The number of people arriving in New Zealand on work visas declined for the second month in a row in July.
According to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE), 14,238 people arrived on work visas in July, down from 16,878 in June and 17,319 in May.
That may signal the rapid growth in the number of overseas workers coming to NZ that occurred since pandemic border restrictions were eased, is starting to slow.
Overseas worker arrivals slowed to just a few hundred a month from April 2020 to March 2022, then began to increase rapidly from April last year, hitting 20,442 in March this year.
That means the number of overseas workers arriving is not far below pre-pandemic levels, with 102,624 arriving over the six months from February to July this year, compared to 111,120 over the same period of 2019.
The numbers also suggest arrivals patterns are resuming their regular pre-pandemic trend, as per the graph below. This would mean their numbers would probably not peak until January next year, although there may be monthly fluctuations for the remainder of this year.
The MBIE figures show there were a total of 149,220 people in NZ on work visas at the end of July this year.
That's well down from the peak of 222,036 in March 2020. However, the steady decline that occurred between April 2020 and September 2022 was mainly due to 204,504 people who transferred from work visas to residence visas under the 2021 Residence Visa Scheme, which was only available for a limited time.
The number of work visa holders in NZ has been tracking up again since October last year.
There was also a sharp jump in the number of overseas students coming to NZ, with 12,438 arrivals on student visas in July.
That suggests overseas student arrivals are returning to the seasonal pattern evident pre-pandemic, when January, February and July were the main months for student visa arrivals.
However, while student arrivals may be following the same pattern evident pre-pandemic, their total numbers are down. The 12,438 arriving in July was well below 20,118 arriving in July 2019.
According to MBIE, there was a total of 52,248 people in NZ on student visas at the end of July this year, compared to 86,100 at the end of July 2019. So the international education sector still has a way to go to get back to pre-pandemic levels.
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107 Comments
It ok finding work, but living here is too expensive.
It'll certainly make life more expensive for those born here and wanting to live here.
Migrants from popular source countries (India, China, Philippines, etc.) are generally used to worse living conditions (crime, crammed infrastructure, low pay, squalid working conditions and life balance, etc.).
High migration to NZ is hardly a sign of strength as successive governments have wanted us to believe. In reality, multiple studies by the Productivity Commission suggests those coming in are increasingly lower-skilled workers, i.e., economic refugees escaping worse living conditions.
Today's Herald INZ investigating 164 accredited employers for migrant exploitation
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/immigration-nz-investigating-164-accredit…
Yesterday's NewsHub
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/no-food-nothing-major-criminal-…
Gee, who would have thought that allowing companies to bring in an unlimited number of workers without having to prove there was actual work (which couldnt be filled by a local) for them would lead to employers simply selling visas to unskilled migrants who wouldnt otherwise qualify as legal immigrants?
It was always an incredibly stupid idea, but hey, that's the Labour Govt for you.
Now go take a look at all the "cleaning" companies bringing in women to work in brothels.
It was always an incredibly stupid idea, but hey, that's the Labour Govt for you.
It's not like this is a recent development though. NACT is just as keen to pump up the immigration numbers as Labour has been. Even the Greens want more immigration, basically, none of the parties have any interest in slowing it down.
Just wait for Winston
Winston talks a big game about immigration, but his actions speak louder than his words.
Or lack thereof
“those coming in are increasingly lower-skilled workers, i.e., economic refugees escaping worse living conditions.”
At least they are willing to work.
what you said is economically not true.
more people, more production, more supply.
It's economics which is not true.
More people equals more resource draw-down, more pollution, eventually ecological overshoot.
The idiots call all that 'externalities'.
Sort of like being on the Titanic and lauding more passengers, while calling the sinking an externality.
Exactly.
Each new person coming makes more money for someones business and pays some tax. And they bring say 2 family members on average?
But they need a house (push up prices / rent), they buy a car (emmissions), need healthcare, a pension, commit or recieve crime (police), drive on the road, need public transport, kids need skooling.
So - i would love to know what is the minimum tax needing to be paid per immigrant to meet their (and their dependants) infrastructure and public healthcare needs. And thus what they need to earn and the thus the increased revenues and taxes paid by their employer. Then we would know what immigrants we want and dont want.
Right now i feel every immigrant is costing the country in every way.. except the employer who makes more personally.
Agree 100%. Low paid work, stick around get PR then boom! Free healthcare, education, social security etc. Unfettered immigration is one of the key reasons for NZs decline.
No one will address it due to concerns about being xenophobic or racist.
Yeah OldSkool, and the thing I don't understand is later they want to bring their parents and what have you. I thought if you want to change your circumstance and emigrate to another country then that's you choice. Why bring family? I say if you miss them, go back home!
And I am speaking as an emigrant, we arrived as a small family in 1967 from Sweden. Mum, Dad and three kids of which I was one.
Dad and brother left NZ eventually and only Mum myself and sister left behind. We have always worked and done well.
No need to bring extended family. I believe that's BS.
Oh shush. Quiet in the Dunning-Kruger seats please.
But who needs it? We've already trashed the planet with "more people, more production, more supply", and you want double down? The bleeding obvious shouldn't need pointing out!
https://www.interest.co.nz/business/121217/anz-economists-say-latest-sa…
huttman - are you posting from Delhi, Shanghai, Dhaka, Mexico City or some other nirvana crated by 'more' people?
It shouldn't add any problems with housing supply when you can pack'em and stack'em like this
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2023/08/four-more-auckland-p….
I wonder what the yield is on these properties?
Indictment on NZ.
I suppose most of these workers must be here on a 2-year work visa (or longer), which means they are eligible for taxpayer-funded healthcare in NZ.
They will be taxpayers themselves so surely this is ok. Much like Kiwis working in Australia get a medicare card.
It is not the same. Kiwis are eligible for most benefits that Aussie PRs are and vice versa. I don't see the need to extend the same to such a huge number of temporary workers while our public system is facing multiple crises.
They will need health care living in those types of houses at that density, and many have no work.
Will be warming and healthier waiting 6 plus hours and A&E than at home.
We were never asked for this, it literally only bankrupts ordinary people and robs their children of a future. For what? Cheap Labour, no different to the slaves prior to the 19th century or cheap coolie labour in the 19th. No political party listens, the internet is widely censored to limit outrage, the state uses increasing legal and subtle pressure through the security services and legal system to crush dissent.
The tap does not close until the state is radically changed. We are to eat shit forever and become debt slaves, serfs in the lands we once owned.
The end game is NZ being just the wealthy Kiwis that stayed ahead of the system and the immigrants that serve them.
A good summary.
It is the WEF policy to have open borders, so that the poor can all immigrate to wealthier countries. Thus equality and "equity of outcomes" is achieved on a global scale. So it doesnt matter who you vote for - every party is in favour of unlimited immigration. The only difference between them is the type of immigrant and how long they stay for (Labour gives them all permanent residency and loans to buy houses, while National puts them all on temporary visas and sends them packing when they are no longer required).
Labour have done just a tad more to identify worker exploitation. A small increase in the labour inspectorate; a few more cases being prosecuted and law-breaking businesses being hit with a wet bus ticket. The fact the Labour party tolerates a system that inevitably leads to corruption, worker exploitation, lower wages and reduced training says something about the modern Labour party.
So when inflation was raging because we didn't have enough workers you were fine with that?
Inflation didnt rage because we didnt have enough workers.
It raged because we printed and lent too much money too cheaply .. so everyone spent too much and created an unrealistic demand on businesses that were overhiring to meet that unrealistic demand.
Couple of course with imported inflation caused by a depreciating dollar and other events like pandemic/china and ukraine war.
Then we can look at our low productivity pet capita vs oecd.
A lack of unskilled workers is definitelt not our problem...
Yes, I literally do not care. If inflation was 100% and the pool of Labour was only the local natural pool, wages go up, house prices go down in relative terms.
Wages were only ever a part of the inflation. And I'm perfectly fine with workers taking home a higher percentage of goods and services, overall it's a win for people that work and earn wages, and a loss for owners of capital.
It's a very convenient scapegoat. Sure, wages increasing are inflationary there's no denying it. But assume a product's total cost across the supply chain is 90% Labour, a doubling or tripling of wages will not result in a doubling or tripling of the cost of goods. So while a 300% inflation rate would be disruptive, if businesses are ethical about their pricing i.e. maintain a standard percentage gross profit then workers will be better off.
Beautiful VM. VM for president of NZ.
Accommodation infrastructure for the new immigrants is similar in requirements to those seeking accommodation in the rental market. New arrivals needing a roof over their head will look for rental accommodation first up in 99% of cases.
Due to decades of govt under-investment in the state housing sector, the private sector willingly set about filling the gap, which they did, & all they have got for their efforts is slammed by every generation except the boomers. Please remember it was the inaction of succeeding govts at the lower end of the market that has contributed greatly to the current situation.
Anecdotally rents out there right now are pretty high. I have a friend in that industry & he told me last week he doesn't know how people can afford them. You can't blame the construction industry as they focus on building houses with better margins, which doesn't usually include the bottom end, sadly.
And it is here that we have a housing crisis.
The short term answer is having more rentals available, but this govt has been killing landlords for 5 years now, so no surprise that there are less available. This situation was predicted on this site by many posters back when it began the process. But hey! They're the govt. They know best right?
What NZ needs is less government not more. And certainly where govt is needed, we need better [smarter] govt not the 'We know best' socialists currently running down the system.
It is estimated there are over 100,000 empty homes in NZ [probably more]. Most are nice homes. The one next to me is being done up by a 'young' women but the truth is she hasn't lived in it since she bought it 6-7 years ago. She's still with mum & day. She's 40.
The govt has underwritten the breeding of the beneficiary classes over the past 50 years. They knew they were coming, they knew they would need state housing & yet they did nothing about it. John Key tried but removing people from their state house to build 4 more on the same site was resisted with much gusto & I can't say I blame them.
If we are going to continue to underwrite the breeding of the lower socio-economic classes then for goodness sake, make sure you build more social housing. I'm looking at you central govt.
The private sector has utterly failed to provide an adequate housing supply. The country had enough housing when we had a robust state housing scheme that provided a backstop to the market. This makes perfect sense as the incentives are completely backward for landlords/homeowners who actually benefit from constricted supply and fight to keep it that way through red tape and burdensome zoning and planning laws that make it increasingly difficult to build.
As I've said before, blaming all our rental shortage issues on government policy alone clearly isn't correct. Australia is also facing massive rental shortages and they have all the benefits in the world for landlords e.g negative gearing, tax rinsing, etc. And it's not even just Aus, the UK, USA, Canada, etc are all facing similar issues despite different government policy settings, there is clearly something more to it than just one incompetent government.
They all have incompetent councils that love to prevent building...
Spraaaawl.........
Compare with a place like Singapore where private housing is very expensive, but public housing is affordable and used by around 80% of local residents. Many will talk up Singapore's economic growth, but shy away from adequate funding of public housing which is a necessary part of it.
I would have to say Wrong John that the chances are the "young woman' is probably not an emigrant. From what I am seeing is most are NZers owning multiple houses which are then passed down.
But totally agree with the housing cost scenario which I find obscene.
I don't think John Key helped at all, probably made the problem worse, But more State housing is a must. Even though it will bring more social issues.
Welcome NZ to the problems that has plagued the rest of the world for hundreds of years.
And remember we are all recent emigrants including Maori who escaped over population on small Pacific islands, such is the nature of humanity.
I'd like to see a breakdown of who's arriving by occupational group. If we are still importing people because kiwis don't want to do the work for the pay on offer it's a terribly short sighted way to get around our low productivity and lack of training for practical professions - but it's the way we've papered over the ever-widening cracks for decades as we just keep sliding down the rankings.
I'm batting around 90% Bangladeshi in my ongoing Auckland Uber driver survey. They all seem hardworking interesting people. Without them the price of many day to day services and products we consume would be higher so it's win win. The brutal reality is that Kiwi's will not work for low wages as the cost of living is too high, multivariate and complex reasons for that. The real question is what is the appropriate path to citizenship for immigrants.
Whack mortgage rates up to 10% and increase rents, and we might see some Kiwi's prepared to take up second jobs driving Ubers. Unfortunately most of them seem to think that working a second job is beneath them, they can barely be bothered to work one. And considering that an unemployed person with a partner and two kids earns more on a welfare benefit than the median wage, I'm not all that surprised.
I used to live in London's Tower Hamlets where Bengalis (Bangladeshi) were over 90% of the inhabitants. Generally peaceful hard working men (women were kept at home). But the Bengalis did get nervous when Somali refugees started to arrive; a very different Muslim culture..
“The brutal reality is that Kiwi's will not work for low wages as the cost of living is too high, multivariate and complex reasons for that. ”
Too true and many rather sit on the benefit rather then picking up the “cleaner job”
Those coming in that pick up residence here stand to get 100,000's in shared benefits (infrastructure, free health and education) over and above the 'wage' offered by employers.
Offer a few hundred k to those you call lazy (over and above their wages) and see if they pick up the cleaner job or not for a valid comparison.
There are 608,000 international students in Australia, more than they ever had pre-Covid. Looks like the NZ education business is slowly dying. But that's to be expected when all the Universities start pitching themselves as "Maori" institutions and teaching "Maori Knowledge" as if its the full equivalent of modern Science. International students are not going to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a degree in complete rubbish that is being literally laughed at by international experts.
The number of people on work visas is only up by 37,000 people in June from 108,000 in October last year. There must be an awful lot of immigrant workers also leaving, probably because once they realise how awful and degraded NZ has become under this Govt they can't wait to get to Australia or Canada or anywhere else they can get a new visa for.
Of the 145,000 work visas most of them are family members (24,000), RSE workers (10,000), and working holidaymakers (27,000). Only 10,000 are Essential Skills visas (which is drop from 12,000 last month!)
Pretty sure Maori culture isn't complete rubbish and if you don't want to study it then don't. Do you not see the irony of so many posters here highly critical of the NZ economy when it has been run by Pakeha for 100 years?
tekooti - no, it was run by a system - growth and capitalism in our case.
Don't conflate cause.
And Maori didn't do too well in the wellbeing stakes, prior, even at their lower consumption-rate.
No one said Maori culture is complete rubbish.
Maori "science" i.e traditions/religion only has a place in universities once it has been proven accurate. In reality we can learn from maori culture, but science is science so someone saying Maori Science is simply making things up, and ticking woke boxes.
To keep things in perspective - Pre-European Maori hadn't invented the wheel yet, they were very much a stone age hunter gatherer society. Given another 500 years they may have eventually established building from stone, but with no animals to farm they were very restricted to coastal areas for their source of food (seafood and kumara). They also didn't have clothing appropriate for keeping warm in winter in the south island.
But that's to be expected when all the Universities start pitching themselves as "Maori" institutions and teaching "Maori Knowledge" as if its the full equivalent of modern Science. International students are not going to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a degree in complete rubbish that is being literally laughed at by international experts.
Sorry, you'd have to be rather one-eyed not to draw that conclusion. Par for the course in Interest comments section, it frequently descends into Klan cosplay.
Te Kooti, please don't give up on all. Fact is it was'nt so long ago that all Homo Sapiens were living in caves. We have all evolved from primitive beginnings.
There is lots to learn from all cultures. We need to move on and think of how the future will function.
Unfortunately looking at recent events on the European mainland I would have to say things are regressing so who is to say what is progress in the human psyche.
Science is at a different level all together.
Ka pai Hans, I do appreciate there are some very balanced and considered participants who Make insightful contributions, of which you are clearly one.
Māori culture certainly isn't rubbish. Something you can be proud of and probably with something to teach all of us. However the comment is correct - other countries are laughing at our apparent attempt to equate Māori scientific knowledge with modern science. There are articles written by non-Kiwis in European media aimed at American and British readers that use this description of Science at our NZ Universities as a classic example of excessive wokeness. We are being laughed at.
Its not even scientific knowledge, its literally folklore and stories. Get back to me when they've figured out the engineering and construction requirements to build something like Westminster Abbey or Notre Dame - they're literally still building Viking long houses and calling it progress. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/488645/ancient-maori-building-techn…
Careful. Next they'll be accusing the Vikings of appropriating "their" technology.
Outside of NZ, what benefit is a degree in "Maori Science"? Step outside of the woke echo chamber of this country and listen to what real experts in their field think about it.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-im-sticking-up-for-science/
What does it matter? No one is forcing you to study it and no one is saying science isn't important. Maori are interested in preserving their culture and learning about it, it's what a balanced society looks like - freedon of choice. If you're not interested, don't enroll. Why are pakeha such snowflakes about anything Maori?
But that is my point. People arent interested, and they arent enrolling. And the Universities are going broke. Another "go woke, go broke" example. Maori preserving their culture is great, but if they want to do it in an educational institution they can offer a specific degree in Maori studies. It shouldnt be forced on everyone else who simply want to study science, engineering, medicine, and business etc, based on internationally accepted standards and without reference to race or ethnicity.
How many international students are going to Tribal Colleges in the United States? This is what the entire NZ educational system is going to become. https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universit…
How about some facts, how much is it costing? How is it forced onto everyone? University's/Colleges are some of the most left-leaning institutions on the planet. You seem totally ignorant of the fact https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-culture-wars-have-crept-into-ox…
Te-Kooti - try doing a degree in Waikato Uni etc without having to writing endless essays and how to be culturally safe and how much better Maori culture is than everyone elses on the planet.
Most of it is condescending garbage. And I don't say the as a criticism of Maori - just the vocal minority who dream up this re-education programme stuff.
I can't comment because I'm not there. I certainly have no requirement for anybody to study Maori in a tertiary institution if they dont want to.
You need to appreciate University's globally are hard left these days, try getting into Oxbridge as a white male, you have next to no chance. Don't blame me, not my idea and I think it's gone too far.
My point is, stop paying out on Maori culture and Maori in general. Most have nothing to do with this, take it up with the Universitys.
how many of those 608k are actually studying at uni in oz? i don't think any of those nzqa institutions care about maori teaching, but rather clipping the ticket for esol to diploma courses
True. And those ones will probably continue to come to NZ on the basis of "I don't care where so long as its not here" immigration objective. But those who are seeking a respected degree in the field of their choice (STEM, medical, nursing, engineering, etc) so that they can gain a professional job in their home country or elsewhere will certainly be more picky about where they study, and what they get for their money.
Currently foreign nurses have to pay $13k to study the Treaty of Waitangi and "cultural safety" in order to practice in NZ. And then we wonder why we cant get any nurses. They can go to Australia or the UK and not have to bother with any of that, and just focus on delivering medical care.
You have to study cultural safety training to pracise in Australia as well. Show me the link where it costs $13k here.
Its gone up. $13,900 https://nursingcouncil.org.nz/Public/Fees/NCNZ/Registration-section/Fee…
As for Australia the "cultural safety" training is just part of a 2-3 hour online course that costs a few hundred dollars - in NZ its an 8 week course.
https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Accreditation/IQNM/Orientation…
Had my stint working for a major Australia University. For overseas students, it's about ranking and Australia Universities did a damn good job of raising their profiles. Meanwhile, most universities in NZ did bugger all to lift their ranking (i,e. lacking Research).
I like the fact that immigrants usually just want everyone, including themselves, to be treated equally regardless of race, which is a refreshing change from the attitude of a group that will remain nameless. Hard working, don’t commit much crime, want the country to grow. Bring them in, make me a multicultural and metropolitan country, no an insular bi-cultural (tangata tiriti and tangata whenua) backwater.
No one made you stay or sign Te Tiriti, you could have sailed off to the next island?
You remind me of a Monty Python Skit trying to complain about the Romans:
John Cleese’s character asks the group rhetorically, “What have the Romans ever done for us?!” And of course, after a few seconds, unexpected answers start coming back from the crowd until finally, Cleese has to qualify his question this way: Alright, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?!?
Just switch out "romans" with "Pakeha" and we have the current discourse that Labour allowed to thrive over the last 3 years. Pre-european - Maori had a life expectancy of 28 to 30 years, current Maori life expectancy is 77 years. Not a bad improvement in the space of 200 years.
The Romans also had the good decency to leave.
The Roman's were forced out by the Byzantine Empire. Fortunately for New Zealand, we were not taken over by the Japanese Empire in the 1940s.
The Byzantine Empire was the Romans.
The Byzantines "Romans' were forced out of present day Turkie by the Ottomans. The rest of the Roman Empire gradually declined.
Play victim and forever be one.
With attitudes like yours, Maori will fall further and further back as the hard working new immigrants (with zero sympathy for your feelings) just get on with it.
When the Romans left, England fell into a dark age and was unable to maintain the infrastructure the Romans had built. And then succumbed to waves of Norse invaders.
As at least one Māori academic pointed out the treaty allowed subjects of the Crown to enter NZ. That excludes people from countries that have never been part of the British Empire. Possibly also rejects people from countries that have rejected the British monarchy - the most recent being Barbados.
Nobody raises this issue because it would be classed as racism. So maybe the treaty has evolved. As it must have done when they permitted non-land owners the vote and later gave women equality with men. NZ needs to decide what the treaty meant when it was written and what it means now.
Your reference to what was in the treaty is an invention. What you say is not in it.
I've zero knowledge of the Treaty and being unable to read Te Reo I cannot make any statement about the treaty but I can report what is being said about it. An online search lead to an article that states ""According to Te Ara, the Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, the Maori Chiefs who signed the Treaty acknowledged that more immigrants would be coming to New Zealand from the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. These places were named in the preamble to the treaty. Recently, some Maori have argued that they should, as treaty partners, be consulted about letting people from other countries settle in New Zealand,”"
Is that accurate or just the invention of a journalist?
From a report by the NZ Productivity Commission: ""More influential was a 1993 article by University of Auckland professor, Ranginui Walker, which argued that the 'original charter for immigration into New Zealand is in the preamble of the Treaty of Waitangi'. According to Walker, this allowed 'immigration into New Zealand from the countries nominated in the preamble of the Treaty, namely Europe, Australia and the United Kingdom', but 'any variation of that agreement' would require consultation with the Crown’s Treaty partner""
Is that right Due Diligence, what about those emigrants who bring their crappy religious beliefs with them and expect everyone to accommodate those whether they like it or not?
Like how we can’t build motorways because they disturb the Taniwha?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/taniwha-halts-work-on-highway/L6PLP3QA2BC…
Religious immigrants used to worry me (the “religion of peace” in particular). But these days I’m far more concerned about raced-baced policies like the Maori Health Authority, 3 waters, RMA consents being held ransom by local hapu, co-governance in general, fanciful interpretations of the Treaty etc. Also schools completely misrepresenting the history of this country and telling my child that a woman can have a penis 🫃
Just wait until Reparations become the new big thing.
Woke is the new religion
So that 100,000 will include the unemployed people crammed 20 or more to a 3 bedroom hovel that paid close $20,000 to get into the country. These are the ones that have hit the headlines and you can be certain that they are the tip of the iceberg. With this evidence there is clearly no labor shortage and we have unemployment rising. This is nothing more than a state sponsored slavery scheme, tipping huge sums of money into the pockets of little more than criminal slave traders. It is a total hypocritical joke when the government required employers to identify suppliers that used slave labor. By proxy the government are the biggest modern slave traders in the country.
Clearly Labor and National have no interest in looking after average Kiwi citizens so there is no future for honest hardworking Kiwis remaining in the country. Your only hope is to get out and let the country degenerate into the South Pacific Columbia that successive governments are steering us towards.
But climate change and those farmers
If we got rid of the cows, we could fit another 50 million humans in and run the economy on selling each other houses.
If we replace cows with humans it would certainly make the daily milking more interesting.
I think we are half way there. https://www.newsroom.co.nz/why-people-should-be-eating-new-zealand-grass
Wonderful for property speculators/investors - just pack more in and up the rent.
Importing bunk beds could yield a tidy profit one would think.
“Wonderful for property speculators/investors - just pack more in and up the rent.
Importing bunk beds could yield a tidy profit one would think.”
$400 per room per week .
Wi-Fi not included.
We are almost there, rent will soon make up for high interest rate.
If the aim is to turn parts of NZ into the slums of Mumbai, Dhaka, or Shanghai, we're on the right path.
Where are the grown ups in Wellington to actually run this country in a direction that is going to make it a better place to be, not worse?
It is clearly neither Labour, nor National. It is like we have governments/ministries, but they are completely asleep at the wheel/not fit for purpose/not conscious of what is unfolding around them - then again, I worked in Wellington for a year, and remember the place was full of entities that existed like self licking ice-cream cones, and if you attempted to change them (so that taxpayers were actually getting value for money), you got bullied out for 'having bad attitudes'.
So I've come to realise that we reap what we sow because we deserve it (but appears to be a common theme across the west right now - a general malaise/incompetence/inability to act with principles and values that will make the future better (from a utilitarian perspective - as opposed to short term actions that benefit oneself).
Unfair. Immigrants from China and India are generally hard-working and honest and within one or two generations they leave the slums and raise to the middle or top of NZ society. It is the less talented Kiwis who remain who are pushed into a beneficiary life by people who work for less. The future slums will be full of Kiwis. Think of Glasgow's Gorbals.
"The future slums will be full of Kiwis"
Exactly why we should stop the current immigration policies - and why current kiwis are allowing it to happen doesn't make any sense at all.
Those who were born here should have first rights to prosperity - but agree we need to fix the productivity of our local workforce.
Its difficult when the most productive of us are leaving for Australia and elsewhere. Productive people get sick of waiting for things to change and just want to get on with making a success of their lives without being taxed to death (or just death, in the case of those who now are denied surgery because of their race).
I was born overseas and arrived in NZ at 3 years old, although my family first arrived here in 1835 and was instrumental in the formation of New Zealand as a country.
I moved straight from secondary school to a fulltime job, which I used to pay my way through university part-time, and have never drawn any benefit other than ACC for a total of 9 weeks. I have been a net taxpayer my entire career. My (NZ-born) family have private healthcare, and my children are privately schooled. All cheer for NZ sportspeople.
Why should my rights to prosperity be put behind those of any number of NZ-born people? I don't need a hand up, obviously, but why should I qualify for a road block?
It's not about you, you're here. Most posters are talking about stopping anymore coming until we take care of those who are already here rather than continuing to throw more and more onto the scrap heap in terms of shelter and employment.
Example, how about training some of the ram raiders (who seem to be able to drive well enough to hit a target), to drive buses instead of importing people to do it in exchange for residence (like winning lotto to them and their family - all for driving a bus).
Perhaps the author could also dig into the figures of Kiwis leaving permanently.
I assume the bulk of immigrants are from the likes of India /Philippines while our best and brightest head to Australia..
Import the 3rd world... become the 3rd world
Don't complain. We got exactly what we (industry) have been screaming for.
All from this year.
Skilled labour shortage: Freight, logistics sector needs 18,000 workers for jobs
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/18000-skilled-workers-urgently-needed-f…
Critical staff shortages hamper business and the economy
https://businessnz.org.nz/critical-staff-shortages-hamper-business-and-…
Finding labour 'the hardest it has ever been', and it's about to get worse, report says
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/131356220/finding-labour-the-hardest-i…
Business screamed for it and used its money to buy a voice in the media, to justify importing cheap labour.
Workers get far more if the supply of Labour is much tighter. Therefore, close the borders. Easy as.
Businesses can and should go broke instead of using scab labour. Literally screw your business.
We are losing Nurses /police/truck drivers/heavy plant operators/builders/doctors...
to be replaced by uber drivers and $2 shops...
joy
We need a stable population target. The current population explosion will make us poor.
NZ is a joke economy propped up on:
a) cheap overseas labour
b) buying and selling houses for free capital gains propped up by insane land prices
c) low value tourism with low paid jobs
d) farming with one main customer.
Our population has grown by ~2 million in ~30 years. The bulk of which is migration driven, it would be interesting to know in that same timeframe what new infrastructure has been built;
- How many new hospitals?
- How many new schools?
- How many new houses?
- How many new Sewerage plants?
- How many water treatment plants?
- How many new Power Stations?
- etc...
I get the feeling we left our infrastructure back in the 80s, yet blindly march on adding more and more people.
I get the feeling
Open your eyes, you'll see it's not just a feeling...
Let’s be honest people, and I mean honest. With ourselves, with each other. You aren’t going to pick leeks, grapes, apples, pour pints at a bar, serve croissants at a local cafe, etc etc.
We rely on these people to hold our standard of living and as much as we hate to admit it, the flow of migrants was growing year on year pre-pandemic like veery other country as the world was ever expanding.
Now the way forward is simple: Infrastructure investment, accomodation investment, and let’s make these immigrants’ experience of NZ the best it can be or forego your lifestyle as you know it.
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