Occupational Strategies for Settling in New Zealand: Learning from Indian Immigrant Men

Abstract

New Zealand has a growing Indian population whose occupational experiences of settlement have been largely overlooked in favour of research regarding physical health issues and employment. In particular, the strategies by which immigrants choose how, when and to what extent to engage in occupation has not been considered. This paper builds on a beginning research programme into the settlement experiences of Indian immigrants in New Zealand. Phase I, previously published in the Journal of Occupational Science, developed an occupational theory of settlement based on the experiences of 25 Indian immigrant women. Phase II, reported here, was a small pilot study that explored the strategies to engage in occupation used by 4 Indian immigrant men as they settled in Auckland, New Zealand. Findings revealed that the men used three core strategies: Developing Resources, Shaping Self, and Creating Community. These findings offer avenues for further immigration related research within occupational science.

Keywords:

• Settlement
• Indian immigrants
• Qualitative
• Occupational adaptation
• Occupational identity