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The difficulty associated with determining what constitutes immigrant entrepreneurial behaviour lies in the road being travelled differently by immigrants with regard to backgrounds, value systems, cultural heritages and host country characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a case study analysis of Indian immigrants operating small businesses in New Zealand. The study asks the question: what patterns of entrepreneurial behaviour exist within Indian entrepreneurs in New Zealand and how do they differ from Indian communities in other host countries?

A case study design was employed, based on a framework consisting of migration, settlement, cultural and business profiles. The data were collected via multiple data sets of: semi‐structured interviews with Indian immigrant entrepreneurs; interviews with New Zealand based Indian community leaders; and New Zealand statistical data.

The case study analysis identified many of the common Indian ethnic minority traits such as: adaptability, strong work ethic and predisposition for employment; and barriers such as discrimination and job dissatisfaction. However, the study also revealed country specific characteristics such as a lack of enclaves, differing business drivers and a market orientation that matched a New Zealand context.

This paper is a clear reminder to host country policy makers of the importance of differentiated approaches to understanding ethnic minority businesses in different host countries. To this end, this paper offers fresh insights into Indian immigrant entrepreneurship in New Zealand and how they match their behaviour to the environment they encounter.