The integration and social inclusion of migrant dairy workers in Canterbury: A preliminary analysis

Abstract

A diverse stream of migrant workers brings a range of social and human capital to both the dairy industry and the surrounding rural communities. This study develops a conceptual framework for understanding the integration and social inclusion of migrant workers, and applies it to the ethnographic data collected through interviews and surveys with migrant dairy farm workers and dairy farm employers on Canterbury dairy farms. This study aims to identify the enablers of and barriers to integration, focusing on social connections, and cultural exchanges between migrants and host communities. In doing so, this research contributes to ongoing attempts to define integration and social inclusion, within the context of farming and rural communities. This research addresses integration and social inclusion in a very holistic manner, highlighting the importance of the inclusion and active participation of migrant dairy workers and their families in the economic, social, political and cultural spheres of New Zealand society. The preliminary results of this study indicate that migrant dairy workers need not face spatial separation, discrimination from the community, or a gendered and racialised labour context in order to experience social exclusion. Preliminary results also reveal the primary barriers to migrants’ full participation in the life of the communities in which they live and work are factors such as physical distance, available time for non-work activities, work roster, and immigration status, and the opportunity for civic and social participation, and personal activities such as health care and education. Key words: Integration, social inclusion, migrant dairy workers, dairy farm employers, Canterbury, New Zealand.