dr sara donaghey dr evangelia papoutsaki, (project leaders) naomi strickland (interviewer) anna...

Contradictions & contributions: reflections on the experiences of first

generation Dutch migrants to New Zealand

Dr SARA DONAGHEY Dr EVANGELIA PAPOUTSAKI,

(Project Leaders)

NAOMI STRICKLAND(Interviewer)

ANNA RUSSELL

(Transcriber)

Department of Communication Studies

>>FACULTY OF CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AND BUSINESS


Incentive: devastation following World War II

Incentive: greater opportunities and higher standard of living

Incentive: assisted passage scheme for skilled migrants

Result: attractive to migrants aged 18-35 years from The Netherlands & Indonesia (Dutch East Indies)

Dutch immigration to New Zealand


Multiple challenges they faced as they negotiated their identities in New Zealand

Their responses reveal an intriguing mix of ambiguity and assurance that retain their resonance despite the passage of time

Ambivalence regarding Dutch vs New Zealand identity & cultural belonging

research focus


Were the behaviours of these migrants contra-indicative to typical Dutch behaviours?

Did the pre-disposition of migrants towards wanting a better life for themselves and their families and their ‘can do’ approach, assist their assimilation process?

Did the migrants ever feel totally settled in their adopted country?

questions


Preliminary research on Dutch immigration & presence in New Zealand

Consultation with experts (NZ oral historian & former Dutch immigration officer)

Related research by New Zealand Netherlands Foundation in the 1990s

contextual research


Non-representative sample: names of elderly Dutch immigrants supplied by commissioning organisation

Topical protocol guide to conversation

Interview length: 1-3 hours

Recorded in audio (digital audio recorder) & visual (digital camera) formats

research design


Fifty questions

Four sections:

1. Participant information & demographic data

2. Early immigration experiences3. Sense of contribution to New Zealand

society4. Current perceptions of identity

questionnaire design


participants 24 elderly Auckland residents 13 women - 11 men 10 came on assisted passage - 13 non-assisted or partially assisted 17 from The Netherlands - 6 from Dutch East Indies 21 came in the 1950s - 2 in the 1960s - 1 in the 1970s Average age on arrival early - mid 20s Half were married upon arrival Current age late 70s


Assimilation vs Dutch cultural traditions

‘Industrious Dutchie”’- high achiever vs modesty

Identity contradictory feelings of ‘Dutchness’ vs ‘Kiwiness’

themes


The only thing the Dutch government said was … ‘forget about your whole Dutch experience, Dutch nationality and mix with the Kiwis, mix’ … it’s in your nature isn’t it, you can’t go to another country and keep the Dutch like an island

… the sooner we integrated with other people the easier it was for us too

You’ve heard of the Abel Tasman legacy, that they’ve called us ‘the silent immigrants’ because we did not make waves, we sort of accepted out everything they dished out.

The Dutch are like chameleons you see. No Frenchman, no German, no Spanish will do that like the Dutch. So the New Zealand government thought ‘they are the ones because they will not say we want to be Dutch, no, they mix in completely’. To the extent that they ignore their own language …

…in Holland we have Santa Klaus, Saint Nicholas, on the 5th of December. The first years I think we celebrated that but then when the children came you have to integrate with lots of things and that’s what we did. We don’t do Saint Nicholas anymore…

Theme 1: Desire to integrate in contrast to maintenance of social and cultural traditions


...This is for me a great regret; I now feel we made a massive mistake there … we were determined our kids were going to integrate into school and we didn’t pressure them about the Dutch, which I’m now sorry about.

We have not passed on the language and I’m very sorry about that.

Regrets in later life


…The unions nearly went on strike against the Dutch people because they worked hard.

… the foreman came and said ‘oh you work far too hard, you upset the whole system.’

It was actually easy work …. I was told ‘Theo, you work too bloody hard.’ But in those days I couldn’t speak much English, so what do you do but work, work, work...

Theme 2: the industrious work ethic of the Dutch was at odds with the relatively lax workplace environment


(its) never been that we wanted to get rich or work like crazy like a lot of Dutch people actually have done

…I think the Dutch were high achievers, they were good employees. I don’t think that any Dutchmen went out specifically as high achievers but they realised that when they did their normal work they achieved a bit better than the average Kiwi. ...If you had a Dutchman on a job you could rely on him a bit better.

They are high achievers, a lot of them … they came here to better themselves…

High achievers? Dutch modesty sat alongside a determination to achieve…


those who successfully embraced their New Zealand identity:

‘…we’re Kiwis. My father was very insistent on that, he said this country is good to us and we’re going to be good to it and we’re going to be Kiwis.’

Once you started getting into business you had to be a New Zealander…

… if you live here you might as well do as the Romans do…What’s the use of living here and still keeping your Dutch?

those who experienced the ambiguous feelings of having a dual identity:

I’m a Dutch woman but I belong here, I love it here

‘there are a lot of things where I feel I’m more a New Zealander and then on the other hand there’s still a lot of Dutch in me…’

those who remained Dutch:

The Dutch nationality still is foremost. I’m happy to live here and I think my children are very grateful that I emigrated from the Netherlands but personally I still feel very Dutch.’

I still have a Dutch passport and I wouldn’t change it for all the tea in China.

Theme 3: Kiwi? Dutch? Or a dual identity?

These responses reveal an intriguing mix of ambiguity and

assurance that retain their resonance

despite the passage of time.

dr sara donaghey dr evangelia papoutsaki, (project leaders) naomi strickland (interviewer) anna...

Documents

business slide

faculty of creative

new zealand slide

dutch nationality

dutch government

dutch experience

dutch immigration presence

s contextual research