DUTCH LIVING IN N.Z.

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29985, 21 November 1962, Page 4

DUTCH LIVING IN N.Z.

Assimilation Found Rapid

At a large garment factory and a construction company he visited yesterday he found Dutch immigrants so well assimilated with the New Zealanders that it was hard to pick them out, said the director of the Netherlands Emigration Service (Dr. D. H. Hofmeijer) in Christchurch yesterday. Dr. Hofmeijer is visiting major cities in New Zealand and Australia to observe bow well Dutch immigrants are settling down. He said he was glad to see how well the immigrants were integrating; he felt it was important they should assimilate rather than keep in special groups. About 90 per cent, of those he had spoken to liked New Zealand very much, and said they would not want to return to the Netherlands. They liked especially the space and additional outdoor life of New Zealand, for in Holland living was much more cramped. There it was very difficult for most families to have even a small garden, whereas in New Zealand they were able to have their own homes and gardens. The immigrants had also found they were accepted by the community. In some other countries immigrants felt they were still accepted only as foreigners. Some found the language difficult, particularly the mastering of technical terms necessary in their work. However, most of them felt there was greater opportunity for their children in New Zealand, and also that there was greater opportunity for themselves to earn and enjoy a higher standard of living. The children of Dutch immigrants grew up 100 per cent New Zealanders. Dr. Hofmeijer said. The adults seemed to regard themselves as New Zealanders rather than Dutch after about 10 years in the country. “Some of them.” he said, “become even more Kiwi than the Kiwis themselves.”