INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUPS SUMMARY

The Chinese Focus Group

None of the Chinese students in the group were born in New Zealand and two were fee-paying students. They either followed their parents who migrated here or were sent here by their parents to attend the local schools. Most of them did not have a choice or much input into the decision to go overseas, even though some were able to choose the country they went to. Several students were happy to leave their home countries because of the tremendous pressure in the schools there.

My dad first came to New Zealand in 1986 to do his Ph.D. and decided to migrate here. I was told (by my mom), honey, you got to go to New Zealand and I said, "What New Zealand, where's that?" My mom said, "here's your passport, here is your visa, that's it, you got to."

I came here for fun, got nothing to do in Taiwan. I came here because my cousin was here. May think about going to Canada in another two years.

I came here to learn English. My uncle lives here.

My parents decided to come to New Zealand. I really wanted to come here because less pressure, I feel the pressure to study in high school in Taiwan.

Several members of the group experienced varying degrees of difficulties with the English language, especially with the Kiwi accent, slang and colloquialisms. Their lack of language proficiency, particularly in oral communication, was considered a major problem.

What we learn about English in China is quite different from what we are using here. It's American English in China. I just can't understand what they (kiwis) are saying for half a year.

When I first came here, communication was the only problem I had. It's hard to make friends with the Kiwis.

Besides communication problems, differences in culture also contribute significantly to the difficulties foreign students encounter in coping with their studies.

I find the way the class is run is very different from what I am used to. The teacher behaves quite different and the class is very noisy.

Kiwi students, they joke in class all the time, they don't treat their classes seriously.

Teachers here are more like friends than those in China.

When I first came to New Zealand in 1990, I went to Lincoln Primary School, that was a totally countryside school. I was the only Chinese guy there and every body else is European, they got some kind of strange feeling, but later on they got used to me.

I was kind of disappointed at the amount of homework; because I was told in China that if you don't work, you're just going to be a drop out. In China, we have like 6 hours of homework everyday. When I came to New Zealand, we get like about 6 minutes of homework (in primary school). I was very worried.

I thought school in New Zealand is just too relaxed; no serious work.

When I first come here, I find it difficult to get used to the school rules. I went to the staff room to find the teacher and she told me that "you are not supposed to be here."

Some teachers here will explain over the subjects again if you don't understand. The class here is small. Back home, we have to get a tuition teacher.

The students, however, felt that they had been treated fairly by most of their teachers, except for a few. Most students, nevertheless, experienced difficulties because of the mismatch in the students' English abilities and teachers' expectations. It is interesting to note that problems can arise from either an overly high or low expectation.

Some teachers get really moody because you don't understand their questions.

Some teachers are quite impatient when the Asian students try to answer questions.

In addition to the impact on students' studies, cultural differences also contributed significantly to their difficulties in adjusting socially.

When I first came here, we do not know how to behave ourselves because we come from different cultural background. Here, we don't put our hands over our friends' shoulders; in China we do it.

When I was in China, I thought cheese was very tasty but when I came here and first tasted cheese, it was yucks! My father, his dog (dish as in food) is very good but we cannot eat dog here. I don't know why it's not good to eat dog, what's the difference between a dog and a chicken?

When we go to the supermarket, we don't know what is in there (supermarket). We go to the Asian shops to buy them (our food) but they don't always have them (what we want).

Everything is so expensive. A little package of thing (food in the supermarket) is like NZ$30; back in China it's a few cents.

Most students, who were not staying with their families, had mixed feelings about their home-stays. Again, differences in culture can create problems for the students.

The first one I stayed with was really horrible. I didn't know where to go to get Chinese food. I got to eat fish and chips with them all the time; it's so horrible. I ask my guardian to change my home-stay. Now this one, they always ask me what I want to eat. I stayed with this one for one and a half years already. They are really good to me, just like my grandfather.

In addition to a home-stay, a guardian is required for students whose parents are not staying here with the students, and most schools prefer to have a guardian who is not also the home-stay. However, most of the students, who had guardians, expressed dissatisfaction with them.

My guardian really do nothing for me. I pay the guardian fee and I hate it.

I don't know why we need a guardian. I was told it's because we are under-aged. They do nothing. I think it's wasting money to get a guardian.

Most of the students had difficulties making friends initially. This is true for both Asian and Kiwi friends. Again, one has to remember that Asia comprises a large variety of different cultures and even among the Chinese Asians, there are very distinct differences in behavior depending on where they are from.

Even if we are all Asians (Chinese), we come from different countries; some come from Taiwan; some come from Malaysia; some come from China. There's quite a big difference in the way they speak Chinese. I couldn't get used to it when I first come here. The second thing is the way they are acting, behaving.

It's quite hard to get along with the Europeans because you are really different. They don't really like you and they look at you funny, like you are stupid or something.

Sometimes, it's quite hard to communicate with them (Europeans); I don't talk like them; I know who I am and I don't have to change; it's OK to just talk to them (casual conversation).

Whenever you talk to me, I'll talk to you. Whenever you don't talk to me, it's good-bye. If they have this kind of attitude, why bother to stick around with them.

Several students continued to face the dilemma of being caught between two cultures. Most students found it difficult to both retain their cultural heritage and mix with the Europeans, and choosing either produced problems of its own. Several of the students felt that they were now neither Asians nor Kiwis.

After 4 years at Lincoln Primary, my English was almost perfect. When I went to Kirkwood, I was surprised to see so many Chinese but I forgot half my Chinese. I find it hard to communicate with the Chinese. They speak with a funny accent, not that their accent is wrong or anything. I find it more difficult to communicate in Chinese than in English. I decided to go for Chinese class; that's when I started making Chinese friends. I find that if you stick around with your Chinese friends, your English just went straight down hill. Now, I try deliberately to stick around with English people just to keep my English up.

When I first came, I went to Westburn, there was only one other Asian there. I don't really like her. So, I have to make English friends. I get to learn English; that makes my English improve a lot. Whenever, I saw any Asians, I felt really close to them; I felt like making friends with them because there are so few Asians in school. When you hang out with the Asian crowd, you find you can't get back into the European crowd anymore because it changes the way you think, the way you act. I have to choose what kind of friends I want. I think it's hard to make friends both ways. It's very sad, you just don't fit into any group at all.

The experiences of Asian students with their Kiwi counterparts were not all negative. In fact, several students had some good Kiwi friends.

I have heaps of European friends and Asians friends. I think my European friends treat me better.

I speak to my Kiwi friends all the time; sometimes, they are very helpful; they help me a lot in my homework.

I try to communicate with the Kiwis even if it's mostly one-way; I can understand them but they find it hard to understand what I say; at least it helps with my English.

When faced with difficulties, most of the students confided in their parents and friends. As expected, none of the students sought help from outsiders, such as school counsellors or local aid organizations, because such practices were not considered proper in most Asian cultures.

I call my parents; just tell them your happiness, your sadness and they sometimes comfort you. Sometimes, I talk to myself at night.

I keep a diary. I write what happened. In China, there's a proverb "failure is the mother of success" and the next time you learn from them; you learn from your mistakes.

I try to forget it.

Friends, particularly this friend (whom) I know three years ago. We talk a lot.

I've this group of friends, six of them; when I felt desperate and have to tell someone, I just call one of them. I don't like to share with my parents right now, they are quite different from me already.

(My preacher: translated from Mandarin) says when you have problems, talk to Jesus. If you have problems, they (people from church) will help.

Most of the students were not comfortable talking to outsiders about their problems, especially the school counsellors because they felt embarrassed to share their problems with a stranger. This predicament indicated that school counsellors, in general, did not project themselves effectively among the students as persons who were warm, friendly, trustworthy and helpful. Students still perceived them as strangers who served little purpose. However, a few students, or their friends, did have some positive experience with their school counsellors.

They do nothing.

They sit around and do nothing.

I don't think our school counsellor does anything anyway.

The seniors told him (my friend) that he won't achieve anything (going to the see the counsellor). He'll just look like a total idiot.

People are too embarrassed to go to them (counsellors).

I think it's very difficult to approach a stranger about your personal life.

If you see your counsellor about your teacher or other students, you don't know whether the counsellor will go talking about it in school and the teacher will ask you and makes you feel very difficult.

I did see my school counsellor once. There is this girl in school. She owes me a lot of money. I talked to the counsellor and she told me that this girl owes many people money. She (my counsellor) solved my problems.

There is this guy in class; the economics teachers hated him. He went to see the school counsellor and he (the counsellor) solved the problem. The three of them (student, teacher and counsellor) sat around and had a talk.

Compared with Kiwi students, Asian students have different preferences in after school activities. Although many Asians like sports, they are not "religious" about it like the Kiwis are. Asian students also prefer different kinds of sports. Whereas most Kiwis prefer rugby or cricket, most Asians like basketball, badminton and table tennis.

Sport is their (Kiwi students) life. If you don't play rugby or cricket, you don't have a life. If you play computer games, you are a nerd; that's their attitude.

I am representing my school for badminton.

I join the chess club and social basketball. I represent my school in basketball.

I am in the school basketball team and I am involved in the international festival. I will take part in the school play.

Many Asian students, especially female students, do not participate in the activities organized by the school. Most of the students would rather stay home to play computer games or the piano and talk to friends over the phone. Their favourite hangouts are the shopping malls and coffee shops.

I am not interested in the things they have (in school). I rather go to the library or play piano at home.

I don't play rugby because it's easy to get injury. I like table tennis but there is no table tennis table in school, so I play chess.

I mostly stay home and play computer games.

I mostly stay home and talk to friends (over the phone) and watch TV.

We go to the mall and sometimes to QEII.

I go to coffee shops quite often. We went to almost every coffee shop in Christchurch.

There were many suggestions provided by the students on how to improve their stay in school and in Christchurch.

Dances; although I never turned out at any before, I hope there will be a dance every Friday night; maybe next time, I get to go.

More basketball courts.

Computer games competition.

Not enough basketball courts. They (school) take off the net. The reason is that outsiders take it down and sell it.

The footpath outside the school; I heard that it is going to be build ages ago.

Even though most of them enjoyed themselves here, they would like to go back to their home countries. The overwhelming reason given was the lack of job opportunities in New Zealand. Many students have parents who experienced difficulties in getting a job even though their parents are very highly qualified.

Mixed feeling: 90% happy and 10% sad. New Zealand is really quite a peaceful place. The standard of living is really high compared to China but you miss the cultural stuff.

If I had a choice, I would not have come because it's nothing like I`d imagined. I am not exactly Chinese, not exactly European. I don't think I can go back to China because my Chinese is not half as good as what I need to be but my thinking is totally European. Later on when it comes time for employment, if they (employers here) have a choice between a European and you, even if you have the same qualification or better, they will probably choose the European.

Finding a job here is very tough. I will go back.

I think I am pretty lucky to have come here but there's a 80% chance I go somewhere. This place is too small and not challenging enough. I want to go somewhere bigger, more opportunity. It's a nice place for retirement.

I think I will go back to Taiwan after school. Will have trouble finding a job here.

I will go back (Hong Kong) or go to Australia. I find that there are not many career opportunities for Asians here.

Maybe go back to Taiwan. I think it will be difficult to find job here.

In summary, most of the students from this group were happy to be studying here although many experienced varying degrees of difficulties, at least initially, in their studies and social activities, due largely to their lack of language proficiency and partly to the differences in culture. Conversely, most of the students in this group did not foresee a bright future in this country because of the lack of career opportunities in general, and for Asians in particular.

The transition for Chinese students from East Asia into the New Zealand environment was not uncommonly difficult and the language barrier appeared to be the significant factor hindering a smooth transition. Although not truly multicultural, the Chinese comprises a fairly diverse group of people and are fairly accustomed to differences in cultural beliefs and practices. They, therefore, would experience a relatively easier transition compared to the more mono-cultural groups like the Koreans and the Japanese.

The Malaysians, Singaporeans and Filipino Focus Group.

Similar to the Chinese group, none of the students in this group were born in New Zealand and four were fee-paying students. Most of the students in this group, however, were not as apprehensive about coming to New Zealand. This confidence may reflect their better command of the English language and their greater exposure to the western culture.

I didn't choose New Zealand, my sister chose New Zealand a few years ago and I had to follow. I came with half a plane of friends.

My family migrated here 5 years ago. The main thing was for our education. They had to sell their business and all that; it was quite difficult (for them).

I came here before for a tour. It's quite a nice place.

Students with host-families were generally quite satisfied with the arrangement and happy with their host-families. It is interesting to note that, in contrast to the Chinese group (although the majority of the students in the group are Chinese), most students in this group referred to the people whom they were staying with as host-families and not as home-stays which would indicate a much closer relationship.

Just like a relative, not a very close relative. You are staying with them (host-family), you can't help but to get to know them. I am just like an adopted daughter.

They (host family) are fine; they are good people.

Surprisingly, not many students expressed concerns over the quality of food in New Zealand. In fact, a few students even expressed their satisfaction with the food in school. This anomaly may, in part, be due to their exposure to western food in their home countries and the ease of these students in finding Asian food in Christchurch.

It's (the food in school) good; it's just expensive.

New Zealand food is good.

Since these students generally have a fairly good command of English, language is not a major barrier even though a few experienced some difficulties in understanding the Kiwi accent and slang. They have no problems making friends, both among the Asians and Kiwi students. Most of the students are able to accept the Kiwi culture even though some prefer to mix more with people of the same culture.

I have many Filipino friends, they are still my best friends, but eventually I found Kiwi friends who accept me as who I am. They are very sincere.

Kiwi students need to know that not all Asians are rich.

I am quite a flexible person, so I have no problem with both. It depends on what kind of person you are. If you come to New Zealand, you have to be an extrovert to make friends. The main problem with Kiwis is that they already have their own clique.

They (Kiwis) are quite all right except a few; there are always a few; they (the few) tease you and call you names.

I tend to mix around with Asians more; with Kiwis, you don't know if it's OK if you do this or do that; you always have to think about these things but they are quite nice people.

Communication is the main criterion (for choosing friends among Kiwis); I don't understand the Kiwi accent.

Some Kiwis are nice but some are not; I mixed around with both; I mix around more with people of my same dialect (one version of spoken Chinese).

Language is not a problem; I find a group of people with common interest. Cultural background is not a problem; I just take it as a learning experience.

Similar to the Chinese group, there was a general consensus that the New Zealand school was not very competitive, at least academically, and the workload was extremely light when compared to that experienced by students in Asia. These differences in the attitude and workload of students in New Zealand versus their counterparts in Asia, may have contributed to the difference in their performances in the International Mathematics and Science Tests.

Most Kiwis just want to pass. Back home, you've to be the first in class (general agreement).

Basically, back home, the parents pressure them (the students). Here, the parents let the kids choose their interest; you don't do so well in school, you still have a life.

Workload is practically non-existent (general agreement).

Besides studies, several students participated in sports in their schools. In addition to the popular sports among the Asians such as basketball, badminton, and table tennis, a few students in this group also expressed their interests in volleyball and tennis. There were, however, several complaints about the availability of sports facilities in school.

I play volleyball for school.

I am in the basketball team.

I play tennis with my friends outside; unless you are very good, you really have no chance to use the sports facilities in school.

Ours (tennis court) you have to pay for it; there's no net.

The basketball court is always occupied by the school team; they take the ring off, you can't even play.

We have a school gym but we can't use it; we have this magnificent NBA basketball court but we can't use it; it's only reserved for the school team.

Several students also had positive experiences with other activities organized by the school such as field trips and club activities.

I went on a field trip; it was very nice.

I join the international club; it's very useful; you get to know a lot of people.

I join the Students Against Drunk Driving; it's boring; they are very disorganized.

I join the air training corps; I want to be a pilot.

In general, most of the students were quite happy with their teachers and did not experience any significant difficulties in communicating with their teachers. A few of the female students felt that they were able to share their concerns with a few selected teachers in school. The male students, however, felt comfortable only with seeking help on schoolwork.

Most of teachers are quite helpful and showed concern but some just want to get through with work and go straight on.

There's really no difference whether you're Asian or not.

Some teachers you can really talk to; it's really good to have someone to talk to.

Some of the teachers are really good, they're very supportive.

Again, most students were not familiar with or appreciated the role of the school counsellor. In fact, a few of the students did not even know such a person existed in their school.

Don't know; never thought to approach her. She's nice but you don't go to see the counsellor unless you have major problems.

I don't go to the counsellor because I don't really trust them. It's hard to communicate with a stranger. I feel very uncomfortable talking to someone in the administration.

As expected, most of the students felt more comfortable sharing their problems with their friends. Besides their friends, some of the students also shared their problems with their parents and relatives.

I have a group of close friends whom I share my problems with (general agreement).

I talk to my aunt; I'm staying with her.

I email my parents; occasionally my dad will respond to my complaints; my mom will type these long letters saying "don't worry dear".

I don't want to worry my parents too much, so I keep it to myself.

The first and foremost complaint, unanimously, was that Christchurch was a very boring place. Upon further discussions, however, it was discovered that most of the students actually participated in many activities organized by the City Council, visited many places of interest and frequented many entertainment centres. The majority of them had been to the QEII Park, the ice-skating rink, Jellie Park, 10-pin bowling alleys, Concert in the Park, the museum and the Art Centre. Although they still felt that there were an insufficient number of such activities and places, they felt that the lack of public transport was the bigger of the two problems.

Christchurch is a very boring place. (unanimous agreement)

Even though there's something happening in Christchurch, we usually don't know about it. They (organizers) need to advertise a bit more.

The museum is quite good; lots of information; needs more natural light in there.

Art Centre is expensive.

QEII is interesting but too far away; transport is a problem.

The concerts in the park are very nice. The McDonald parade and the Teddy Bear picnic are more for the kids.

In Christchurch, you can't really go anywhere; unless you have a car, you are stuck.

The places are too far apart; difficult to get around without a car.

I live in the north and the skating ring is in the south; to get there you have to take so many buses; it take 3-4 hours; then you have to get back; it's not worth going.

Christchurch is safe but too quiet for comfort.

The students provided many suggestions on how to improve the school. Field trips and practical work ranked high on their list, together with better sports and computing facilities. In particular, sports facilities should be made more readily available to the leisure players and coaches should also teach beginners how to play the games instead of just training the school team.

More activities: outdoor ones, field trips and practical work.

There was one trip for Geography and the principal cancelled it because there was not enough money.

Free access to Internet (several in agreement).

First you have to upgrade the computer; it's too slow (many agreed too).

More sports facilities for general use; hire coaches to teach students how to play (general agreement).

In addition, the students also provided many suggestions to the local authorities and other stakeholders on how to improve Christchurch and make it less boring. The top priority was improving the public transport, followed closely by providing more nightlife, especially those suitable for teenagers, not just adults.

I think they should really promote cultural activities; there's sort of a barrier; New Zealand is getting into the multicultural society thing; we should get to know other cultures; it's really important.

More nightlife; there's nothing at night (general consensus);

Disco places that don't have alcohol; most of these places are for young adults; for us, there's nothing (general agreement).

Shopping malls close early; it would be nice if they open till later (general consensus).

Eating places close too early; we go out for food around midnight, after visiting the other places; Denny is the only place that opens late (many agreed).

Carnival and theme parks; Rainbow's End.

An underground train? (general consensus); most cities have 24 hours train.

Improve the bus services; to go from one place to another, you have to take so many buses and it takes so long.

Provide cheap car rental.

What Christchurch has is so inconvenient to get to; where we can get to, there's nothing there (general agreement).

Most of the students knew about the clubs formed by the respective Asian community groups and participated in the activities organized by these clubs. However, they would like to see more activities catering to the youth, not just family orientated activities, and in particular, youth activities among the different Asian groups.

Potluck; Malaysian food.

Just be there and provide moral support.

Book places like Jellie Park for one hour; I understand that it may be difficult; you have to come out with the money, organised it, and then you have to drag people there.

More sports and games among the Asian students. I think sport is a good way to bring them together. Games that you don't get here.

Provide food and they will come. Music, many people like music.

I think everybody should come (including Kiwis). They will come if it's fun.

The idea of a youth support group was also strongly featured and discussed. Respondents preferred a generic Asian group rather than separate groups for each race or nationality. A list of volunteers should be provided to the school and distributed to all Asian students, especially to newcomers. The group should provide an information booklet telling newcomers where the facilities are, important rules and regulations that are different here, and some of the common Kiwi slang and cultural differences that they need to take note of.

Form support groups for the different age groups; when somebody new comes, they can tag along; with people of the same age you don't feel that you're just tagging along. The first 6 months is the most difficult, if you get through it well, you will be fine (general agreement from respondents).

Not too much on regulations; they may feel that it's like back home again. More on how people behave here; don't say you can't do this or you have to do that but say people here do this and people here don't do that.

It is heartening to discover that most of the students enjoyed themselves here and would call Christchurch home. They found Christchurch to be a nice place and their stay here to be enjoyable. A few students, however, felt that their roots were still in Asia.

I would call Christchurch home (many yeas to the comment).

My heart is here but my roots are there (back in own country).

As discussed in the methodology section, the Malaysians, Singaporeans and Filipino students were grouped together because they are all from South East Asia, but more importantly, they live in multicultural societies in which English is widely used. It is not surprising, therefore, that this group of students experienced the least amount of difficulty in adjusting to the New Zealand lifestyle.

Both Malaysia and Singapore were former colonies of the British and gained their independence less than forty years ago. Although the Americans were not successful in formally colonizing the Philippines, their influence in the country cannot be over-emphasized. These countries, therefore, have all inherited a western-style government, even though political power there is not as diffused as in most western countries, and English is widely used in government, commerce and social activities.

More significantly, however, is the fact that their societies are very multicultural, which makes transition into another culture much easier for them. Singapore, for example, has four official languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil) and all students are effectively bilingual, if not multilingual. It is compulsory for all students to take English and one other official language, and many students choose a third language from either Japanese, German, Spanish or French.

Racial harmony is given top national priority because it is critical to the survival of these countries. Similar to Singapore, Malaysia also has the same three major races of people (Chinese, Malays and Indians) with vastly different cultures. Following the racial riot of 1969, the government formulated the Sixth Malaysian Economic Plan with the explicit objective of achieving more equity among the different races. Having lived most of their lives among different cultures, Singaporeans, Malaysians and Filipinos have developed a better understanding and willingness to accept different cultural beliefs and practices.

In addition, the Malaysian, Singaporean and Filipino communities in Christchurch are very active and fairly well organized. The Singapore Club, for example, has four issues of newsletters a year and these are sent to the New Zealand High Commission in Singapore and a copy of the most recent issue is displayed on its notice board. Any one applying for a visa to New Zealand is likely to know of the Club and many newcomers contact the Club before their arrival, although a few choose to remain apart.

It is therefore not surprising that most of the students enjoyed school here, and for the fee-paying students, their stay with their host-families. In general, they experienced relatively fewer problems in making friends with either Asians or Kiwis. However, like other Asians, when they needed help, they tend to seek assistance only from family members or close friends. Their main complaints revolved around the lack of public transportation and nightlife in Christchurch.

The Korean Focus Group

As expected, none of the Korean students in the group were born in New Zealand and there were quite a number of fee-paying students. Again, most of the students did not have any input into the decision to come to New Zealand.

I came here before with my parents (tour); they want me to study here.

I was (supposed) to go the USA but it's quite complicated to go up there, so I decided to go to New Zealand first; then I decided to stay here.

My parents want (me) to study in New Zealand.

I traveled once to New Zealand. It's quite nice.

My father's friend lives here.

With the exception of two students who had been here at a young age, most of the Korean students felt homesick initially. Loneliness was the main cause of the desolation but the lack of English proficiency also contributed significantly to their isolation induced despair. This phenomenon was particularly evident in female students, with a few of them on the verge of tears when the topic was discussed. This desolation also hit a very sensitive spot of a fairly shy male student.

Homesick; no one to talk to.

Very homesick; want to go home; don't know why I came.

If I study or play with my friends, I forget about that.

I was very homesick; I call my parents; they don't really understand; I feel very painful in my heart.

The sense of despair was very strong in students who were staying with New Zealanders because they could not communicate due to their poor command of English.

Translated: I've great difficulties with English; I cannot talk to my host-family.

It (home-stay) was very hard for me; my English is not good.

Many of the students will also have problems making Kiwi friends because of their low proficiency in English and their keen awareness of their cultural differences.

You feel like they don't want you here (several agreed).

I talk to representative of the Korean students; we got on well; I have friends now.

Food is a problem; what we eat, people "Errgh" (sound of disgust);

Also holding hands and things (several agreed).

Pointing; it's not really bad in my country (many agreed).

As expected, none of the students consulted with the school counsellor on problems other than their difficulties in coping with their studies, a problem that they tend to discuss more with their teachers instead.

I talk study things with teacher; sometimes the counsellor.

I talk (on the phone) to my parents in Korea.

In school, I talk to teacher on subjects and things. I found in Papanui High School, teacher help really good. I was about to change my school to private school but I decided not to go; I like the school because of the teacher.

Most students felt that their teachers did not treat them differently from the other students in class and some teachers in fact gave them extra help with their studies. The selection of appropriate subjects also had a significant impact on the students' abilities to cope with their studies because of the differential demand on English.

Geography and history is very difficult for me.

I take English, Music and Photography; Photography is fun; I spent a lot time on English; I studied very hard; I feel tired all the time.

Besides the language barrier, cultural difference is another major obstacle to a smooth transition for the students.

In Korea, we don't talk to teachers.

In Korea, we go to school early in the morning (before 8.00 am) and stop at 5.00 pm; then we go for more classes (tuition classes) until 9 or 10 o'clock.

We have forty something students in class (in Korea); 50.

In Korea, teacher talk, students listen; here, student talk, teachers listen; some students very rude to them (teachers).

We don't ask questions in Korea; people say, "Oh, he's up to something."

Again, except the two who had been in New Zealand for a much longer time and can speak well enough to be understood easily, most students did not participate in other school activities although the boys did play some games occasionally. Badminton and basketball are also the common sport for them. Most of the female students did not like sports and did not like to participate in activities that few Koreans were involved in unless some close Kiwi friends are involved.

I play badminton.

I don't like sports; the Kiwis are very good.

Korean girls don't like PE.

Last year, we had to walk like 15 km; it was really freezing; I didn't enjoy that.

I went to camp; I didn't feel very comfortable there; very lonely; in city, I can talk to my friends.

Last year, we had an Asian festival; I enjoyed it very much.

I am very proud of my school; we have Asian festivals.

Most students had been to many of the places of interest in Christchurch including the Art Centre and the museum. Even though they liked these places, all of them found Christchurch to be very boring and provided several suggestions to make Christchurch a better place to stay.

Fireworks (several agreements).

More activities for teenagers.

Most girls like shopping; more malls.

Karaoke; concerts; more movies.

Amusement parks; fun parks; Rainbow's End.

Get more people into the city, more life.

Make more shops, especially at night.

Make it close, hard to get there.

The buses; sometimes, we take 8 to 10 buses.

Most of the Korean students would like to return home after their studies even though they found New Zealand to be a very beautiful country. This was true even for students whose parents had migrated here with them. They felt that their parents were here because of their studies and they wanted to go back after they had completed their studies. Again, most students felt that New Zealand was a nice place to retire in but not suitable for young people.

Most Korean people including my parents feel that New Zealand is a very beautiful country; it is good for people to spend the rest of their life here (retire here); but it is very boring for young people.

I've been to America; it's a very different country; very large country; many, many cultures there.

New Zealand not multicultural; some people can't be accepted; like Asians; not mix easy.

If you have money, they welcome you; if you have no money, they kick you out.

Even though the Koreans share some similarities with the Chinese, they have a very distinctly different language and culture. The Koreans are also much more homogeneous and mono-cultural than the Chinese; and although Seoul City is very cosmopolitan, English is not as widely used in Korea as in many parts of South East Asia. It is therefore expected that among the three main groups of Asian, the Koreans will experience relatively more difficulties in adjusting to the New Zealand lifestyle.

One very striking issue raised by the Korean students concerns the assignment of students with very poor English proficiency to Kiwi home-stays, with very little support from the Korean community. The short-term effects appear to be very devastating to the students and the merits of this strategy in the longer term may be debatable. The sense of loneliness and desolation were clearly projected by many of these students and the emotional scars inflicted may be difficult to heal.

The school coordinators responsible for assigning home-stays may want to take into consideration the level of language proficiency and length of stay the students had in New Zealand when selecting their home-stays. If the student possesses a minimum level of communication skill, then staying with a Kiwi family may accelerate her learning but if she can not speak a word of English, assigning her to a Kiwi family that can not speak their language, may be counterproductive.

The Korean community in Christchurch is relatively large and fairly well organized. Incoming Korean students should be informed of the existence and contact persons from the Korean Society. If the students felt the need, they can contact the Korean community for help. Members of the Korean Society can then provide the proper orientation for these new arrivals. Even though the students are assigned to Kiwi host-families, their transition into the New Zealand life can be much more pleasant with the support of the Korean community.

Like the other Asian groups, Korean students overwhelmingly feel that Christchurch is a very boring place. They reinforce the common notion, at least among Asians, that Christchurch is a good place for retirement but not for the young people. Having more activities, particularly in the evenings, also rank high in their suggestions as well as improving the public transport system.

Discussion with the Smaller Groups

Five discussion sessions were conducted with the secondary groups of Asians who have fairly significant representation in the high schools in Christchurch. These groups comprised the Japanese, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Thais and Indonesians with the Japanese forming the biggest proportion. The results from the five separate discussions were summarized together due to resource constraint and also to reflect their overall significance in Christchurch as compared to the three major groups of Asians.

It should be noted, however, that these groups are very different politically and culturally. For example, the Japanese have a very distinct culture from the other Southeast Asian countries. Furthermore, many of the Vietnamese and Cambodians in Christchurch are political refugees who did not migrate willingly and face a very different set of transitional problems.

As expected, there were a wide variety of reasons for coming to New Zealand. Unlike the other Asian groups, a few of the Cambodians and Vietnamese were refugees who had never been to school before they were forced out of their homelands. Most of them, nevertheless, had a very good impression of New Zealand.

In my junior high school (in Japan), there was an English teacher from New Zealand. I was interested in studying English, so I wanted to come to New Zealand.

My mother (from Japan) came here for sightseeing 2 years ago; she liked it; I didn't care where I go; I just wanted to study English.

War (in Cambodia); no war here.

Brother come before.

My friend study here; contact her.

In general, the students faced acculturation problems similar to those experienced by the Koreans and Chinese students. As expected, most of the students experienced a varying degree of difficulties in learning the English language, and their lack of proficiency in English is considered to be a major problem in adapting to the New Zealand life quickly. In addition, several of these students, especially the Japanese, experienced the same sense of despair expressed by the some of the Korean students.

When I first came, I couldn't speak any English at all; my home-stay is English; it was very difficult. I cried a lot.

Don't understand English; no one comfort.

English is very hard.

We find the Kiwi accent quite difficult.

We don't know English; we have to learn by ourselves; teachers help us.

When you are young (9-11 years old), it's easier to learn; the first few months or a year was very hard; after that you learn; you can speak English; not much; it's hard for old people.

Again, the mistake of assigning a foreign student who cannot speak elementary English to a Kiwi home-stay, without support from the ethnic community, is glaringly obvious. Another obtrusive problem raised by a student was the comparative and divisive approach taken by one particular home-stay towards the students living with them. This unhealthy approach to relationships is quite common and should be actively discouraged. Nevertheless, a few students found their home-stay approachable and helpful.

I talk to home-stay (about problems); sometimes they help.

Good home-stay; have young child to talk to and learn English from.

My home-stay; they talk bad things about the Korean girl to me and talk bad things about me to her.

The problems created by the mismatch between students and home-stays has to be considered together with the assignments of guardians because the problems seem to be particularly acute when the students cannot communicate with both parties. Almost all the students, in these groups and also those in the previous groups, who are not happy with their home-stays are not happy with their guardians either. On the other hand, most of the students who are happy with their guardians are happy with their home-stays, and the few who are not happy with their home-stays were able to get their home-stays changed through their guardians. Finally, students who are happy with their home-stays without much assistance from their guardians viewed the guardians as expensive and serving few purposes.

My guardian is expensive and did nothing for me.

My guardian lived in Japan for 2 years; he's easy to talk to; help with my homework and other things.

First guardian was Kiwi; couldn't speak to her. New guardian now is good.

My guardians helped me a lot; they are my parent's friends.

My guardian arranged my home-stay; help me with Visa and takes me to school.

My guardian visits sometimes; help with problem; they speak Thai.

The students' lack of proficiency in English resulted in some difficulties in coping with their studies, at least initially. These difficulties, fortunately, appear to diminish over time for most of the students.

It's quite hard to understand what the teacher assigns (homework); it's getting better now.

We study 16 subjects in Indonesia; here 5 subjects; it's quite difficult here because we are not using our own language.

Teachers; they talk too fast

Last year hard; this year better.

First year need help; after that can learn by self.

In addition to language problems, cultural differences also contributed significantly to the difficulties experienced by many students in coping with their studies. An interesting point brought out by a few Indonesian and Thai students, which may be applicable to many students from South East Asia, is their problem in coping with winter. One problem concerns the school uniform being unable to provide sufficient warmth during winter, and students are discouraged to wear additional clothes. Another predicament concerns the short hours of day-light in winter, which may cause certain problems for the biological clocks of some students.

The teachers (in Cambodia) are very strict; they hit you if you don't listen.

Uniforms are very expensive; cost about $1,000.

Even if it is cold, you can't wear more clothes; you have to wear only the uniforms.

Winter is cold; it's hard to get up when it's dark.

Consistent with the opinions expressed by the other Asian students, most of the students in these groups also felt that they were treated fairly by the majority of their teachers.

Not very different from Kiwis.

I think they understand the way we struggle.

Some of the teachers knows we are foreigners; ask us "do you understand, if any problems, come see us."

As a result of the language and cultural barriers, many students in these groups experienced difficulties in making friends with Kiwi students. Several of the students from South East Asia, unfortunately, experienced a fair amount of discrimination.

Make Asian friends first; don't know how to talk to Kiwis; like to make Kiwi friends.

For my survival, I thought I had to make Kiwi friends; I tried very hard but they find me quite strange; it's easier to make friends with Asians.

When we do talk; some Kiwis make rude noises.

It's easy to make friends with other races; it's hard to make friends with Kiwis; they ignore you.

Some Kiwis get drunk and they throw bottles from their cars; it's very difficult for Asians.

A lot of people (Kiwis) in school swears at me; sometimes, during basketball games, people hassle me; bug me; sometimes, I very angry.

Some people don't like Asians; use bad language; use (finger- vulgar gesture).

Tried to talk to Kiwis; they push me around; they are enemies of Asian.

I hold hands with my Asian girl friend; some Kiwi girl ask, "Are you lesbian?"

Fortunately, several of the students also found some Kiwis to be friendly and approachable.

Some Kiwis are friendly; you have to talk to them first; then they will talk to you.

Easier to make friends with Kiwis, some Asians can't talk English properly; always talk in their own languages.

Consistent with the typical Asian way of life, most of the students share their problems mainly with their families and close friends. Several of the students, however, did seek help from their guardians and teachers. Again, most of these students did not feel comfortable talking to their school counsellors.

My teacher helped me find where I can get Asian things; what kind of sports I like; where to get uniforms; that kind of things.

My Japanese friends help me.

My Kiwi friend help me; she can speak a little Japanese.

I pray to God.

I picked up the phone and call my parents.

People from church help with homework.

I talk to my principal; one guy in class was very mean.

Keep problems to myself.

Call overseas teacher (in Thailand); talk about my problems.

Again, the general lack of interest in many of the school activities is quite apparent among these students although several of the students, mainly boys, do play some common games like basketball and badminton. Occasionally, when encouraged by their teachers or close friends, some of the students do participate in other activities.

Not interested in school activities; not enough time.

My teacher asked me to join the band.

Play badminton at the YMCA with friends.

Play golf with friends.

Participate in fair.

Hockey; badminton.

It is surprising that none of the Indonesian students attended any of the activities organized by the City Council. Similarly, most of the Japanese students did not participate in these activities either. On the other hand, many of these students had attended activities organized by other Asian groups. The majority of the students, however, like shopping in the malls and several had been to the Art Centre, museum, Hagley Park and the Ice-skating rink.

Never attended (activities organized by City Council); it's too cold.

Never heard of it (activities organized by City Council).

Boring; only been to Christmas in the park.

Even though some of the students experienced a varying degree of difficulties initially, most of the students found their stay in Christchurch to be quite pleasant. Nevertheless, like the other Asian students, the majority of the Japanese, Indonesian and Thai students, except the Cambodian and Vietnamese students, would choose to return home after completing their studies. The main complaints, as usual, are that Christchurch is very boring for young people and the prospect of getting a job after graduation is quite slim.

Dad wants to stay here; I would go home to Jakarta; like to stay here and finish school; go to University of Canterbury.

Want to stay after study but very difficult to find job.

I would like to visit my country (Cambodia) but not to live there.

I like to visit Cambodia; not to live; too dangerous.

Will go back to Thailand for university; feel homesick; here too quiet.

Will go back to Thailand after university; New Zealand is nice; it's good when you retire; not for young people; too quiet.

The students provided many suggestions to the local authorities and other stakeholders on how to improve Christchurch and make it less boring. The top priorities are improving the public transport, having more amusement parks and entertainment centres, developing more places of interests and allowing more nightlife.

Improve the transport; when I was in Singapore, the bus came every minute; you don't have to wait; taking bus is no problem. Here, you have to take a bus to the square then take a bus to school. It's very difficult, especially in winter.

Night market; everything close at 6 o'clock.

Rainbows End; Disneyland.

In winter, if we have to stay back in school, it gets very dark at 5 o'clock; it's very quiet; very scary to wait for bus.

City is too dark at night, especially for ladies.

Give them a house (for the refugees); help them learn English.

Tell newcomers about the fishing law; in Thailand and Auckland (refugee camps), we have book to tell us what to do.

Hong Kong movies; translated into Cambodian or Thai.

Bring more people here; too quiet.

More activities; fun parks.

As discussed earlier, these groups of students are very diverse in culture and care should be exercised in interpreting the results. Although the Vietnamese, Cambodian and Thai are relatively similar, they are very distinct from the Japanese, and fairly distinct from the Indonesians. Furthermore, many of the Vietnamese and Cambodians are political refugees who had escaped the war in their countries to come to New Zealand.

Despite the diversity, most of the students were glad to be here even though many experienced severe problems initially. With the exception of the Cambodians and Vietnamese, most of the students would like to return home after their studies due to two primary reasons. First, like all the other Asian students, most of these students felt that Christchurch is a very boring place. Second, many of the students felt that there is a lack of career opportunities for them in New Zealand.

An interesting topic highlighted by the discussions revolves around the assignment of home-stays and guardians to students who do not have sufficient English proficiency. It is clear that assigning these students to home-stays and guardians who are both Kiwis, without knowledge of their language or culture, can cause severe trauma to the students. The school coordinators should thus bear this information in mind and perhaps seek the support of the various Asian community groups to assist newcomers in their acculturation process.

ESOL Teachers Focus Group.

Input from teachers who dealt with Asian high school students on a regular basis, particularly teachers who had constant contact with newcomers, were gathered to provide the project team with a more balanced view of the issues facing these students in Christchurch. Six ESOL teachers were, therefore, invited to provide their general assessment of the language proficiency of Asian students and the difficulties faced by both the students and the teachers in the transition process.

The general consensus among the ESOL teachers was that about 90% of the incoming Asian students would require some help to cope with the English language. In general, most of these students would be able to cope with their normal schoolwork within six to twelve months. However, about 10% of the students have serious difficulties and require much more assistance, which is normally beyond the scope of most ESOL programmes provided in the high schools in Christchurch.

There's a wide range of abilities (general agreement).

About 90% would need some kind of help (general agreement).

I would say about 10% can't cope. Some don't even have their own language mastered (several agreements).

Listening skill develop in 6-12 months.

Most experience problems in first year.

Most of them find verbalizing the biggest problem.

The level of assistance and difficulties will depend on the students' background. All non-English speaking students go into the ESOL programmes. Most schools tend to introduce these students to one or two other subjects at a time. A typical student usually starts with ESOL and Mathematics, and for some students, either Art or a science subject, for the first school term. The ESOL programme usually takes up to twelve hours per week for ten weeks. Most students are able to proceed to taking the normal load of classes after attending the ESOL programme, even though many would take the ESOL programme again.

Most students go straight into their classes but many come back.

Can set up ESOL as an optional subject for 2 years. It would be better for some of the students.

On going support is provided by the ESOL teacher; ESOL students get more assistance than the academically disadvantaged Kiwi students.

Learning language is a very academic exercise and is highly related to the students' general abilities (several agreements).

We have a screening test to screen out the low achievers.

Sometimes, it is difficult to test their general abilities if their communication skills aren't good; it will be good to have an IQ test in their own language.

All our students stay in the boarding house. They are exposed to 24 hours of English and are forced to cope with it.

Approximately 10% of the ESOL students, however, require much more help. Many of these students do not speak a word of English and the ESOL programme is not appropriate for them. These students require specialized language classes, preferably in the bilingual environment with a very small teacher to student ratio. This type of service can not be efficiently provided by the high schools. Students in this category should therefore be admitted to a professional language school to learn the basic communication skills in English before being admitted to high schools.

If they can't speak a word of English, our programmes are not appropriate for them; they need ESOL teachers who are bilingual or have special teachers aides in class.

Mixing of races in ESOL classes can also be counterproductive.

The programmes in private language schools are more fun and more interesting for these students.

Students are assessed after the ESOL programmes. Currently all students are tested but each school has its own set of tests. The ultimate aim is to get the students to the level they want to be at, and for most Asian students, this means the ability to achieve an acceptable score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) ) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) that are required for entrance into universities or polytechnics. Passing the tests also give the students a sense of achievement.

The road to achieving proficiency in English is not smooth for many students. Besides, language difficulties, these students also have to contend with cultural barriers, and the process is complicated by the high expectations Asian parents placed on their children. Sometimes, it may facilitate the students' adjustments if they were to start in a class a year below their age.

It takes a lot of courage to cope with that kind of problems.

Asian parents often place unrealistically high expectations on their children. Most parents do not want their children to go into a class below their age group. Because of their language deficiency, many students are one year behind their NZ counterparts in learning abilities; it may be better to start them a year below their age.

The emotional and psychological effects of those who lagged behind their Kiwi counterparts are immense; some students start swearing and others sleep in class.

One boy shaved all his hair to show his shame; he saw it also as representing a new start, a new growth.

Many of the problems faced by Asian students are also experienced by other students simply because they are teenagers. Some of the problems, however, can be specific to Asians only.

The fact that they are teenagers causes a lot of problems; there's not this give and take with teens.

Often, misbehavior is a cry for help; when they are disciplined, they know that someone cares.

Some often wonder why they are here.

Culturally, they are not used to expressing themselves.

Some students are afraid to go to classes if there aren't others who are from their cultures there.

Many of the students find Christchurch to be boring.

Many are used to going out late on busy streets.

Whether generic to all teenagers or specific to Asians only, there are no simple answers to smooth the transition of Asian students into the New Zealand school environment.

It is more likely that students will relax and make friends with other ESOL students before they get to know New Zealanders.

They are very close knit outside of class but many are desperate to make Kiwi friends.

It may be easier for them to integrate in smaller schools.

Sport is a good way to integrate but many are not keen on learning sports.

Boys are more inclined to participate in sports; table tennis, badminton and basketball are the most popular among Asians.

We teach them New Zealand lifestyle and customs as part of our ESOL programme.

Besides creating problems for students in school, cultural differences can also pose serious barriers with their home-stays. The relationship between host families and student differs a lot and sometimes, a separate guardian can be useful. In fact, one school believes that the guardian should not be someone who is staying with the student. Usually, a coordinator in school will choose the home-stays for the students, and the parents can choose the guardian, but some parents will insist on choosing the home-stays as well. It is hard for the school to know who is appropriate for the students but most schools have some guidelines on screening home-stays. Schools can consult with the parents to change the home-stays but ultimately the parents will have the final say. Fortunately, 90% of the home-stays went well.

Some students go home from school and straight to sleep; they try to avoid dinners because speaking English is difficult for them.

We have a very good student, he was sent home by his so-called overly strict host parent and guardian who is a close friend of the student's father; what rights do the student have in this instance?

There was a 14 years old boy who was left alone in his townhouse because mom had gone home to visit sick relatives. The school or someone should be made aware of this.

The ESOL teachers also provided some valuable suggestions to facilitate the transition for Asian students and improve the quality of their stay in Christchurch.

Parents should be more realistic in their expectations; they should take the school's advice; let the students take it more slowly and better results will usually follow.

Organize more social events for the students; nightspots that are well supervised; more fun parks.

Most ESOL teachers are like mums and counsellors to the students; the majority of ESOL teachers are women.

Asian youth workers; would be nice to have one for each culture.

Educate the parents about life in New Zealand; to look at their needs; schools often become an advisory service for parents.

It is interesting to note that the views expressed by the ESOL teachers were generally very similar to those gathered from the students. This consistency implies that the concerns, gathered by the project team, were good indicators of the issues facing Asian high school students in Christchurch.

ESOL teachers, however, also expressed some concerns about the screening process when admitting newcomers. Students requiring a significant amount of help in their English proficiency should be encouraged to develop this core competency in a professional language school before they are admitted into the high school.

Another interesting issue, as pointed out by the ESOL teachers, is the impact of acculturation of parents on the ease of transition for the students. The relatively high level of pressure Asian parents impose, especially academically, on their children may do more harm than good in the New Zealand environment. Ironically, many Asians came to New Zealand because of the relatively low pressure in schools here.

10 The racial distribution of the population is difficult to estimate due to the large share of children from mixed marriages. In the Census, respondents were simply asked to indicate their ethnicity and some had indicated more than one. These respondents were counted in all categories indicated.

11 The popular mood towards Asian immigration, as exhibited in opinion polls, calls to talkback radio shows, letters to the editor and private conversations seemed to extremely negative relative to the data and official policy on immigration (McKinnon, 1996; Bennett, 1998).

12 There had been numerous heated debates about the sovereignty of Taiwan and the political future of Hong Kong. Whether these are separate countries or one country is a very sensitive issue and its discussion is beyond the scope of this research.

13 The 16% include only Malaysians and Filipinos only because Singapore was classified under the Other Asian category and could not be properly accounted for.

14 The Japanese (10.6%) is the only other group that has more than a 10% representation in the Asian population in Christchurch.

15 Source: Papanui High Scchool.

16 If each student pays about NZ$10,000 in fees, the secondary school sector itself will generate about NZ$50 million per year in foreign exchange. Also, there are significant spill over effects into other sectors such as housing, transport and food.

17 Another 4,408 Asian fee-paying students were enrolled in the tertiary institutions in New Zealand.

18 Bennett (1998), however, did not provide any evidence or any reference to the evidence suggested.