Edges of Empire: The Politics of Immigration in Aotearoa New Zealand, 1980-2020

How and why immigration has evolved in Aotearoa New Zealand over the last forty years.

Since 1980, the peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand have fundamentally changed through new policies and new patterns of migration – from a largely Pākehā population with 10 per cent Māori in 1980 to today’s megadiversity, with new residents from Asia, the Pacific and the rest of the world. Immigration has had a profound impact on New Zealand’s society, economy, and place in the world.

Edges of Empire is an in-depth account of the social, political and economic context within which these transformations in policy and population took place. Drawing on interviews with fifteen former Ministers of Immigration, this book reveals the intricacies of politics and policy-making that have led to New Zealand’s relatively open and economically driven approach towards migration.

Written by three leading social scientists, Edges of Empire provides an insightful account of who is included in Aotearoa New Zealand and under what conditions.