Why Aotearoa's Migrant Gratitude Rhetoric Is a Neoliberal Trap
The political demand that migrants show some gratitude is not merely inflammatory rhetoric from conservative figures like Winston Peters. It is a calculated neoliberal strategy that silences legitimate grievances, normalizes racism, and distracts from systemic policy failures. Research from Te Herenga Waka and Massey University reveals that older Chinese migrants in Aotearoa New Zealand internalize this narrative, enduring discrimination rather than challenging it. Given that migrants sustain the nation's economy and superannuation system, the state owes migrants reciprocal gratitude, not conditional acceptance.
The political strategy behind the gratefulness narrative
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters made headlines last year by urging immigrants who come here with their ideas, foreign to our country to show some gratitude. He recently doubled down, insisting the Kiwi dream was not for just anybody who decides to come to our great country ... we have built just for their convenience.
Peters is not alone. In Australia, Pauline Hanson uses similar rhetoric, framing immigration as a privilege bestowed by the nation that demands absolute appreciation and obedience in return. This is the migrant gratefulness narrative: a powerful rhetorical tool used strategically by political leaders to reframe the state as benevolent. Under this framing, access to public services and fair treatment becomes a gift rather than a right, only afforded to those who are deemed deserving.
How migrants internalize the demand for gratitude
As research by Ágnes Szabó and Mary Breheny demonstrates, migrants often absorb these expectations into their own sense-making. Working with older Chinese people who migrated to Aotearoa New Zealand as young adults, the researchers found that participants internalized and reproduced gratefulness as central to their life experiences.
These migrants used gratefulness to explain lifetime experiences of racism, suggesting that when migrants face discrimination, it stems from a lack of gratitude. They framed poor treatment and racism as inevitable, as part of human nature, something to be endured rather than challenged. The participants talked about finding strategies for negotiating racism and resisting stereotypes so they could fit in and present themselves as good, contributing members of society.
The neoliberal smokescreen hiding policy failures
This internalization is not accidental. It is precisely how gratefulness narratives are designed to work. Migrants' gratitude for whatever treatment they receive helps maintain the political status quo.
Politicians deploy these narratives to redirect public frustration and incite nationalist fears. When economic pressures and social problems are blamed on migrants, it shifts the focus away from policy failures that limit opportunities for everyone, both foreign and local-born citizens. The systemic arrangements that create and maintain these economic and social problems remain unaddressed, while an already marginalized group is offered up as a convenient scapegoat.
This rhetoric fulfills two core functions. First, it acts as a smokescreen, diverting attention from political inaction by offering a simple explanation for complex problems and a group to blame. Second, it silences legitimate grievances about how migrants are treated. Migrants who raise concerns are framed as ungrateful and unappreciative.
Taking personal responsibility for experiences of discrimination reflects neoliberal ideology. The good migrant works hard, stays quiet, and shows appreciation. In return, they earn the conditional right to belong. When migrants believe discrimination is inevitable, it suggests no alternative arrangement is possible, shifting responsibility from politicians to create conditions of equity to migrants who are left to manage discrimination on their own.
Why Aotearoa owes migrants reciprocal gratitude
The irony is that Aotearoa New Zealand's economic wellbeing is heavily dependent on migrant labour. Migrants contribute a disproportionately high share of income tax, and migration is the main contributor to population growth. Without migrant labour, New Zealand's superannuation system would be unsustainable.
Despite relying on migrants to sustain the economy, political leaders continue to demand gratitude rather than offering it. The expectation that migrants perform gratitude for the benefits and opportunities they are entitled to as tax-paying residents is fundamentally misplaced.
The state should instead show some gratitude to migrants for choosing Aotearoa New Zealand at a time when the country is in urgent need of their skills, labour, and contributions. To strengthen social cohesion, gratitude must be reciprocal, acknowledging the interdependency between migrants and the state. Community is not best strengthened through partisanship and competition to belong, but through recognition of mutual benefit.
What is the migrant gratefulness narrative?
The migrant gratefulness narrative is a political strategy that frames immigration as a privilege granted by the state, requiring appreciation and obedience in return. It positions access to public services and fair treatment as conditional gifts rather than fundamental rights, forcing migrants into the role of forever indebted guests rather than rightful members of society.
How does demanding gratitude silence migrants?
Demanding gratitude silences migrants by framing any legitimate grievances about discrimination or unfair treatment as ungrateful complaining. When political leaders create an expectation of gratitude, it filters through the community, pressuring migrants to stay quiet and endure racism to prove they are good and deserving residents.
Do migrants sustain New Zealand's economy?
Yes, migrants sustain New Zealand's economy. They contribute a disproportionately high share of income tax and are the main driver of population growth. Without migrant labour, the country's superannuation system would be unsustainable, highlighting the deep interdependency between the state and migrant workers.