As of late 2025, the number of New Zealanders living in Australia was estimated to be around 700,000 - a huge number for such a small country, reflecting the close relationship between our two countries. In Tasmania, it's estimated there are about 5000 New Zealanders living here, making them one of the top 5 migrant groups.
It's assumed often that New Zealanders are very similar to use and don't have many challenges to settle in here, but the true picture is more complex.
One thing that distinguishes New Zealand from Australia is the influence of Maori culture, something which until fairly recently was repressed. Olive grew up in a small farming community near Gisborne, a small city on the east side of the North Island. Her mother and grandmother were strong influences during her younger years and gave her a connection with Maori culture and her grandmother, in particular, practised traditional Maori healing.
Losing her mother and grandmother at the age of 16 was a deeply traumatic event for Olive and for a while she fell into some unhealthy coping mechanisms. Most of her family also migrated to Melbourne and, pregnant with her first child, she joined them to be near family support.
It was around ten years ago that Olive met a Tasmanian man, who she later married, and was part of the reason that brought her to Tasmania. The other was a slightly more spiritual reason, which you will her about in the podcast.
You will also hear how during the COVID pandemic and the lockdown in Melbourne lead to Olive reconnecting with the Maori language and culture through online communities, something she now also shares within her local community in Tasmania.
El Salvador is a small Central American nation that has suffered from a multitude of hardships over many decades, include civil wars, a brutal military dictatorship, crippling poverty and violent crime. This has led to a large exodus of the population escaping, through both legal and illegal channels, to countries like the USA, Canada, Mexico and Australia. In fact Australia is home to the third-largest population of Salvadoreans outside the country itself.
Roque came with his family to settle in northern Tasmania in the early 90s as a result of the civil war that lasted from 1981 to 1992. Australia accepted some 10,000 Salvadoreans during this time as a part of its Humanitarian Resettlement program, and Tasmania received several hundred of those.
Roque chose Australia over USA or other countries because he wanted to be as far away from El Salvador and its problems as he could, but with no English when he came, settling in near the small city of Devonport was quite a challenge at the beginning.
However, as Roque says, he met some angels in Tasmania, almost by chance, who helped him with work and even build a house, and ultimately let him put down roots in Latrobe.
Cuba is a country that really stands out amongst Latin American nations because of the revolution in 1959. Since then they have lived under the rule of a Communist dictatorship and for most of that time also under severe sanctions from the United States, both of which have create severe hardship for the people of Cuba, both in material terms and also in terms of the lack of civic freedoms. This has resulted in large numbers of Cubans leaving the country over the years to seek a better life in countries such as the USA, Canada, Spain or other parts of Latin America. Not a lot come to Australia, because it is very difficult both practically and financially.
Alfredo is perhaps then a bit of a pioneer, who arrived in Hobart in July 2025 from Ecuador, where he spent 12 years previously. His first goal was to improve his English, but his main goal is to find a safe place for his family to settle. Like many migrating from South America, safety and security were major considerations.
But despite the hardships that drove him away from Cuba, Alfredo remembers his childhood fondly, as he grew up in a place that was safe and security and where there was a strong sense of community around and people helped each other out. It was only later in life that he started to question the ideology that he had drummed into him religiously from a young age, as the reality that he experienced no longer seemed to match the government line.
Alfredo is also a writer, having self-published books on dentistry, he's also written books for children and is working on a fantasy novel as well. On top of this, he has started teaching kickboxing in Hobart as well, and that reflects a theme that kept coming up in our interview that Alfredo values service to others.
Trinidad and Tobago is one of the larger nations of what is often known in the West Indies. It's known for its tropical beaches, its coral reefs, its steel drums and the Caribbean's biggest carnival celebration. In Australia, it is also associated with world-class cricketers like Brian Lara.
Rodney grew up in a couple of small closeknit communities on the north coast of Trinidad and has great memories of his childhood there.
Life took a darker turn for him later in life though, and family circumstances meant that he was better off going to live with his mother in New York at the age of 15. His experiences in Trinidad and seeing the growing influence of the illegal drug trade, influenced Rodney's decision to study a degree in Criminal Justice in New York.
However, it was during his degree that he made an online gamer friend from Tasmania, and cutting a long story short, he came to Tasmania to live in 2018. After the stress and tension of life in New York, Tasmania felt like a return to home and the more close-knit of community he had grown up with in Trinidad.
It can be easy to forget that English is not the only indigenous language of Britain, and indeed Welsh, still spoken by around 600,000, has its roots far deeper in the history of ancient Britain. Wales is a land of mythical folk tales, rolling hills, magnificent choral signing traditions, passion for rugby and so much more. Though erhaps clichees, although these contribute to a distinctive Welsh identity, which can still be seen in faraway places like Tasmania, which has long received Welsh migrants ( and convicts.
Huw is one of the more recent arrivals from Wales having come to settle in 2021. His partner had arrived in early 2020 to take up a position at the University of Tasmania. Due to a succession of misfortunes and tribulations, such as a flobal pandemic, Huw couldn't make it until much later.
Huw grew up in a very rural area of north-west Wales and was brought up in a Welsh-speaking household, and indeed, English wasn't introduced into his schooling until he was 7 years of age. As we discuss in this episode, language, especially having more than one, can have a big impact on shaping how one sees the world and Welsh is no exception.
Growing up on a farm where everyone had to pitch in, meant Huw developed a strong sense of community, something which he has found resonance with in Tasmania also.
Ingrid hails from the tiny island nation of Saint Lucia, a lushCaribbean island known for its volcanic peaks, vibrant Creole culture, and status as the only country named after a woman. With a population of around 180,000, Saint Lucia blends African, French, and British influences, and though its official language is English, many speak Saint Lucian Creole.
Ingrid trained as a physician in Cuba on a Saint Luciangovernment scholarship, worked in paediatrics, and later took on various public health roles across the Caribbean. She made a big move to study Master’s degree in Adelaide, where she met herpartner—but it was the appeal of small-city life that drew her to Hobart for her Ph.D.
Now based at the Menzies Institute, she’s deep into healtheconomics research and has found a second home in Tasmania—one that, surprisingly, shares much with her island roots.
Lobelia’s story begins in the Solomon Islands, a Pacific nation comprising over a thousand islands scattered southeast of New Guinea.
Growing up in a small, remote village on one of the six main islands, she experienced a simple and traditional village lifestyle, with no technology and few of the modern convenience we take for granted now.
At the end of her high school, life in the Solomons took a dramatic turn when the country was gripped by significant ethnic conflict and social unrest. This period of instability was so severe that it required intervention from theinternational community, including Australian police forces, to help restore peace and order. For three years Lobelia stayed at home with her family in their village, not quite sure where her life was going to go.
Once stability was re-established, Lobelia’s decided join the local police force. She later advanced her career by working in the Maritime Division, where she got to see life on some of the remote islands. She also had the opportunity for further training at Australian Maritime College in Launceston, and it was here she first met Craig, who would become her future husband.
After marrying Craig, Lobelia made the big move toLaunceston, Tasmania in 2017. Like many migrants to the region, she faced the challenge of starting over professionally and just building a social circle. She decided to do a course in Horticulture at Tafe Tasmania, and now runs her own gardening business.
Laos, a Southeast Asian country of about 7 million people,is known for its Buddhist traditions and vibrant food culture. Outhay grew up in the capital, Vientiane, helping her family run a 24-hour convenience store where everyone pitched in. Memories of both the abundance and scarcity of foodshaped her childhood.
After studying English at university, Outhay worked ingovernment administration, where she met Roger, a Tasmanian geologist working in Laos. Romance developed gradually, and laws in Laos had significant penalties for Lao women having relationships with foreign men, meaning they had to bite the bullet and they got married in 2005.
In 2006, Outhay moved to a farm in Wilmot, north-westTasmania. She connected with the local community through playgroups with herchildren and became known for her spring rolls. Later, she retrained by studying cooking at TAFE, worked at a café, and completed a chef’s apprenticeship—earning Tasmania’s Apprentice of the Year in 2016.
The Isle of Man, or Manx, is a self-governing dependency of the United Kingdom, located between Great Britain and Ireland, and has been influenced by the cultures of both. It's known for being an offshore tax haven and a centre for gambling companies. It also has the oldest continuously-running parliament, the Tynwald, which is claimed to be over 1000 years old. There is also the Manx tongue, a Celtic language spoken by little over 2000 people, but which has undergone a recent revival.
With a population of around 80,000, it is perhaps a surprise to find a Manxer on another island on the other side of the world.
It was Ellie's love of boats and sailing that drew her away from the Isle of Man, first with a a sailing adventure across the Atlantic, then 6 months sailing around the Pacific. Her first contact with Tasmania though came through a circumnavigation of Australia on the tall ship the Endeavour .
It wasn't until years later, when Ellie became pregnant with her second child, that her and her Australian partner, made the decision that Tasmania would be the place they would settle and raise their children, and it's been a decision that Ellie hasn't regretted.
Music used in this episode is in the Manx language and is used under Creative Commons from Culture Vannin -
https://culturevannin.im/manxfolklore... . Culture Vannin exists to promote, supportand celebrate the culture of the Isle of Man.
Yemen is a country that gets little attention despite being at the centre of one of the greatest humanitarian crises in the world, as declared by the UNHCR in 2025.
There is not space enough here to describe all the events that have led to such a crisis, including civil war, an overthrow of the government and in 2015 a Saudi-led mass bombing of the country, but the results have seen a catastrophic collapse in living standards, large-scale hunger and instability.
In other words, not the kind of environment parents would want their children to grow up in.
This was the view of Khaled's parents in 2015, as missiles rained down in their neighbourhood, destroying many buildings around them, and this was the first step to Khaled coming to Tasmania.
Coming to Hobart to study a Business and Finance degree, Khaled could scarcely have come to a more contrasting environment. A place that was peaceful and quiet, even a bit too quiet, and it took Khaled a while also to adjust to western culture. Despite this, he has truly made a lot of his opportunity to develop his skills, creative pursuits and character.
Of course, it goes without saying, that the situation in Yemen is still very unstable, and in this episode, Khaled speaks of the fears for family still living back home.
Rose's story begins in the throes of World War 2, in one of the darkest moments in Maltese history, as the island was laid siege by the axis powers and be the most bombed territory in all of the war.
Rose came from a big family, which reflected the human cost to the population, having their house destroyed and family members killed. Rose was born after the Siege of Malta was lifted, but life was difficult in the post-war period and many Maltese would seek to emigrate.
Like tens of thousands of others, Rose's family would migrate to Australia in the 1950s. She grew up in Melbourne in a big family. Melbourne was not the multicultural melting pot it is today, and Rose recalls the family being targets of some unwelcoming insults, but her memories of growing were mostly positive ones.
It was many years later that she moved with her then husband to Launceston, where she still resides today. Although she has lived in Australia along time now, and Tasmania is for her the best place in the world, she still cherishes parts of her Maltese heritage such as the language, the food and some of them unspoken values from her mother such as caring for others and making no one goes without.
Today there are around 40,000 Maltese-born living in Australia, a big number for such a small islands nation, but which demonstrates the special historical connection between Malta and Australia.
Lili gre up in the southernmost region of China, in a neighbourhood where there were strong community connections.
Her parents were perhaps not typical for Chinese parents in that they were not focused on grades, but more than Lili was doing what made her happy and they encouraged her to beat her own path.
This perhaps contributed to her decision to go to Australia to study after she finished school. She studied Psychology, and after she graduated she returned to her hometown with the idea to start a counselling service. The time wasn't quite right yet for such an enterprise, but while back in China she met her future Australian husband.
They would eventual come down to the Huon Valley to pursue their dream to live a more green lifestyle and grow their own vegetables. Lilli's first job was at MONA, but she would eventually do further studies in social work, and she now works within the area of mental health and counselling.
Rwanda is a small nation of 13 million people in the centre of Africa, and the setting for one of the worst atrocities of the late 20th century. During the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 an estimated 500,000-800,000 people of the Tutsi minority were killed by members of the Hutu majority
Tasmania may seem a million miles away from such horrors, but the small Rwandan community here has continued to commemorate the event in Hobart in April for the past 20 years. Aubert has been one of the key organisers of the commemoration event, an event which includes commemoration of all genocides, in the hope that humanity can learn from history and avoid dehumanisation of others and the violence that brings.
But in this interview Aubert also discusses the positives of growing up in Rwanda - family and community playing a big role in Rwanda society and a happy childhood for Aubert.
After arriving in Hobart in the early 2000s, Aubert also did a number of different jobs, including teaching French privately and even an interesting stint as an assistant at the Body Shop.
He's also been involved in helping new arrivals adapt to the new culture here through both his work and also as a some time coach and mentor at Hobart's most multicultural soccer club, Hobart United.
Cambodia is a country with a dark recent past, with the the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime leading to millions of deaths and large numbers of refugees.
A large portion of those refugees came to Australia in the late 70s and early 80s, often on boats.
However, in more recent times, Cambodia has enjoyed a sustained period of relative stability and prosperity, and Cambodians are more likely to come to Australia as students than as refugees.
Pul ( aka Pulsokunreangsy ) arrived in Melbourne at 18 years of age to study IT. This was not something he had planned, it was an idea of his mother and cousin, who told him after they had already applied for him that he had better study for the English test ( IELTS) !
As Pul realised from his experiences in Australia, one of the biggest cultural differences is that in Australia, you are expected to be a lot more independent, while in Cambodia, even as an adult, the family is very much part of your decision-making. He has found one of the most positive things he has got from living in Australia is developing independence and life skills. In Cambodia, your successes and failures are very much tied to the family, and this can be stressful at times.
Pul came to Hobart to do post-graduate studies in a quieter and more relaxed environment and he managed to get a graduate position in his field in Hobart after graduating.
Madagascar is a unique and fascinating island nation off the east coast of Africa ,well-known for its incredible biodiversity, especially its famous lemurs. Less well known is its human and cultural diversity, with strong influences coming from Asia, Africa and Europe.
Michaela has lived in different places in Madagascar and is familiar with the different regional dialects and traditions of the country, and her own family background reflects a lot of the fascinating cultural diversity of this large island. She met her Tasmania husband online, and in her 40s, she came with her daughter to Tasmania to be with him. Like many new migrants, finding employment in Tasmania was not easy, and she found her 17 years' work experience in Madagascar working at various NGOs was not really regarded at all. However, she was eventually able to make the most of another talent - her "healing hands" , and now runs her own massage business in Hobart.
Music : "Energizing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
All that most Australians know about Panama are the Panama hats and the Panama Canal, and probably some have a vague idea that they speak Spanish.
Ana grew up in the heart of Panama City, which lies on the Pacific coast of the country, the most southerly nation in Central America.
Ana started dancing ballet when she was 5 and continued dancing almost every day through her childhood and teens. She'd eventually go to study dance in Cuba, where she was for 5 years, and it there that in 2012 she met Elias, her future husband. But romance was to come much much later, as they started as friends, he went back to Australia and they stayed predominantly long-distance friends for years after.
When things got serious between them, so did the state of the world, with the world-wide pandemic throwing some serious obstacles on Elias's route to get to Panama to propose, and then even further after they married an Ana made an epically long journey to get to Australia.
Ana also talks about getting pregnant not long after arriving in Tasmania and dealing with being a new mother in a new country and it's rewards and challenges.
Niall grew up in Belfast in the 90s when the bloody sectarian conflict between Protestants and Catholics still permeated almost every aspect of Northern Ireland society. His family didn't belong to either faction and never bought into the toxicity created by the historical sectarian biases.
Living in such atmosphere, Niall always thought to get out, and in his early 20s moved across to Brighton in the UK.
With a passion for music, the strong artistic community, Brighton was really appealing, but also expensive. That love of music and the arts would also be what eventually attracted him to come and live in Hobart, after a visit during Dark Mofo, which was part of a break to recover from burnout.
Niall was eventually move to Hobart with his partner and get a job at the Museum of New and Old Art, before a recent career change.
Music credit - "Flux and Form" by Northern Irish band Tracer AMC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouXm_Pa5Its
Ben was born into a Berber family in a small town in Morocco, the youngest of 11 children. While, for various reasons, some older siblings had to drop out of school early, Ben was an enthusiastic student. A teacher at high school inspired him to take an interest in some of the social issues he noticed around him and this lead him to studying a degree in Sociology.
Ben followed the academic path after graduating, first doing a Masters in Malaysia and then coming to Tasmania to do his Phd and eventually becoming a lecturer. The main focus of his research has been housing, from the slums of Casablanca to the housing crisis in Tasmania and its various causes and consequences.
Aymen's first experience of Australia was arriving at Sydney Airport with no English or knowledge of his new country and getting very lost and missing his connecting flight.
His lack of English was a problem at first, but his soccer skills helped him get involved with the local soccer community and this opened up social networks and job opportunities that Aymen took advantage of.
Aymen grew up in Khartoum, but at around the age of 18, the threat of enforced military service became very real and he decided to escape to Egypt, and after two years, he was able to join his brother in Tasmania.
