‘I was professor in India and here I am a taxi driver’: Middle class Indian migrants to New Zealand

This paper examines the experiences of middle class Indian migrants to New Zealand. Using qualitative data from interviews with this under-researched group the paper analyses their migratory strategies, labour market experiences and reasons for choosing New Zealand over other potential destinations. In the New Zealand labour market they experience an under valuation of their Indian qualifications, and interviewees reported taking low level service employment, and only sometimes progressing to middle class forms of employment. In addition, data from the interviews suggests that there is evidence of a ‘brain drain’ from India to New Zealand rather than a circulation of talent that has been the focus of recent theories. Unlike other studies of migration of highly qualified Indian labour this study finds that they are attracted by the environment and family friendly lifestyle of New Zealand as marketed by the New Zealand government to potential immigrants. Contrary to many previous studies, the findings suggest that migration is a family rather than an individual strategy.