Responsiveness In Crisis: Measuring New Zealand’s State-Diaspora Relationship During The Covid-19 Pandemic

This thesis explores the political experiences of the New Zealand diaspora during the Covid-19 pandemic. Two questions are addressed. The first, is how does New Zealand’s current state-diaspora relationship fit within the wider global context of emergent state-diaspora strategies? The second is how the actions of the New Zealand government, informed by its existing diaspora practices, were received by non-resident New Zealanders during this crisis period? Wider theory on the malleable definition of the concept of diaspora is explored, with emphasis on political state-led diaspora strategies and an exploration ofgovernment claims to represent their diasporas. New Zealand’s history of diaspora representation is examined with the conclusion that a previous selectively strategic direction has reverted to one of disinterest. The thesis then presents the findings from an original survey of 1100 non-resident New Zealanders which measured their experiences ofrepresentation during the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey findings show that respondents found the relationship with the New Zealand government overwhelmingly non-responsive to their circumstances, particularly with regard to policy and symbolic components, which contributed to a wider collective disconnection between the diaspora and their home country.

This thesis is informed by the conviction that the study of state-diaspora relationships must include the experiences of migrant communities alongside the actions of governments in order to measure the impact and efficacy of representative claims.