Economic aspects of migration from Fiji to New Zealand

Abstract

The objective of this dissertation is to estimate an economic model of emigration from a middle income country, Fiji, to a high income country, New Zealand. Using panel data for the years 1987 to 1990 and time-series data for the years 1965 to 1990, this research develops two models and focuses on permanent and long-term migration. The thesis consists of six chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the study. Chapter 2 is devoted to a discussion of migration in an international context. Chapter 3 presents an outline of migration to New Zealand in general and describes New Zealand immigration policy. The chapter also discusses migration from Fiji to New Zealand. Models of migration are described in chapter 4. Chapter 5 discusses the empirical findings in the context of the hypothesised models. A summary of conclusions of this study and ideas on future research are presented in chapter 6. Overall, the results indicate that economic factors as well as political and social factors are important determinants of migration.