Housing

This section of the report looks at where migrants settle in New Zealand, whether or not they have had any difficulties in finding suitable housing and their levels of satisfaction with the quality of housing they are currently in.

Where in New Zealand do migrants settle?

As noted previously in Table 8, 46 percent of employed migrants were working in the Auckland region, while 32 percent were working in other regions of the North Island and 23 percent in the South Island. Therefore, it is not surprising to find that similar proportions of all migrants who participated in the 2007 SEFS are living in these regions.

As detailed in Figure 16, there were no significant differences in relation to this finding when viewed by the migrants’ region of origin.

Figure 16: New Zealand regions where migrants live by region of origin (n=595)

Data Table for Figure 16

Totals may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Excludes missing and not stated data.

Table 11 provides a breakdown of the 2007 survey results by regional council, which shows that 71 percent of all migrants live in the Auckland, Canterbury or Wellington regions.

Table 11: Where migrants live by regional council

	n	%
Auckland	279	47
Canterbury	79	13
Wellington	64	11
Bay of Plenty	38	6
Waikato	37	6
Manawatu-Wanganui	27	5
Otago	24	4
Nelson	11	2
Hawke’s Bay	10	2
Northland	7	1
Marlborough	7	1
Southland	6	1
Taranaki	4	*
Gisborne	1	*
West Coast	1	*
Total	595	100

Total may not add to 100% due to rounding and the exclusion of percentages for counts of less than five.
Excludes missing and not stated data.
* Percentages not calculated for counts of less than five.

Difficulties and satisfaction with housing

Almost all of the migrants surveyed were living in a house, flat or apartment (rather than a non-private dwelling), and home ownership among migrants is similar to that seen in the 2006 Census, with 43 percent reporting they owned their home with a mortgage, while 14 percent reported they own their home without a mortgage. [11]

Thirty-four percent of migrants reported having problems finding suitable housing in New Zealand. Figure 17 shows that the main issues reported by those who said they had problems finding suitable housing were the high costs of rent/mortgage (80 percent of the sub-sample), a lack of suitable housing where they wanted to live (35 percent), the high costs of moving/setting up a new household (31 percent) and the poor quality of available housing (27 percent).

Figure 17: Types of problems with finding suitable housing (n=202)

Data Table for Figure 17

Total may exceed 100% due to multiple response.
Excludes missing and not stated data.

Despite the previous finding that one-third of migrants reported having problems findings suitable housing in New Zealand, the majority (80 percent) reported they were very satisfied/satisfied with the quality of their current New Zealand accommodation.

As detailed in Figure 18, this result is similar when viewed by region of origin such that 83 percent of migrants from ESANA, followed by 81 percent for migrants from Asia, 79 percent of migrants from the UK/Ireland and 78 percent for those from Other regions reported that they were very satisfied/satisfied with the quality of their housing.

Figure 18: Satisfaction/dissatisfaction with quality of housing by region of origin (n=591)

Data Table for Figure 18

Totals may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Excludes missing and not stated data.

As shown in Figure 18, 13 percent of migrants were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the quality of their current housing in New Zealand, and six percent were dissatisfied. As detailed in Figure 19, when queried why this was so, most frequently this related to difficulty to heat or keep their home warm (reported by 68 percent of the sub-sample), the expense of their accommodation (41 percent), dampness (39 percent) and/or the poor condition of their housing and it needing repairs (31 percent).

Figure 19: Reasons for dissatisfaction with quality of housing (n=108)

Data Table for Figure 19

Total may exceed 100% due to multiple response.
Excludes missing and not stated data.

Summary

• The majority of migrants (71 percent) reside in one of three main regions, with 47 percent being in Auckland, 13 percent in Canterbury and 11 percent in Wellington.
• At 57 percent, home ownership among migrants is relatively similar to that found in the 2006 Census for all New Zealanders (53 percent), with 43 percent reporting they owned their home with a mortgage and 14 percent owning their home mortgage free.
• One-third of migrants (34 percent) reported having difficulties finding suitable housing in New Zealand, with this most frequently being issues related to the high costs of rent or having a mortgage (reported by 80 percent of all migrants who had difficulties finding suitable housing).
• However, 80 percent report being very satisfied/satisfied with the quality of their current accommodation, and there were no significant differences in satisfaction with accommodation when viewed by region of origin.
• 13 percent of migrants were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the quality of their current housing in New Zealand, and six percent were dissatisfied with the quality of their current accommodation. Most frequently, this related to difficulties in heating or keeping their home warm (reported by 68 percent of the sub-sample), followed by the cost of their accommodation (reported by 41 percent of all those who were not very satisfied/satisfied).

---