This annotated bibliography was commissioned by the Department of Labour to provide a comprehensive account of the current evidence on settlement and social inclusion for migrant and refugee young people in New Zealand. A key aim of the bibliography is the identification of evidence relating to factors that facilitate or act as barriers to the successful settlement and social inclusion of these young people. Research relating to international students has generally not been included, unless these students are included in studies of migrant and refugee young people.
The bibliography is intended to be a resource for policy makers, practitioners working with refugee and migrant young people, community and ethnic organisations, and researchers. The references gathered here indicate that a significant amount of research has been done in New Zealand in this field over the last three decades, particularly in the areas of family and social networks, education, social services and the crafting of identity by young refugees and migrants. The collection also indicates that this is a growing field of research and that researchers, particularly those belonging to refugee and migrant communities themselves, are developing new methods of research that both complement and challenge long-standing methods. Significant new research questions are also being posed. Clearly, however, there are important gaps in research in this field, and there is much work still to be done.
This commentary introduces the bibliography – key terms are defined, the particular situation of young (as opposed to adult) migrants and refugees is outlined in relation to the New Zealand Settlement Strategy and the Youth Development Strategy, the main themes emerging from the research literature are summarised, and significant gaps are identified. Finally, a brief outline is given of the research tools used in compiling the bibliography. Appendices at the end of the bibliography list international research that came to light during the search for New Zealand research, and the search strategy that was used to locate the work gathered here.