No abstract

The rapid diversification of immigration to New Zealand post-1987 has made Auckland, as the nation's key gateway city, both culturally and demographically superdiverse, and the location of considerable immigrant business development. We focus here on the development of ethnic precincts as the manifestation of this transformation of the cityscape. The neo-liberalism of the 1980s continues to prevail primarily in minimal postarrival interventions and an unwillingness of central and local government to recognise the ethnic/immigrant nature of such developments. As a consequence of this laissez-faire attitude, immigrants' relational embeddedness tends to be privileged and ethnic-specific networks dictate the nature and location of ethnic precincts within a policy environment that stresses the importance of market processes and encourages small business development.

The integration of immigrants into local labour markets is a key focus of contemporary migration scholarship in Aotearoa New Zealand. While acknowledging the importance of these economic aspects of migrant settlement, in this article we examine instead how new arrivals from South Africa actively reconstitute a feeling of home and belonging post-migration. Drawing on the concept of affect, we illustrate the ways in which the experience of migration and settlement is embodied, situated and relational. We do this by examining the affective dimensions of home-making, both within and beyond the physical boundaries of a chosen dwelling and its location. Memory bridges all these experiences of transition, suffusing migrants' lives as they understand, frame and negotiate their affective present within the context of their affective past. Our focus renders visible important aspects of the migrant experience, and contributes to a more holistic understanding of why migrants come, how they settle and what encourages them to remain.

As part of a larger research project examining the settlement of immigrant business owners in Auckland, New Zealand, this research examines the nature of the connections that these Chinese business owners have with their employees, suppliers and customers. The results suggest a significant reliance on networks that involve co-ethnics, especially for the China-born but even for those Chinese business owners who were New Zealand-born. Overall, the research indicates the key role that relational embeddedness plays in the establishment and development of migrant businesses.

Opting Out?: Why Women Really Quit Careers and Head Home Pamela Stone, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007, 285 pages ISBN 978-0-520-24435-1