The Bhutanese Refugee Resettlement Journey Part 3: Settlement
APPENDIX B: COMMUNITY INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE
Bhutanese resettlement needs, expectations and experiences study
Phase 3 – community questionnaire
Interview No.:________________
Date: _______________________
Time Start: __________________
Time Finish: ___________________
Notes:
Question 1 – First Impressions/Settling in
I’d like to begin by going back to your first few weeks living in Nelson
1A: Can you tell us what happened when you first arrived in Nelson?
1B: What did you think about Nelson?
1C: What helped you and your family most in those first few weeks?
1D: What were the hardest things for you and your family when you first arrived?
1E: Did any of the things you did or learned at Mangere help you in those first few weeks?
1F: What helped you the most?
1G: What would have made those first few weeks in Nelson easier for you and your family?
(Prompt, is there anything else that could have been covered at Mangere?)
Question 2 – Housing and living arrangements
“Can we talk about what it’s like for you now, since you’ve been here for over a year?”2A: Let’s start with your living situation. Have you moved house since you first arrived?
IF YES
2B: Why did you move?
2C: Have you had any problems with this house?
IF YES – prompt for type of problems
(eg; location, proximity to family members, who you are housed with, the actual house itself or the neighbourhood, accessing transport and shopping, rent money etc)2D: Have you had any problems signing up with power/telephone companies?
2E: Do you have plans to move houses or cities in the next year – if so, why?
Question 3 – English Language
“The next questions are about learning English”
3A: Since you arrived in New Zealand have you had any help to improve your English?
3B: What has helped you the most?
3C: Have you had any problems getting help with your English?
IF YES – prompt for type of problems
3D: How is your spoken English now, compared to when you first arrived in New Zealand?
Question 4 - Education
“These next questions are about education”4A: Since you came to New Zealand have you done any courses or study other than learning English?
IF YES
4B: What did you do?
IF NO
4C: Is there any training/ or study you would like to do in the future? Have you made any plans for that?
4D: Have you or any of your family members had any problems enrolling at school or University/Polytech?
4E: (If have school-aged children) How do your children like school in New Zealand? What do they like the most?
4F: Have they had any problems at school?
IF YES - prompt for kind of problems they have had?
Question 5 – Employment and Income
“Now I would like to ask you about your work and income since you arrived” 5A: Have you had a paid job since you came to New Zealand?
IF NO – 5I
IF YES
5B: How important do you think it is to find paid work soon after arrival?
5C: Are you working at the moment? (if answer is no go to 5I)
5D: Can you tell me a bit about your job?
5E: How many hours do you usually work a week in this job?
5F: How did you find the job? (eg, yourself, directed through WINZ etc)
5G: Is this job the main source of income for your family?
IF NO
5H: What is the main source of income for your family?
NO – Employment Questions
5I: Have you looked for work since arriving in New Zealand?
IF YES
5J: What kind of work have you looked for?
5K: What has been the main difficulty finding work?
5L: Has finding a job in New Zealand been harder than you expected?
5M: Do you need any help to find a job? What would be most help for you?
5N: How important do you think it is to find paid work soon after arrival?
5O: What is your family’s main source of income?
Question 6 - Health
6A: How has your health been since you arrived in New Zealand? What about other people in your family?
6B: Are you and your family registered with a doctor’s clinic? If so, have you and your visited the clinic since you arrived in Nelson?
Question 7 – Safety
7A: How safe do you feel in New Zealand? Is there anything that worries you?
(If unsafe prompt for why they feel this way)Question 8 - Culture and religion
8A: Have you found a place of worship (eg, a temple) to practice your religion?
8B: Have you been able to celebrate some of your ethnic festivals since arriving in Nelson?
(IF have had any problems – prompt for what these problems have been)8C: How important is it for you to keep your Bhutanese culture alive in New Zealand?
(Prompt – to speak Nepali, pass on traditions to children etc).Question 9 – Social contact
“Can we talk now about your contact with other people since you arrived in New Zealand”9A: Since you arrived have you had any contact with friends and family in camps in Nepal?
(Prompt for frequency and type of contact)9B: How about friends and family resettled in other countries and around New Zealand?
(Prompt for frequency and type of contact)9C: Would you like to have been in touch with people more? What has made it hard for you to keep in touch? (if wanted to keep in contact)
9D: How have you made friends outside your own community since you came to Nelson?
9E: Have you had any contact with your neighbours?
9E: Have you joined or formed any kind of ethnic community organisations since arriving in Nelson?
Question 10 – Overall settlement
10A: Overall, what has been hardest about resettling in New Zealand for you and your family?
10B: What has helped you and your family the most to feel settled here?
10C: What have been your biggest achievements since you arrived?
10D: Is there anything that the New Zealand government could do to make the experience of resettling in New Zealand easier?
Question 11 – Hopes for the future
11A: Do you have any goals for the next five years?
11B: (If applicable) What hopes do you have for your children?
Question 12
Finally, is there anything else that you would like to say about settling in New Zealand?
