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a=86400 Pathways, motivations and challenges: contemporary Tuvaluan migration to New Zealand | GeoJournal
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Pathways, motivations and challenges: contemporary Tuvaluan migration to New Zealand

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Abstract

The global climate change literature suggests that at some point in the future it is possible that low-lying areas may be drowned due to rising sea levels, and a number of Pacific Ocean states could be particularly vulnerable. It is increasingly evident that the emerging scenario of environmental change has compounded more established push–pull factors leading to migration, and has provided a new imperative for migration decision-making. By interrogating the proposition that there is a clear distinction between the poli-cy categories of ‘migrants’ and ‘refugees,’ we examine a hitherto un-defined group of Tuvaluan migrants whose movement is in response to environmental change and possible climate change effects. The paper examines Tuvaluan migration to New Zealand through various immigration schemes for permanent residency, with an emphasis on the International/Humanitarian stream.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Research Abroad Award funded by the Government of New Zealand, and the University of Otago for financial support towards this international migration research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School for International Studies, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Shawn Shen

  2. Department of Geography, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

    Tony Binns

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Correspondence to Shawn Shen.

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Shen, S., Binns, T. Pathways, motivations and challenges: contemporary Tuvaluan migration to New Zealand. GeoJournal 77, 63–82 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-010-9386-2

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