To the Islands: The Remittances of Fijians in Sydney

Abstract

Migration of Melanesian Fijians to Sydney has become substantial since the 1980s. Much migration is of individuals, rather than families, and based on individual decisions. Though remittances are not a primary goal of migration, they are considerable and comparable to those of overseas Polynesian communities. Remittances, in goods and money, were usually sent to close kin, especially parents, in accordance with perceptions of needs and were usually mainly for food and clothes. A smaller but still substantial proportion was sent through churches and provincial groups for development projects benefiting communities and wider regions. Social distance, geographical scale, household size and the impact of recession on employment and incomes were critical influences on the volume of remittances.