GEOGRAPHIC HAPPINESS: NAVIGATING BODY AND PLACE VIA MIGRANTS’ ECO-CREATIVE PRACTICES IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND

Keywords: migration study, geographic happiness, medical anthropology, phenomenology, New Zealand
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

This paper employs sensory ethnography and sensuous geography to explore place-based happiness and well-being in Aotearoa New Zealand. From 2021 to 2024, this qualitative study examines 38 individuals who chose an eco-creative life after migrating, contextualizing their social, ecological, and cultural transformations through human-environment interactions. This multimethodological research investigates how these migrants—facing post-pandemic uncertainties and climate change—engage with their ecological surroundings and make spatial identities via arts and everyday practices to pursue self-sustaining, regenerative lives. Recognizing these individuals as ‘eco-creative practitioners’ or ‘migrant eco-creators,’ the research asks: How do the eco-creative practices of migrants in Aotearoa New Zealand embody their pursuit of geographic happiness?

Using snowball sampling, the study identified eco-creative migrants aged 20 to 70 from various backgrounds who reported a sense of belonging to Aotearoa New Zealand. Data were gathered through 24 in-depth, semi-structured interviews, multimedia field notes, artworks, and digital spaces. Immersive fieldwork in Dunedin, Wanaka, Christchurch, and Auckland observed their socio-spatial mobility, sensory experiences, and creative practices. I explored how migrants’ eco-creativity fosters self-healing through material and spiritual exchanges within the Aotearoa landscape, embodied in both artistic and practical forms. I argue that these migrants’ sensuous engagements with their environments conduct relational taskscapes, contributing to their migration adaptation, and ecological and planetary health in their pursuit of geographic happiness. This land-body connectedness is crucial for migrants' well-being as well as for building resilient communities through eco-creativity and ecological-cultural solidity. These insights can inform broader strategies for policymakers to support migrant health and influence urban planning.