The survey has been devised by Otago Polytechnic student Alia Askar as part of an internship with local community group Taieri Network.
The Bachelor of Applied Management undergraduate moved to New Zealand from Syria in 2017 and is using her own experiences to help others integrate.
Miss Askar and her family fled the war in her home country and spent six years in Lebanon before arriving in Dunedin.
Reaching the city with minimal English, she was finally able to resume her education, spending about 18 months at Taieri College.
‘‘The full experience of being in a new country, a new language, going back to school again, it is really difficult,’’ Miss Askar said.
She later began studying at Otago Polytechnic to focus entirely on learning the language before beginning her business degree.
A key aspect of commerce was the ability to deal with people and understand customers.
She believed her background of emigrating from a different country was an advantage.
‘‘When you bring your values ... and bring something to the table and then share it with other people, that is a really good thing.
‘‘We are all from different places [but] we are all the same.
‘‘We have different values, different beliefs, we respect what you believe and I hope that you respect the same thing,’’ she said.
Her short, anonymous online survey is open to anyone aged 18 and over residing or employed on the Taieri.
Miss Askar also plans to conduct one-on-one interviews with representatives from diverse demographics such as Arabic, Indian, Pasifika and other backgrounds based in the region.
The data collected will be used to provide recommendations to the Taieri Network on the best communication channels to reach isolated residents.
‘‘If they don’t hear about it, how can they participate?’’ she said.
Those interested in taking part in a one-on-one interview can contact Miss Askar at alia@taierinetwork.co.nz to share their stories.
Anyone living or working in Mosgiel or on the Taieri Plain can to take part in the anonymous survey by visiting taierinetwork.co.nz
