Immigrants’ experiences of nature-based recreation in New Zealand

This study addresses the recreational behaviours of immigrants and ethnic minorities, with a focus on nature-based recreation in national and regional parks. The study was comprised of a survey questionnaire that compared immigrants with New Zealand-
born citizens. The study was motivated in part by research undertaken internationally that demonstrates different recreational behaviours for ethnic minorities and for those of recent migrant status. This paper reports on five aspects: frequency of use; nature of the recreation party; constraints to participation; important features of natural areas; and benefits of visiting natural areas. The data revealed statistically significant differences based on migrant status and ethnicity for a range of recreation-related variables. The migrant and ethnic minority cohort in this study had lower incomes than New Zealand-born respondents. This may suggest that marginality and ethnicity need to be considered together as explanatory variables for recreational behaviour.