Intergenerational Dimensions of Transnational Chinese Migrant Families in New Zealand — A Research Gap Identified (新西兰跨国华人移民家庭的代际维度研究)

Abstract

With the accelerating trend toward transnational families in many parts of the world associated with globalization, coping with the demand for family reunification has become a major challenge for both migrant families and migrant-sending and -receiving societies. In July 2012, a significant policy change regarding the Family Sponsorship Stream (Parent Category) took place in New Zealand, which raised the bar for migrants’ elderly parents on entering New Zealand as permanent residents. This policy change has a significant impact on many Chinese migrant families from the People’s Republic of China (prc), where filial piety is an important part of traditional values and the state provides very limited ageing support to the elderly. In the meantime, legislation came into force in China in July 2013 that requires children to visit their* elderly parents “often” or risk being sued. This paper takes these policy and legislative changes as a starting point for an exploration of the changing dynamics of Chinese migrant families in New Zealand in a multi-generational and transnational context. It first examines the impact of the New Zealand policy and then discusses the wider implications of this policy change on migrant family dynamics as well as on New Zealand society. The second focus is on younger generations in the Chinese migrant families. Linking three generations of the Chinese migrant families together, the final part of this paper addresses a highly pertinent research area — the intergenerational dimensions of transnational migration. 全球化进程催速了跨国移民家庭现象的形成。这些身居异地的移民家庭成员对家庭团聚有着非常强烈的诉求, 但却面临来自移民源发国和接收国制度和体系造成的对家庭团聚的种种阻碍。 新西兰在 2012 年开始执行新的家庭团聚担保政策。紧缩的新政策使成年移民子女担保父母移民变得更加困难，对新西兰新华人移民家庭造成了负面影响。原因主要是子女孝顺与父母同住的华人传统理念与新西兰不欢迎移民年老父母的政策倾向形成的冲突。华人移民家庭面临的压力还来自于移民源发国—— 中国的新立法改革。2013 年 7 月中国正式立法规定成年子女必须勤力探望照顾年迈父母，否则将会面临法律指控。本文以这项新立法为着眼点，深入探究新西兰多代大陆华人新移民家庭现在面临的来自家庭内部成员间的压力和来自外部跨国移民趋势的影响。本文首先研究新西兰 2012 年家庭父母类别团聚新政策对移民社区的冲击和影响， 再深入分析该新移民政策调整对移民家庭内部关系，种族关系的引申社会含义。 本文最后一部分着重比对出一个至今还被忽略的研究领域空白—那就是跨国移民的代际维度。 This article is in English.