Making Immigration Work For New Zealand

ACT is announcing new policy to make immigration work for New Zealand. One that welcomes people, but only if they share values of tolerance, freedom and democracy, help build infrastructure, and play by the rules.

“New Zealand is a settler society. From those who arrived in open boats 700 years ago, to those who arrived at Auckland Airport this morning, our country has been built by people willing to make a journey to try and build something better,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Immigration has enriched New Zealand. In less than 200 years, New Zealand has gone from a series of isolated villages, to a network of modern cities connected by road, rail, air, and sea, with electricity, the internet, and the three waters.

“Each wave of settlement has also built the Kiwi character that is respected around the world. Kiwis are recognised in everything from business to sport to peacekeeping as resourceful and thoughtful, firm but fair people who keep their word and can fix anything.

“Today, Kiwis who are proud of our settler heritage are asking themselves why something doesn’t quite feel right with immigration. ACT believes their suspicions are correct.

“Successive governments have let a skilled-migration system become a general-purpose labour tap. They have failed to enforce the rules they set. They have allowed infrastructure to fall further behind. And they have asked too little of people who want to benefit from the Kiwi character without supporting it.

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“The rate of settlement has overwhelmed the ability to provide infrastructure. Dunedin took 180 years to build, but we add the population of Dunedin in a couple of years while we struggle to build a hospital in Dunedin itself.

“We are told that the immigration system is a strict one focused on delivering the right skills to New Zealand. On paper we do have a strict system, but even those who want to believe that cannot see it. Too often they shake their heads and ask, if we have a system targeting skilled migrants, how did a guy who can’t even find an address on GPS get here?

“We recognise there are different issues in urban centres compared to rural New Zealand, where populations are lower and it’s a lot harder to find people willing to get up first thing in the morning and do a hard day’s work on the farm.

“ACT’s policy restores the basic bargain that New Zealand was built on. People are welcome here if they contribute, respect our democratic values, and help build the country.”

ACT’s six-point plan is:

1. Deport serious offenders

ACT will ensure Resident Visa holders convicted of offences carrying sentences of 10 years or more can be deported no matter how long they’ve been here. This goes further than the Government’s current proposal to extend liability to 20 years.

2. Skilled visas for skilled jobs

Accredited Employer Work Visas are meant to fill crucial skills gaps, but too often the gaps close and the categories remain wide open. ACT will have each skill category automatically expire every year. To remain open, they would need to show up-to-date evidence of demand.

3. Opportunity, not dependency

ACT will introduce a five-year welfare stand-down for all residence class visa holders. That means no jobseeker support, accommodation supplement, or income-tested benefits for a migrant’s first five years here.

4. A fair contribution for infrastructure

ACT will introduce a $6 per day infrastructure surcharge on temporary work visas, on top of existing charges. This ensures migrants contribute to New Zealand’s infrastructure from day one, before they start paying tax. The fee is expected to raise around $80 million a year, while remaining more affordable than comparable visas in Australia and the United Kingdom.

5. Stronger English language requirements

ACT will extend basic English language requirements to all AEWV types. Lower standards will still be permitted for seasonal workers.

6. Enforce the rules

There are 20,980 known overstayers in New Zealand right now. ACT will establish a dedicated overstayer enforcement unit within Immigration New Zealand. Platform employers such as Uber and DoorDash will be required to verify and report work rights. Employers who facilitate overstaying will lose their accreditation.

Mr Seymour says the policy is designed to rebuild confidence in immigration by restoring fairness and accountability.

“People are rightly cynical about politicians promising to slash migration numbers. In 2017, Labour campaigned on reducing net migration by 30,000. NZ First campaigned on reducing net migration to 10,000. The rest is history.

“The two parties formed a Government, and after two years of their Government net migration had risen to 80,000. If it wasn’t for COVID closing the borders, they would have held the record for migration under one Government.

“We need an immigration system that recognises New Zealand’s heritage as a nation of settlers. We need new migrants to grow and develop, but that migration must work for New Zealand.

“Success requires a common set of expectations; respect our freedoms, uphold our democratic values, contribute to infrastructure, speak English, obey the law, and fill genuine gaps in the economy.”

NOTES:

• a one-pager with further details on the policy.
• speech David Seymour delivered to a public meeting in Whangarei on Friday night, with further attributable comments on immigration.

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