The Asia New Zealand Foundation is questioning whether the rise in Auckland suburbs dominated by an Asian population is leading to a segregation problem, Radio New Zealand reports.
Released today, a new @asianewzealand report on Asian Auckland: the multiple meanings of diversity http://t.co/gLqUaP3sIN
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The foundation has released a study focusing on significant clusters of Auckland's Asian population - so called "ethnoburbs" - and report author Wardlow Friesen said the number of areas with more than 50 percent of the population being of Asian origin had increased.
These areas include newly developed housing areas in Botany Downs and Dannemora where between 60 and 80 percent of their populations classified as Asian.
“It can be debated whether this constitutes 'segregation' and whether it is a problem.”
But Massey University immigration professor Paul Spoonley said this was normal, and not a problem.
“Let's be careful about whether we call it segregation or ghetto-isation, as opposed to concentrations, which you see in any immigrant city around the world.”
Auckland Council's Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel chair Feroz Ali said there were other ethnic concentrations in Auckland - like Maori and Pacific Islanders in parts of south Auckland and Europeans in Remuera.
“We are not segregating. I think people move into certain areas based on affordability, income thresholds, etc.”
