EXPLORING AFRICAN MIGRANTS’ DECISIONS TO MIGRATE TO NEW ZEALAND

Migration is the movement of people from one geographic location to another. It can be either domestic or international. This study focuses on international migration. Individuals or groups who decide to leave one country to go to another, intending to live there for a year or more, are considered international migrants (Vore, 2015). The study discusses how and why migrants migrate voluntarily and why they may be forced to migrate. The study examines the decision factors causing Africans to migrate to New Zealand. Three schools of thought (push and pull, structuralist, and transnational) in the migration literature were used to evaluate participants’ motives. An interpretive study approach was used to collect data; a thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that participants migrated for work, career development, children’s welfare, quality of life, environment and security.