Teariki Mary Anne
He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Programme, Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington 6242, New Zealand.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Oct 17;14(10):1237. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14101237.
Settlement is a complex process of adjustment for migrants and refugees. Drawing on recent research on the settlement experiences of Kiribati migrants and their families living in New Zealand, this article examines the role of housing as an influencer of the settlement and health of Kiribati migrants. Using qualitative methodology, in-depth interviews were conducted with fourteen Kiribati migrants (eight women and six men) representing 91 family members about the key issues and events that shaped their settlement in New Zealand. The stories told by participants affirm the association between housing and health. The study serves as an important reminder that children bear a great cost from living in poorly insulated and damp housing, and adults bear the mental costs, including social isolation resulting from inadequate rental housing. Detailed information about how this migrant group entered the private rental housing market, by taking over the rental leases of other Kiribati migrants vacating their rental properties, indicated some of the unintended consequences related to a lack of incentives for landlords to make improvements. With the most vulnerable families most at risk from inadequate housing, this research concludes that there is a need for minimum housing standards to protect tenants.
定居对移民和难民来说是一个复杂的适应过程。本文借鉴了近期对生活在新西兰的基里巴斯移民及其家庭定居经历的研究，探讨了住房在影响基里巴斯移民定居和健康方面所起的作用。采用定性研究方法，对14名基里巴斯移民（8名女性和6名男性，代表91名家庭成员）进行了深入访谈，了解影响他们在新西兰定居的关键问题和事件。参与者讲述的故事证实了住房与健康之间的关联。该研究有力地提醒人们，儿童因居住在隔热差且潮湿的住房中付出了巨大代价，而成年人则承受着精神代价，包括因租赁住房条件差导致的社会孤立。关于这个移民群体如何通过接手其他搬离出租房的基里巴斯移民的租赁租约进入私人租赁住房市场的详细信息，揭示了一些与房东缺乏改善住房激励措施相关的意外后果。鉴于最脆弱的家庭受住房不足影响风险最大，本研究得出结论，需要制定最低住房标准以保护租户。
