Esther Elmi
Summer Issue: October 2009
Each year, around 80,000 people immigrate to New Zealand from all over the world. What do they think of their new country?
Esther Elmi
From England, to Christchurch
One of Esther Elmi's first memories of arriving in New Zealand nine years ago was how thoughtfully the playgrounds had been designed.
As an active athletic child, she was thrilled to find New Zealand outdoor playgrounds were kitted out with soft landing pads.
"In London there was just concrete and I was always hurting myself, scraping my hands and knees," says the 16-year-old. "I've still got scars on my legs from those days."
Esther was seven when she arrived in New Zealand with her New Zealand-born mother Kirsty McCrory, leaving her British-Somalian father and relatives behind. It was a good age to shift, she says. She was so excited to be going somewhere new she never looked back. She barely noticed she was often the only black child in her class at Howick and then later Methven, Dunedin and Christchurch schools. Her current school, Avonside Girls, is much more multicultural, though it's not an issue that has ever bothered her.
All Esther really knew about New Zealand was that there were lots of sheep. What she knows now is that the scenery is what really sets this country apart. Where she had a view of concrete and brick buildings in London, she can see hills, the sea, greenery and other houses from her house on St Andrews Hill in Christchurch. She loves skiing and snowboarding and says this country is brilliant for snow sports.
Her mother has remarried and Esther has enjoyed the numerous tramps and great walks the family has embarked on together. She is also a ballet dancer.
Esther's other early impressions were that there were no trains here, hardly any people and the wonderful hot school lunches she had enjoyed at her school in London were, alas, no more. "I remember I had sandwiches for lunch for the first time and I probably shouldn't say this, but they were really gross."
Esther is lucky enough to have both a British and New Zealand passport and says she will definitely live in London for a while when she is older. She has returned for a visit and the energy and variety of the city thrilled her, as well as the proximity to other countries. But Esther says she has no regrets about moving here and, chances are, she'll return to live in New Zealand.