KEY POINTS:
Labelling Asian students as a "drain on the economy" because they move overseas to work before returning is inaccurate and unfair, according to one of the authors of a major report.
The report - Asians in New Zealand: Implications of a Changing Demography - shows there is a
gap within the Asian population living in New Zealand.
A growing number of New Zealand-born Asians between 20 and 34 are going overseas to find better work opportunities, before moving back home to raise their families.
Professor Richard Bedford, one of the writers of the report, said it was unfair to single out Asian students moving overseas to work, as many young New Zealanders did the same.
"New Zealand-born Asians - they've got the same options and the same opportunities as other New Zealanders. They've gone through the same education system as New Zealanders and they'll probably have the same views on overseas migration, no more than any other New Zealander.
"There's a lot of out-migration of young adults in New Zealand - Pakeha, Maori, many New Zealanders go overseas for their overseas experience - so these Asian students are just the same."
Professor Bedford, vice-chancellor at the University of Waikato, said he did not buy into the argument of Asian students "milking" the system by moving overseas before moving back, as it was nothing like the entire population was doing, he said.
He acknowledged that it was important to remember particular circumstances within New Zealand and the attractions offered overseas, before slamming Asian students moving overseas to work.
"You could expect that those young people, just like you could expect with young Pacific Islanders, Pakeha and Maori moving between Australia, to find better opportunities.
"You have to expect that we have a relatively small economy in New Zealand and for a lot of those people who want to make it big in their field, they have to go overseas," Professor Bedford said.
The report also showed that the number of Asians living in New Zealand is set to overtake the Maori population by up to 100,000 people by 2026.
Between 603,000 and 990,000 Asians will live in New Zealand, compared with around 818,000 Maori.
This follows suggestions of an "Asian Invasion" - a term which first surfaced in 1996 from New Zealand First leader Winston Peters - and which met great public anger.
Deputy leader for New Zealand First Peter Brown said a population conference needed to be put in place, giving New Zealanders the opportunity to put forward views on how they want the face of New Zealand to look.
"We're just opening doors. Those people [Asian immigrants] are coming in and not integrating into our society. I don't think that's what we want.
"I look at Europe. Holland had a very open policy about multiculturalism - they were all for it. Two years ago, there were race riots everywhere.
"If we don't have any controls, we'll get a society of mini-communities and there'll be a lot of friction - it builds a lot of resentment," he said.
Mr Brown said there needed to be integration programmes put in place to stop cultures where women are "subservient" causing friction within the New Zealand community.
He acknowledged that there was a strong need for immigrants to integrate within Kiwi culture.
"Without any integration programmes, there's going to be problems. Many of them [Asian countries] have a rampant system - English isn't even a first language, they have honour killings and women have to wear burqas - and we expect this in our society?"
Professor Bedford said an "Asian Invasion" was inaccurate, in that it did not show a full representation of the different groups among Asians.
"If we go looking out into the future, there are different projections of clusters. This whole idea of this Asian population is problematic. Chinese and Indian people wouldn't identify themselves as the same and yet they are both 'Asian'. To say 'Asian' is not fair. It's the same as for Pacific. You have Tongan, Samoa, Fijian - they're different."
Mr Brown said: "I just want equality for all."
