Scientists confirm Mt Ruapehu eruption

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Saterday, 07 October 2006

Scientists have confirmed a small eruption which may have sent a water plume about 200 metres into the air above Mt Ruapehu after a trip to the mountain top today. The eruption caused waves about six metres high in the volcanic lake but was a relatively small event

There was no sign of a lahar this is when volcanic material flows down the mountainside after an eruption. There had been no similar small scale events for a long time. In the 1980s and 1990s it happened reasonably regularly.

The eruption happened last Wednesday night in the middle of a bad storm. It would have been a geyser-type eruption. It would have domed up water in the lake and lifted it maybe a couple of hundred of metres high. Then it would have fallen back in the lake and generated waves out across the lake.

Ruapehu was very active and people had been advised not to go to the summit.

Immigration service 'wrong in a third of appeals'

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Thursday, 10 August 2006

The Immigration Service got it wrong in about a third of cases where people appealed against being denied residency, the Residence Review Board says.

The board said in its annual report for the year ended June 2006 that it received 372 appeals in the financial year compared to 408 in the 2004/05 year.

It tackled a backlog of outstanding appeals and also said it was getting decisions out faster. It made 635 decisions in the year. Of these, 56 per cent (356) of appeals were dismissed. Another 279 (44 per cent) of appeals were successful in one way or another, the board said.

The successful appeals included 227 (36 per cent) where the Immigration Service decision "was incorrect". "This relatively high proportion of incorrect decisions shows the benefit of an independent appeal." The board is an independent judicial appeal body that decides appeals against the decline of residence by the Immigration Service.

It also said in its report that the average time between filing an appeal and the release of a decision improved from 17 months to 11.5 months.

Meanwhile, the Removal Review Authority – which hears appeals against orders to leave New Zealand – said it had overturned removal orders in 53 cases.

It said it had also made a dent in the backlog of appeals and was also reducing the average time it took to get decisions out.

The number of appeals against removal it received continued to drop. It received 329 this financial year, a 20 per cent decrease on the previous year. "It has been steadily reducing for the past few years and is now at a level comparable to the mid-1990s," the review authority said.

The authority issued 303 decisions, of which 17 per cent (53 appeals) were successful, meaning those appealing were either granted residence or temporary permits by the authority.

This number was consistent with previous years, the authority said.

Chinese labour

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 Thursday October 5, 2006

 

Temporary work visas as part of a free trade deal with China could erode New Zealand working conditions but business welcomes the idea.

 

China's Commerce Minister Xilai Bo this week suggested China had labour to fill this country's shortages and may discuss the idea on the basis of mutual benefits.

 

Trade Minister Phil Goff (NZ) said the issue had not yet been discussed but it had potential.

 

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman (NZ) had reservations.

Foreigners still like high-flying kiwi

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Tuesday October 3, 2006
 
Overseas investors have found a renewed appetite for the New Zealand dollar, offsetting the long-awaited rush of foreign capital flowing out of the country which was tipped to drag the kiwi dollar below US60c this year.
 
As a result of increased bond issuance to foreign investors, the kiwi has gained nearly 10 per cent since falling below US60c in June to close at US64.97c yesterday and is unlikely to fall sharply this year, currency forecasters say.
 
As recently as August some commentators were tipping that investors with as much as $11.5 billion worth of New Zealand dollar-denominated investments in the form of uridashi and eurokiwi bonds would take their money home when their investments matured in the second half of the year.
 
It was believed that withdrawal of cash would speed the dollar's descent.
 
However, the Reserve Bank recently raised the prospect that it may hike interest rates again while central banks around the world have signalled a less aggressive stance. As a result, the dollar is again in favour.

Migration policy 'favours Europe over Asia'

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Thursday September 28, 2006
 
New Zealand is accepting more permanent migrants from Europe and far fewer from Asia, which could lead to perceptions the country prefers some immigrants over others, says a new report.
 
The Asia:NZ Foundation report released yesterday found that migrant approvals for Asian people have more than halved since 2002. In the same period, permanent immigration from the United Kingdom has increased by 37 per cent.
 
The report said a number of policy shifts are behind the 58 per cent drop in migrants from Asia.
 
In November 2002, tougher English language requirements were introduced, as well as a revised points system for entering the country as a skilled migrant.
 
"Part of the new criteria for the skilled migrant category was that migrants could only come from countries with a comparable labour market ... the policy changes effectively meant that those from countries considered incomparable, such as India or China, could only claim points for work experience gained in a multinational company," the paper's authors stated.
 
The policy changes meant a perception could develop in Asian nations that New Zealand immigration policy favoured some countries over others, the report said.
 
New Zealand's economy was becoming increasingly linked to the Asian region, the authors said, with half of the top 20 merchandise export destinations being in Asia.
 
The report said it was essential to align immigration policy with economic policy, in order to maintain the country's "invaluable" relationship with Asia.
 
Some of the new restrictions on immigration were relaxed in June, in response to skill shortages in areas like information technology, plumbing and engineering.
 
But the report's authors said there was also a need to attract more unskilled labour, citing global shortages in sectors like construction and catering.

Pacific Quotas Residual Places work permit policy

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NZ passports being used illegally

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Wednesday September 27, 2006 

An international border security exercise has detected numerous cases of New Zealand passports being used illegally.
 
Immigration Minister David Cunliffe said today the extent of passport fraud - 99 cases in five months - was a concern. The detection rate showed the exercise run by New Zealand, Australia and the United States was working. While some of those 99 cases may be mistakes, others will be genuine cases of passport fraud. It's obviously a concern, but it's a good thing we're catching them.

The 99 New Zealand passports had been reported as lost or stolen but later used for travel, in many cases innocently. None of the 99 passports were obtained by someone fraudulently applying to the Department of Internal Affairs.

New Zealand joined the border security exercise in March. A US Embassy spokeswoman said border authorities were very happy with the way the system was working. 

NZ considers letting in 300 Afghan refugees

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Thursday September 21, 2006
 
New Zealand is considering opening the doors to 300 Afghan refugees who fled their homeland to India.

New Zealand normally accepts 750 refugees yearly.

Horticulture and Viticulture Industries Seasonal Work Permit (SWP) Policy

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Friday, September 15, 2006

The above mentioned pilot policy, introduced in December 2005, aims to provide the horticulture and viticulture industries with access to foreign labour from onshore, to supplement their New Zealand labour force at times of high seasonal demand. 

For more information please contact TNC

Immigration Advisers Licensing Bill

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Tuesday, September 12, 2006

The Government is currently reviewing the Licensing of Immigration Advisors and Consultants. TNC supports this initiative to ensure that immigration clients are provided by quality service from reputable consultants. As a client you can be confident of the level of services and support.  

For more information please contact TNC