Labour Party again shies away from giving accurate “numbers” on immigration
Labour Party leader Andrew Little is calling for a further reduction in immigration numbers, though once again shying away from giving accurate numbers of migrants that the Party would like to bring in New Zealand.
In a media statement released today, Andrew Little is saying that the “latest figures showing another record year for immigration underline the need for an urgent rethink on how this country can continue to absorb so many people.”
Mr Little’s media statement was in response to the latest revelation from Statistics NZ about the record surge in net immigration.
As per latest data released by Statistics New Zealand today, the migrant arrivals in March 2017 have swelled to a new annual record of 129,500. Migrant departures were 57,600 in the 12 months to March 2017. This led to a record annual net gain in the migration of 71,900, which surpasses the previous annual record net gain of 71,300 migrants in the February 2017 year.
“New Zealand needs immigrants and is all the better for the skills and rich culture they bring. But now, more than ever, we need to pause and rethink our current settings. We need to ensure the people arriving have the skills we need and that our cities can cope with any increase in numbers.
“Nearly half – 35,772 – decided to live in Auckland putting the city under even more pressure. That’s 4,500 more people than for the same period the year before and equates to demand for about 12,000 homes alone. Auckland only built around 7,000 homes last year.
“We can’t continue to bring so many people into our biggest city which is already suffering from traffic congestion, overcrowded schools and soaring house prices,” Mr Little says.
There is nothing new in this anti-immigration rhetoric in the election year after brushing off recent proposed changes in immigration policy by the government last week as mere “tinkering.”
“Labour will reduce immigration numbers, better match migrants with the skills our industries need, accelerate investment in vital infrastructure and build the houses that a growing population needs,” Mr Little says.
However, Mr Little and the Labour Party still need to come up with accurate numbers on immigrants before the elections that their party seeks to bring in the country.
In a recent appearance on The Morning Show in Newshub, Mr Little has stopped short of giving a precise figure on immigration numbers after stating that a Labour government would cut tens of thousands of immigrants from coming into the country.
It is apparent that the Labour Party is playing safe before elections this year by just beating the drum on record levels of net immigration without coming up with accurate numbers and appropriate strategies, if any, to temper the unprecedented levels of ‘internal migration to Auckland city’.
It is important to understand that the record level of net migration to New Zealand per se, is not fuelling the current popular anti-immigration sentiments that all political parties are seeking to ride; instead, it is the record numbers of arrivals in Auckland – the New Zealand’s largest city which is creating the major stir.
The current anti-immigration narrative is largely dominated by pressures on Auckland’s infrastructure such as traffic chaos, fuelling house prices and pouring sewage into the harbour, whereas businesses and industries mainly based outside Auckland such as wine, horticulture, fishing and construction still struggle to get employable workforce.
Many industry representatives and advocacy groups are already echoing these sentiments.
"In many rural areas there are just aren’t New Zealanders to employ, and in a lot of cases, when farmers seek applicants from Work and Income NZ, no-one is put forward for the job,” says Andrew Hoggard, a National Board member of Federated Farmers – a leading independent rural advocacy organisation.
"In that instance, I’m concerned about the prospect of a migrant being forced to leave after three years, after they have worked hard to develop a core set of skills, just for the farmer to have to employee another migrant because there were no New Zealanders available," Mr Andrew said.
Similarly, Aged Care Association chief executive Simon Wallace has also cast aspersions on the ability of their industry to recruit employable workforce after the recent changes in work visa are implemented as reported by Radionz earlier this week.
Against this backdrop, it is not altogether incorrect to expect all political parties, including the National and the Labour Party to stop running amok with immigration numbers callously which may affect New Zealand’s long-term growth.
Immigration means money for the country apart from the valuable skilled workforce and cultural diversity, as new immigrants bring more taxable income and spendable dollars in the economy which boosts overall growth.
The record migration numbers have played an important, and an undeniable part, in steering New Zealand’ economy from the global economic turndown and shoving away those numbers purely on a whim may not be the best decision for the country’s long-term growth.
Labour Party leader Andrew Little is calling for a further reduction in immigration numbers, though once again shying away from giving accurate numbers of migrants that the Party would like to bring in New Zealand.
In a media statement released today, Andrew Little is saying that the “latest...
Labour Party leader Andrew Little is calling for a further reduction in immigration numbers, though once again shying away from giving accurate numbers of migrants that the Party would like to bring in New Zealand.
In a media statement released today, Andrew Little is saying that the “latest figures showing another record year for immigration underline the need for an urgent rethink on how this country can continue to absorb so many people.”
Mr Little’s media statement was in response to the latest revelation from Statistics NZ about the record surge in net immigration.
As per latest data released by Statistics New Zealand today, the migrant arrivals in March 2017 have swelled to a new annual record of 129,500. Migrant departures were 57,600 in the 12 months to March 2017. This led to a record annual net gain in the migration of 71,900, which surpasses the previous annual record net gain of 71,300 migrants in the February 2017 year.
“New Zealand needs immigrants and is all the better for the skills and rich culture they bring. But now, more than ever, we need to pause and rethink our current settings. We need to ensure the people arriving have the skills we need and that our cities can cope with any increase in numbers.
“Nearly half – 35,772 – decided to live in Auckland putting the city under even more pressure. That’s 4,500 more people than for the same period the year before and equates to demand for about 12,000 homes alone. Auckland only built around 7,000 homes last year.
“We can’t continue to bring so many people into our biggest city which is already suffering from traffic congestion, overcrowded schools and soaring house prices,” Mr Little says.
There is nothing new in this anti-immigration rhetoric in the election year after brushing off recent proposed changes in immigration policy by the government last week as mere “tinkering.”
“Labour will reduce immigration numbers, better match migrants with the skills our industries need, accelerate investment in vital infrastructure and build the houses that a growing population needs,” Mr Little says.
However, Mr Little and the Labour Party still need to come up with accurate numbers on immigrants before the elections that their party seeks to bring in the country.
In a recent appearance on The Morning Show in Newshub, Mr Little has stopped short of giving a precise figure on immigration numbers after stating that a Labour government would cut tens of thousands of immigrants from coming into the country.
It is apparent that the Labour Party is playing safe before elections this year by just beating the drum on record levels of net immigration without coming up with accurate numbers and appropriate strategies, if any, to temper the unprecedented levels of ‘internal migration to Auckland city’.
It is important to understand that the record level of net migration to New Zealand per se, is not fuelling the current popular anti-immigration sentiments that all political parties are seeking to ride; instead, it is the record numbers of arrivals in Auckland – the New Zealand’s largest city which is creating the major stir.
The current anti-immigration narrative is largely dominated by pressures on Auckland’s infrastructure such as traffic chaos, fuelling house prices and pouring sewage into the harbour, whereas businesses and industries mainly based outside Auckland such as wine, horticulture, fishing and construction still struggle to get employable workforce.
Many industry representatives and advocacy groups are already echoing these sentiments.
"In many rural areas there are just aren’t New Zealanders to employ, and in a lot of cases, when farmers seek applicants from Work and Income NZ, no-one is put forward for the job,” says Andrew Hoggard, a National Board member of Federated Farmers – a leading independent rural advocacy organisation.
"In that instance, I’m concerned about the prospect of a migrant being forced to leave after three years, after they have worked hard to develop a core set of skills, just for the farmer to have to employee another migrant because there were no New Zealanders available," Mr Andrew said.
Similarly, Aged Care Association chief executive Simon Wallace has also cast aspersions on the ability of their industry to recruit employable workforce after the recent changes in work visa are implemented as reported by Radionz earlier this week.
Against this backdrop, it is not altogether incorrect to expect all political parties, including the National and the Labour Party to stop running amok with immigration numbers callously which may affect New Zealand’s long-term growth.
Immigration means money for the country apart from the valuable skilled workforce and cultural diversity, as new immigrants bring more taxable income and spendable dollars in the economy which boosts overall growth.
The record migration numbers have played an important, and an undeniable part, in steering New Zealand’ economy from the global economic turndown and shoving away those numbers purely on a whim may not be the best decision for the country’s long-term growth.
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