Edges of Empire

‘Aotearoa New Zealand is a curiously neglected case in migration studies, despite the significance of immigration in the country’s social, economic and political development. This book will make a significant contribution towards filling this gap.’
— Antje Ellermann, Founder and Co-Director, Centre for Migration Studies, University of British Columbia

‘This is an impressive review of international migration policy in Aotearoa New Zealand with particular reference to the forty years between 1981 and 2020. It makes a distinctive contribution by situating much of the discussion in the context of the perspectives and policy interventions of successive Ministers of Immigration since the mid-1970s. As someone with more than fifty years of research experience in the field, I found the narrative that the authors have developed is novel, very comprehensive, well argued and interesting to read.’
— Richard Bedford, QSO, Emeritus Professor, University of Waikato and AUT

‘Edges of Empire is the first book-length study to chronicle the evolution of migration policy governance in Aotearoa New Zealand in the neo-liberal period, against the backdrop of treatymaking involving Māori and complex external relationships with peoples of the Pacific Islands. It boldly responds to the challenge to migration scholars to attend to the colonial in multiple sites and at different scales. The book is also unique in its use of interviews with successive ministers of migration to centre the analysis. In all these ways, Collins, Gamlen and Vallelly have produced a highly original and timely scholarly intervention.’
— Leah F. Vosko, FRSC, Distinguished Research Professor of Political Economy, York University

‘Drawing on the personalised accounts of successive Ministers of Immigration, Edges of Empire offers a unique analysis of New Zealand’s migration policies. At its core, the book outlines how the politics of markets, multiculturalism, and an enduring imperial agenda has shaped migration over the past forty years. It is also one of those rare accounts that threads the Crown’s relationship with tangata whenua in unfolding immigration histories. Collins, Gamlen and Vallelly adeptly blend academic thoroughness and storytelling to deliver an immersive and thought-provoking critique of New Zealand’s contemporary migration.’
—Rachel Simon-Kumar, Professor and Co-Director, Centre for Asian and Ethnic Minority Health Research and Evaluation, University of Auckland