.|
NEWS
A variety of immigration, business and general news articles taken from New Zealand newspapers, websites and other sources (sources are mentioned at the bottom of each article) and selected by Terra Nova Consultancy Ltd. It may assist the reader being more or less up-to-date what is happening in Aotearoa, "the Land of the Long White Cloud". Happy reading, enjoy ... and if you have any questions on these updates - please contact us...
Newest article always on top.
Jul
06
05/07/07 - Migrant numbers set with economy in mind
Thursday, 5/07/2007
The New Zealand Residence Programme for the coming year has been set in a slightly lower band to take account of the continuing strong economy, says Immigration Minister David Cunliffe.
"The number of migrants being sought under the programme in 2007-08 has been set in the range 45,000 to 50,000," Mr Cunliffe said.
"The range for the 12 months to June 30 was 47,000 to 52,000. Current indications are that about 47,000 people will have been approved for residence during that year."
People who wish to migrate to New Zealand must apply under one of the programme's three residence streams: Skilled/Business, Family Sponsored, or International/Humanitarian.
Each stream is allocated a percentage of the total number of residence places. The Skilled/Business Stream approvals account for 60 per cent, Family Sponsored 30 per cent and International/ Humanitarian 10 per cent.
"As I have said on a number of occasions recently, with the economy strong and New Zealand competing in a global market for skilled migrants, our top priority at present is ensuring we get high quality migrants while not adding to inflationary pressures.
"At the same time, many employers continue to report skill shortages. Migrants with the appropriate skills are an important way to meet those shortages, but there are others.
"This Labour-led government is strongly committed to training New Zealanders, such as with our highly successful Modern Apprenticeships policy.
"Temporary migrants can also be used to fill immediate skill shortages. The government recognises the skill and talent contribution from temporary migrants. In conjunction with our residence programme I have directed the Department of Labour to investigate a range of initiatives to improve employer awareness of, and access to, temporary work policy.
"Immigration temporary work policy is labour market tested, to ensure available New Zealanders are employed before overseas migrants. Improving the accessibility of temporary work policy would help to address skill shortages, but still support the government’s effort in limiting inflationary pressure."
Jul
05
04/07/07 - Changes to our occupational shortage lists
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
The Immediate Skill Shortage List (ISSL) and the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) have been amended. These changes will take effect on 30 July 2007.
Jul
05
29/06/07 - Skills shortage reaching critical stage
Friday June 29, 2007
Employers in New Zealand are more concerned about a skills shortage than their equivalents in any other country in the world, a new survey shows. The "brain drain", whereby our top skilled and educated young people are quitting New Zealand for greener pastures elsewhere, has led to skilled staff being the number one concern among businesses surveyed.
In its latest international business report, Grant Thornton International said 60 per cent of the New Zealand businesses surveyed put skills shortages at the top of their list of expansion constraints. That made it a greater concern than the traditional bugbears of bureaucracy, the rising dollar, taxation and interest rates.
The figure was up from 38 per cent a year earlier and just ahead of two other southern hemisphere nations, Australia with 59 per cent and South Africa with 58 per cent.
Grant Thornton, an organisation of independently owned and managed accounting and consulting firms, surveyed 7200 owners of medium sized businesses in 32 countries, during September and October 2006. In New Zealand, 150 businesses were surveyed.
New Zealand spokesman Peter Sherwin said red tape or regulation normally had the highest rating in this country. That concern, while still high, seemed to have stabilised at the same time as the skilled worker shortage escalated, he said.
Despite that, New Zealand was still in the top group when it came to worrying about red tape, with the table headed by Brazil, Russia, Poland and Greece.
Most commentators pointed the finger at the rising New Zealand dollar and interest rates as being a major factor in manufacturing businesses moving operations overseas, Mr Sherwin said. Those elements had probably been compounded by the fact that New Zealand's migrant flows had not always had the desired worker quality.
"A continuation of this will cause further problems in our economy and we may well see more businesses leave New Zealand to solve their skilled worker shortages or exchange rate problems," he said. "We need a more balanced economy and we won't get that with a lack of truly skilled workers." While New Zealand had migrant flows, the skills of those coming in were often not in appropriate areas, Mr Sherwin said.
Nor were the skills at the same level of those that northern hemisphere countries were gaining from their influx of migrants.
Among the survey's findings was that in three Asian countries, Japan, Thailand and China, the most significant concerns were shortages of orders and lack of demand.
(Source NZPA)
Jun
22
21/06/07 - Trickle of migrants double-edged sword
Thursday June 21, 2007
The net inflow of migrants has dwindled to a trickle this year, easing pressure on the housing market but doing little to relieve labour shortages.
Last month permanent and long-term arrivals exceeded departures by 360, Statistics NZ reported. The figure is based on airport declarations of people saying they intend to stay, or intend to be gone, for at least a year.
For the first five months of 2007 the net inflow has been 2100. If that rate is sustained for the rest of the year the gain will be only 5000, compared with the average gain of more than 12,000 for the past 16 years.
While the number of arrivals is relatively steady - the 6440 last month was only 10 more than in May last year - departures have been on a rising trend; 6800 left last month, 9 per cent more than in May last year. The loss is mainly to Australia. Just under 4000 migrants moved across the Tasman in the year ended May, an 11.6 per cent increase on the year before. With a tight labour market in Australia as well, economists do not expect that trend to change soon.
Net migrant inflow since has been running at only half the rate the Reserve Bank assumes for 2007.
Given the close correlation between net migration and house sales this was good news for the Reserve Bank, said Deutsche Bank chief economist Darren Gibbs.
The central bank's submission to a parliamentary inquiry into housing affordability called on the Government to manage migration inflows with an eye to moderating housing demand.
ANZ National Bank chief economist Cameron Bagrie expected signs of softening in housing market activity later in the year as well as an easing in house price growth. "However, easing migration represents a double-edged sword to monetary policy as it will accentuate skill shortages."
Incoming
* The net inflow of migrants was 360 last Month.
* If current trends continue, a net 5000 migrants will arrive this year, well down on the average of 12,000.
* The drop is likely to relieve pressure on house prices but add to a skill shortage.
(Source NZ Herald, Brian Fallow)
Jun
21
19/06/07 - Govt out to ease impact of migrants
Tuesday June 19, 2007
The Government is taking a cautious approach to immigration, pushing down the numbers of incoming migrants while seeking further advice on the impact of immigration on inflation. It is understood a paper is being prepared for the Cabinet which will address, among other things, the effect of immigration on the housing market.
As the Reserve Bank and New Zealand First highlight the effect of immigration on inflation and the housing market, the Government has decided to drop the target of incoming migrants this year to 47,000, the bottom end of the 47,000 to 52,000 forecast.
Despite this, Immigration Minister David Cunliffe is standing by his comments in May, when he said the impact of immigration on the housing market was "likely to be relatively small". He concedes that immigration does have an impact, but says the size of the impact is uncertain. He said the large influx of migrants in 2002 and 2003 and a strong surge in the housing market suggested a strong relationship between the two, but he stopped short of saying that one caused the other.
However, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters dismissed Mr Cunliffe's views. "He's wrong. Immigration has had a rippling effect right through New Zealand and it has had the most profound effect on the rising price in Auckland."
Mr Peters acknowledged that the influx of tens of thousands of immigrants was offset by a similar number of people leaving, but that did not alter the demand pressures from immigrants.
The Reserve Bank, in its submission to the parliamentary inquiry on housing affordability, pointed to curbs on immigration and a capital gains tax as ways to dent demand in the housing market.
(Source NZ Herald, Derek Chang)
Jun
15
13/06/07 - Thailand Working Holiday Scheme
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The new year for the Thailand Working Holiday Scheme (WHS) opens on 2 July 2007, with 100 places available.
For more information about the scheme, how to apply and what is required of applicants, please contact TNC.
Jun
13
11/06/07 - NZ loser in international race for skilled migrants
Monday June 11, 2007 by Lincoln Tan, NZ Herald.
When I went to Taiwan last year, I met a few men who called themselves ex-Kiwis. In Taiwan, they were highly qualified in their fields, and were citizens of both New Zealand and Taiwan. But they told me that when they were in New Zealand, they struggled to find employment. Without a means to earn a living, they had no choice but to return to Taiwan.
Then, I shuddered at the thought of moving back to my country of origin. But a week back in Singapore and looking at the opportunities around me, I am very tempted to do just that. A far cry from the country in financial crisis that I left for New Zealand, Singapore is now booming. Business opportunities and jobs are plentiful. New developments are happening everywhere - two big casinos, a Universal Studios theme park and even a giant ferris wheel.
Moves to attract more overseas investment dollars have been intensified and the feeling is the economy is set to move rapidly upwards. To help fuel its economic growth, Singapore has set its sights on bringing in skilled migrants and investors - setting a target to grow its population by two million.
This move would pose a challenge to New Zealand in the face of competition for skilled immigrants, Minister for Immigration David Cunliffe said last week.
Singapore, with a population and living standards similar to our own, had announced plans to increase its population to 6.5 million by targeting skilled migrants from countries including New Zealand, he said. That is the kind of challenge we are up against.
But is New Zealand's response to the challenge of overhauling its immigration policy and laws enough to lift it to meet this global challenge to draw the best and brightest to our shores?
Changes to the investor and skilled migrant categories for entering New Zealand still carry the same mark of arrogance. The focus is mainly on what the immigrant can give to New Zealand and not vice versa - a stark contrast to Singapore's drive, where the focus is on what the country has to offer to investors and skilled migrants.
New Zealand and Singapore differ greatly in the way they view immigration and they way they treat their investor and skilled immigrants. For example, Singapore values international work experience. Singapore employers see overseas work experience as an asset. Such experiences count for nothing in New Zealand where most employers continue to view Kiwi experience as the only skill that would make someone employable.
So as employment doors continue to get slammed on skilled immigrants here, many are finding new opportunities elsewhere where they feel valued and able to contribute. In a trip to Jakarta last week, I met a Dutch engineer with New Zealand residency who moved there because he couldn't find employment in his field back in Auckland.
While New Zealand has immigration requirements such as a high level of English to deter immigrants from Asia, Singapore has been eyeing the investment dollars of the newly affluent Chinese, Indians and other Asians.
The Singapore Government has been busy forming alliances with its ethnic communities to help break into new markets and promote ties with their home countries. The Straits Times last week reported how Singapore was working with the Arab Association helping with a push into the Middle East and to help promote the perception the country was Arab-friendly.
In New Zealand, ethnic community groups are often sidelined, and politician involvement is often limited to attending cultural events and delivering speeches. There is no working partnership to push New Zealand abroad.
Looking at the multi-pronged approaches to wooing immigrants and investors made by a country like Singapore has left me wondering if a change of policy alone would be sufficient to make a difference to New Zealand's sorry state of immigration.
If the facts and figures produced in MP Pansy Wong's newsletter are correct, then it is very worrying. Citing various sources, she claimed investor applications fell from 5654 in 2003/04 to just 227 this financial year, and approved skilled investor numbers dropped from over 1000 in 2004/05 to 18 in the year to date. She said there were also fewer immigrants coming to New Zealand, and the 10,100 gained for the year ending in April was below the annual average recorded between 1990 and 2006.
At a meeting with businessmen in Jakarta, a comment was made that New Zealand was known abroad as a land of extremes - high taxation, high dollar, high property prices and low returns. Other than it being able to offer the lifestyle that would make for a good retirement, none of them said they would put their money in active investments there.
If indeed such perceptions are widespread, then the Government has a lot more to do than just changing policies if it is serious on wanting more immigrants of the skilled and investor kind.
(Source Lincoln Tan NZ Herald)
Jun
08
07/06/07 - Cunliffe proposals unlikely to end active investor migrant drought
07 June 2007
The migration consultants' national organisation (NZAMI) has welcomed changes to policy indicated today by the Minister of Immigration, the Hon. David Cunliffe.
However, the New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment (NZAMI) has questioned whether Mr Cunliffe's proposals will do much to combat the current drought in 'Active Investor' migration.
The NZAMI's Chairman, Bernard Walsh, describes the Minister's speech to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, as notable for the emphasis placed on long-term, underlying objectives.
"We certainly welcome this emphasis, as, over the years, there has been far too much short-term thinking in the formulation of immigration policy and an unwillingness to harness it to our overall economic goals as a nation.
"Similarly, we welcome indications of change in Skilled Migrant policy and, particularly, the minister's commitment to a more flexible interpretation of what constitutes skilled employment.
"The abandonment of stringent English language tests and age limits for active investors are also sensible and necessary steps. However, these and other Active Investor Policy measures, will only have a chance of working, if taxation and investment policy are harmonised with immigration policy," he says.
"Even with the best possible policy mix, we would still need to be realistic over the levels of active investor migration we can attract, given the overall state and size of our economy, as compared with those of other potential migrant destinations.
"With only 18 successful applicants in the year to date under current investor policy, we clearly have a huge task ahead of us if we are to benefit substantially as a nation from the global market in active investor migration. The policy changes outlined by the Minister thus represent a very small step in the right direction.
"We would welcome discussions with Mr Cunliffe and his team over how to maximise the benefit to New Zealand of Active Investor Policy," Mr Walsh adds.
(Source NZAMI Press release)
Jun
07
06/06/07 - Skilled Migrant Category fine-tuned to deliver more
Wednesday 6 June 2007
The flagship Skilled Migrant Category has been fine-tuned to deliver more for the country while still ensuring quality, says Immigration Minister David Cunliffe.
"The SMC is generally working well, and is delivering high quality skilled migrants," Mr Cunliffe said. "We need to keep testing our policies to find ways of improving them and better target the people New Zealand needs. The SMC needs to be well positioned to attract quality skilled migrants in an increasingly competitive market.
"International competition for skills is intensifying, with many countries, including Australia, investing heavily to pursue the same migrants. Hence we have done some fine-tuning."
The changes include:
• An increase to the bonus points awarded for skilled employment, a recognised qualification and work experience in an identified future growth area
• An introduction of bonus points for a post-graduate New Zealand qualification (Masters or Doctorate)
• A reduction in the number of years of New Zealand work experience required to claim the applicable bonus points
• An increase to the bonus points awarded for a principal applicant’s partner’s recognised qualification and skilled employment in New Zealand
• A restructure of how bonus points are awarded for study in New Zealand
• Removing the award of bonus points for skilled employment, a recognised qualification and work experience in an identified cluster.
• A review of the list of recognised qualifications
• A more transparent and appropriate definition of skilled employment.
"The revised points more closely target the people who New Zealand needs and recognises, for example, that the partner of a principal applicant can be of significant value to New Zealand in his or her own right," Mr Cunliffe said
The Skilled Migrant Category is New Zealand’s premier immigration product, providing residence opportunities for skilled people. Most skilled migrants are granted residence through the SMC, which comprises 60 per cent of the New Zealand Residence Programme.
Jun
07
06/06/07 - Active Investor Migrant policy good news
Wednesday 6 June 2007
New Zealand will be better placed to attract serious investor migrants under the Labour-led government's new Active Investor Migrant policy, says Immigration Minister David Cunliffe.
"The new policy will increase both the number of investor migrants and their contribution to New Zealand," Mr Cunliffe said.
"Active investment is about creating a closer link between investor migrants and New Zealand businesses. More active investment will ensure that investor migrants are more likely to utilise their human and financial capital to support New Zealand’s economic development.
"It will mean more investors who are actually creating goods and services in New Zealand and employing Kiwis."
The new policy is based on the three principles of seeking more active high-quality investment directly or indirectly in New Zealand firms; segmented risk management; and more realistic investment levels that will increase investor migrants’ financial contribution to New Zealand.
It aims to increase productivity by boosting output more than demand. It excludes residential property development.
The policy has three sub-categories:
• Global Investors – the top priority category for high value investors investing $20 million (including $5 million in active investment), which requires minimal policy conditions and facilitated, fast-track processing.
• Professional Investors – a second priority category for migrants investing $10 million (including $2 million actively) with moderate policy condiions and facilitated, fast-track processing.
• General Active Investors – a category for those investing a minimum of $2.5 million.
"All three categories will be closely monitored to ensure transparency, probity and effectiveness.
"Investor migrants can make a significant contribution to New Zealand’s economic transformation through their business experience, international connections and financial capital," Mr Cunliffe said.
"It is important that New Zealand does not miss the opportunity to support our businesses through investor migrants. An investor policy that attracts and facilitates these high-value migrants while managing risks is essential."
Jun
07
06/06/07 - Immigration quality focus balances numbers
Wednesday 6 June 2007
It is important that the New Zealand Residence Programme focuses on the quality of migrants and be set at a level in balance with economic conditions, Immigration Minister David Cunliffe says.
"New Zealand's immigration programme targets skills and productivity growth to expand the capacity of our economy," Mr Cunliffe said.
"Accordingly, I expect that the total NZ Residence Programme numbers for 2006-07 to be around 47,000, down from the 50,000 earlier forecast.
"I expect next year's programme to be set at about similar levels.
"At the same time, we are redoubling our focus on acute short-term skill shortages, with work on an expanded range of temporary skilled migration policies.
"We have also radically shifted the investor migrant policy toward active investment in real businesses and employment.
"This should expand productivity and economic capacity, more than demand, while being appropriate for current economic conditions.
"The new Active Investor Migrant programme is capped at 1000 people (300 investors plus family members) a year."
Covid 19 Notice
As the impact of the coronavirus continues to evolve, we face this unprecedented situation together. The pandemic is affecting all of us. At Terra Nova Consultancy Ltd we wish to reach out and update you on how we are addressing it. Our top priority is to protect the health and safety of our employees, clients, and our communities. Our focus on customer service remains at the center of everything we do, and we are fully committed to continue to serve you with our services, and striving to provide our services without interruption.Please listen and act upon the advise given by the Government, only in that way will we together be able to combat this challenge. And as always, stay healthy and keep safe.
TNC E-books
The Terra Nova e-book page contains publications in e-book and e-news format containing comments and reviews from Terra Nova Consultancy Ltd, and other contributors, that relate to a number of issues from immigration to operating a business.
Some of the Terra Nova e-books e-book and the Terra Nova e-news issues we believe may be quite helpful for prospective immigrants.
Check back regularly to find new editions of our Terra Nova e-book and Terra Nova e-news range.
Quick Links
Translate this site
Contact Details
Terra Nova Consultancy Ltd
14 Glanworth Place, Botany 2106
Manukau, Auckland 2106,
New Zealand
Please arrange visit by appointment.
Mobile: +64 275 706 540
Postal Address:
PO Box 58385, Botany
Manukau, Auckland 2163,
New Zealand
Licensed Immigration Adviser
Johannes Petrus (Peter) Hubertus Cornelis Hendrikx
License number: 200800214
Is your Immigration Adviser
licenced by the NZ Government?
Click here for details www.iaa.govt.nz