Re-constructing reverse family remittances: the case of new Chinese immigrant families in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Transnational family remittances normally indicate the transfer of money from immigrants to their left-behind families in the country of origin. However, a significant remittance pattern in many new Chinese immigrant families in New Zealand demonstrates a reverse money-flow, whereby family remittances are largely from older parents to their immigrant descendants living in the host-society. This paper explores the phenomenon of reverse remittances by demonstrating how socioculturally embedded inter-generational dynamics mediate the practice of remittance-sending in new Chinese immigrant families in New Zealand. It reveals that families’ financial statuses and inter-generational relations play a vital role in shaping the formation of reverse remittance practices. Four major patterns of reverse remittances are identified: the medium of the gift, financial support, pooling financial resources for collective family life, and investment; each of which carries distinctive material, cultural, and relational implications. This study broadens the debate on how family remittances are formed socially and culturally and further reinforces the reciprocal feature of transnational family relations across generations in the age of globalisation.

KEYWORDS:

• Reverse remittances
• transnational immigrant families
• multi-generational family relation
• Chinese immigrant families
• New Zealand

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Marsden Fund (Fast-Start), Royal Society of New Zealand [grant number 16-MAU-023].