Super Diversity to Compete in a Global Economy
Published by the NZ Herald on 24 July
As we become more globally connected, over half the world now lives in cities which are becoming more ethnically diverse. Immigrants overwhelmingly choose to migrate to cities because that’s where opportunities exist on a large scale. Cities feel urbanisation and immigration profoundly.
Urbanisation and immigration can be contentious policy issues at the national level. But at city level, they are lived realities.
Having listened to many great examples from speakers from around the globe at the Cities of Migration conference in Berlin, I am convinced Auckland – with more than 40% of our population born overseas and 12 to 14% of children born to immigrants – has a huge competitive advantage over other cities.
As one of the most migrant-rich cities in the world, we must court diversity to build on our strength, vitality and innovation. But, the growing negative conversation around migrants in this country is threatening the very positive progress forward as we grow. Much of this negativity appears simply a backlash against people who are different to us, whipped up in an election year frenzy by politicians appealing to fear and mistrust to gain votes rather than positive nation building.
But the future growth of Auckland actually depends on migrants and the skills they bring here. Much has been written about ethnic or migrant diversity being a key indicator of innovation in cities around the world. Migrants add their entrepreneurial spirit to a community, a major contributing factor in the growth of Silicon Valley.
Migrants bring new values and energy to a city. They bring connections back to the cities they come from. International evidence shows a diverse workforce makes better decisions and is stronger at ideas generation. At an individual level, ethnic entrepreneurs can exploit diasporas to open up international markets. A more diverse population can drive the development of new goods and services and a more diverse urban environment can help attract a creative class of skilled, liberally minded employees.
Auckland will continue to grow and become more diverse. And where there are jobs – migrants will go.
The challenge is to bring out the best in our community. We need to make the most of our expanding population by capturing the benefits of diversity. The fact we’ve got very skilled people wanting to come to Auckland to provide us with the skills we need is a real competitive advantage on the world stage.
The successes shared at the Cities of Migration conference are important for Auckland to hear for a compelling reason. When integration is done well, it fuels economic growth, spurs innovation and talent renewal, creates new knowledge and promotes an open, richer and more inclusive social fabric.
Many of the cities gathered at the conference had a vested interest in cultivating the political and community voices that embrace migrants, knowing they bring strength, vitality and innovation. These cities are responding to demographic change and global economic challenges by proactively building inclusion into public policy and by promoting new opportunities for business development and infrastructure design.
By organising around success and action instead of failure, crisis and inaction, local governments can succeed where many national governments are challenged.
To make use of the new skills created internationally we need leadership around operating across cultural boundaries. We need to be able to take these diverse communities’ and their entrepreneurial spirit and capital skills to create better understanding and to make better connections.
To do so, we must work collaboratively towards an entrepreneurial and innovative culture in Auckland – one which promotes migrant integration as an effective strategy for inclusion and urban prosperity to benefit all New Zealanders.
If Auckland doesn’t take heed and embrace programmes that encourage ethnic and cultural diversity we will have lost a massive opportunity.
Heather Shotter, Executive Director of the Committee for Auckland has just returned from the Cities of Migration conference in Berlin – focused on sharing stories from cities reinventing themselves for the 21st century, animated by the energy and opportunity immigration provides.