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Migration, Culture and Belonging

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Migration, Culture and Belonging

A crew has arrived at a new space settlement. Use the self-contained case study and evidence tasks to explore how migration can shape culture, identity and belonging. Base your answers on evidence, and remember that people’s experiences can differ.

Case study: A new home on Aotearoa

Anahera’s family moved from Samoa to Aotearoa New Zealand when she was ten. They settled in Ōtautahi Christchurch, where Anahera began learning new routines and making friends at school. At home, her family speaks Samoan and English, cooks foods connected with their heritage, and keeps in touch with relatives in Samoa through calls. Anahera also joins a local siva group, where she dances and meets other young people. At first, Anahera found some school expressions unfamiliar and missed her cousins. A classmate invited her to join a lunchtime football game. Over time, Anahera became more confident speaking up in class and enjoyed showing classmates a dance at a community celebration. She says that Samoa is still an important part of who she is, and that Christchurch is becoming home too. Her experience is one example; migrants’ experiences are not all the same.

Read the evidence

Use details from the case study to answer each question. Explain your reasoning where asked.

1.Which statement best describes Anahera’s sense of belonging by the end of the case study?

She has replaced her Samoan identity with a New Zealand identity.
She feels connected to Samoa and is beginning to feel at home in Christchurch.
She belongs only to the siva group, not to either place.
She has stopped adapting to life in Christchurch.

2.Identify two parts of Samoan culture or family connection that Anahera maintains after moving.

3.Give one example of Anahera adapting to life in Christchurch and one example of support that helped her settle.

4.True or false: Anahera’s story shows that migrants must give up their earlier cultural connections in order to belong in a new place.

True
False

5.The case study names both Samoa and Ōtautahi Christchurch as important places. Explain how each place connects to Anahera’s identity or belonging.

6.A new student says, “If you speak another language at home, you cannot really belong here.” Use two details from Anahera’s story to challenge this claim.

7.Imagine you are planning a welcoming activity for newly arrived students in a space settlement. Suggest one activity that lets students share cultural knowledge and one practical way to help them feel included. Explain how each could support belonging.

8.Migration can affect a person’s identity and belonging in more than one way. Write a short evidence-based conclusion about Anahera’s experience, using at least two details from the case study.