that is overseas-born (about 40%). Through the 1970s and 1980s, the city was pre-occupied with the traditional issues of infrastructure – growth management, land use, transportation and environment. But a mayor in the late 1980s recognised that cultural diversity was significantly changing Vancouver’s metropolitan economy and communities. In the last two decades, the institutional and governance structures have moved to actively ensure that immigrants and their descendants are integrated into the city’s economy and social structures. The response has ‘thickened’ (Leonie Sandercock’s term) what is done institutionally in recognition that the well-being of the city is dependant on successful immigrant integration.

Elements in this recognition in Vancouver and elsewhere in Canada include how best to represent the immigrant voice in political decision-making (is an ethnic advisory panel for Auckland sufficient?), accommodating diversity into urban planning (the Canadians refer to “multicultural” or “diversity planning”) and seeing immigrant employers and employees as a critical part of the economy. Practical effects of these include the routine translation of important documents into a range of languages  (yes, there is an additional cost), automatically including immigrant representatives on planning committees or task forces, policies for culture-specific institutions such as places of worship, promoting and resourcing ethnic community initiatives and considering ethnic commercial areas and neighbourhoods as a routine aspect of the city in terms of planning. Some of these are apparent in Auckland at the moment, but there is often a significant difference in terms of what a city like Vancouver or Toronto does, and Auckland.

The issue of ethnic business activity is an interesting one. Markets like Otara and Avondale, ethnic business precincts like Meadowlands or Northcote and festivals have become an important part of Auckland’s economy. But they have developed largely in spite of urban planning processes and as an expression of the interests of the immigrant communities themselves. Again, in Canada, the question of how to support such developments is subject to a lively debate and hardly without its problems. Is the city promoting ethnic separatism or ghettoes? Why should members of an ethnic minority deserve “special treatment”? But the debate is also influenced by civic virtues that celebrate diversity and ask how best to support ethnic businesses for the benefit of all. The Canadians have responded, in a large part positively, to the development of new ethnic retailing and businesses as a key part of contemporary urban landscapes.

The label ‘superdiversity’ refers to any city which has more than 25% of its population from ethnic minorities. If mid-level population projections are accurate, then by 2016, about one-quarter of Auckland will be made up of Asian communities, another quarter by Maori and Pasifika communities and the rest by a mix of local Pakeha and various European immigrants. Auckland easily exceeds the superdiversity threshold and the future will see enhanced levels of ethnic diversity. The Royal Commission recognised the Maori presence, at least in terms of the two councillors from the Maori electoral roll and one appointed by mana whenua (now apparently gone), but not the economic significance or impact of immigrant/ethnic communities, businesses or workers. Ultimately, there are major gains to be made by strengthening city governance processes to attract and benefit from immigrant diversity and to make Auckland a much more welcoming destination for immigrants.

Professor Paul Spoonley is Regional Director (Auckland), College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Massey University and the Director of a major research project on the integration of immigrants.