After New Zealand attacks, more people registered to move there

Registrations of interest to live and work in New Zealand increased in the 10 days after March's mosque attacks, compared with the 10 days leading up to it.

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New Zealand’s image as a peaceful nation isolated from the world’s problems was shaken by the recent Christchurch terrorist attacks, but it appears that the country’s response has had an unexpected effect: More people than usual have said they want to move there.

New Zealand’s immigration agency said Thursday that registrations of interest to live and work in New Zealand — the first step toward applying for a visa — had increased in the 10 days after the March 15 attack compared with the 10 days leading up to it.

Peter Elms, assistant general manager of Immigration New Zealand, said in a statement that there were 6,457 registrations after the shooting, and 4,844 in the 10 days before. The largest increase came from the United States, which had 1,165 expressions of interest compared with 674 in the same period leading up to the attack.

The attack, in which a gunman opened fire on worshippers attending Friday Prayer at two mosques, killed 50 people. It prompted the country’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, to move quickly to push for strict restrictions on the types of weaponry used in the attacks.

In addition to the surge of inquiries from Americans, there was a big boost in registrations from people in predominantly Muslim countries. People from Pakistan — where nine of the victims were from — made 333 registrations after the attack, compared with 65 in the 10 days before it. People in Malaysia made 165 applications, compared with 67 in the period leading up to the attack.

Ardern has received widespread praise at home and abroad for her handling of the attack, including her decision to wear a hijab when visiting mosques and meeting the families of victims in the aftermath of the violence.

It was not the first time news events have prompted an interest in moving to New Zealand, a nation of roughly 5 million people. In the 24 hours after the November 2016 election of President Donald Trump, immigration officials received 7,000 registrations from Americans interested in making the move, and 17,000 during that whole month. Immigration New Zealand typically receives 3,000 expressions of interest from U.S. citizens each month.

Mustafa Farouk, president of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand, said the families of the victims of the Christchurch attack had spoken about the country’s response in glowing terms, and he was not surprised that so many people were looking to relocate there.

Referring to the family of Mucad Ibrahim, a 3-year-old boy killed in the attack, Farouk said, “His father was telling me that he used to love New Zealand, but now he loves New Zealand even more.”