Immigrating from Japan to New Zealand（for heritage）
Author：Yoko Nishimura-Parke
Topic／Goals：Connection、Global Issues、Self, Family, and Friends、Social Environment
2020.07
A group of students from Canterbury University interviewed Mr. Shimizu, who immigrated into NZ and opened a Japanese restaurant in Christchurch. Students read the abridged article and participate in activities on the topic of immigration, such as interviewing their parents, as well as in discussion and debate.
| Objectives | 1) Students will read the interview article and learn about Mr Shimizu's case as an example of successful immigration. |
|---|---|
| Target | Heritage/Background speakers |
| Japanese Level | Advanced |
What to prepare
Procedure
1. Questions about the article
a) Where is Mr. Shimizu from?
b) When did Mr. Shimizu come to New Zealand (NZ) for the first time?
c) Why did he choose Christchurch?
d) Mr. Shimizu says料理はあまり好きではなかったです
Explain how Mr. Shimizu gained cooking skills despite not liking cooking when he was young. What was his future dream when he was young?
e) What did Mr. Shimizu want to learn from New Zealanders' lifestyle?
f) だから、生活は大きく変わったと思います
How did Mr. Shimizu's life change in NZ? Explain what made the change possible.
g) どうして日本から出たいと思ったのですか。そして、どうしてNZを選んだのですか。How would Mr. Shimizu answer these questions? Answer in Japanese.
h) Explain the difficulties Mr. Shimizu had in NZ.
i) Do you think Mr. Shimizu spoke sufficient English before coming to NZ? Why do you think so?
j) Summarize his advice to those who want to immigrate to NZ.
2. Discussion/Research/Debate
k) Interview your parents.
・ Find out why they left Japan and why they chose the country you live in now. Report your findings to the class. What are the most common reasons? What are the most unique reasons?
・ Ask them what the biggest challenge they faced after immigration was.
・ Ask them what advice they would give to Japanese people who want to immigrate to your country. Are there any similarities to the advice given by Mr. Shimizu?
l) Research how many immigrants come to your country each year. List the top 5 countries they come from.
m) Discussion: Do you think the number of immigrants to your country will increase in the future? Why or why not?
n) Discussion: What services and laws do you think are important to make a multicultural society run harmoniously for both immigrants and locally-born residents?
o) Debate: 移住者が多いほど社会は豊かになる。The more immigrants there are, the better it is for society. Agree or disagree.
Suggested reference:
OECD IMPROVING WELL-BEING IN NEW ZEALAND THROUGH MIGRATION - ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT WORKING PAPERS No. 1566 http://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=ECO/WKP(2019)35&docLanguage=En
