This chapter examines migrants’ personal income and the sources of that income; ownership of assets and the value of those assets; financial assistance from the government; and the adequacy of migrants’ income to meet their living costs.
Key Results
• Migrants’ median annual income from all sources was $36,000.
• One in four migrants earned more than $50,000 per year.
• Migrants living outside the larger metropolitan areas reported some of the highest median annual earnings.
• Nearly a third of all migrants said they did not have enough money to meet the cost of living in New Zealand compared with 16 percent who could not meet the cost of living in their previous country.
• Nine percent of migrants had received some kind of government financial assistance, but less than 2 percent had received a core benefit.
• Seventeen percent of migrants had sent money overseas to family, friends, a church, or other community groups.
• Two-thirds of migrants reported owning assets, most commonly property.