Such survey data can provide a wealth of information on the variety of forms and channels of remittances used by migrants, from which it is possible to assess the quantitative and qualitative significance of these hidden international resource flows. Unrecorded remittances are found to constitute a highly significant part of total remittances to these Pacific island countries. It is argued that current account estimates from official balance of payments data in these situations need to be treated with extreme caution, especially in the context of macroeconomic analysis and policy formulation. The Remittances of Fijians in Sydney. 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. This article examines the findings of an analysis of sample survey data on the uses and determinants of remittances among Tongan and Western Samoan households.