Immigrants: Too many? Too few? Just right?

How many of you readers have friends or family whose birth place was not New Zealand, but who came here to have a better life? What were their reasons for leaving?

I have Colombian, Iranian, Peruvian friends – among others – who hold New Zealand citizenship. They left for a mixture of reasons, including that it was too dangerous for them to stay in their own country; wanted to raise their families in places with less violence than what happens where they were born. Some have since moved on from New Zealand, having secured livelihoods elsewhere. All of them remind me that of our great strengths as nation is our diversity. And greatest dangers are those who fear it (more on that below).

I have no problems with immigrants coming to New Zealand. The vast majority do come here in peace. They build lives that they could never have hoped for in their countries of origin. These include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Somalia, Nigeria among others. Some become business owners. Others teach in their communities to help newcomers get around the language barrier, New Zealand customs and social expectations.

Some will be traumatised from conflict, disaster, internal violence and be wary of authorities. When people flee from violence, many have had brushes with authorities that are corrupt. In other jurisdictions they have a mandate to mistreat people in custody. They will not have had experience of law enforcement that is accountable for its actions, does not take bribes and take pride in their reputation.

The issues

My multi-faceted problem is with the negotiators and politicians who negotiate trade agreements, which often have immigration clauses. It is with those who hide conditions behind the cloak of commercial sensitivity unnecessarily.

It is also with those who insist on not funding and resourcing Immigration New Zealand, Customs and to do their jobs properly. For decades now, like so many other government agencies, I.N.Z. has had to function on a near shoestring budget that has led to far more negative outcomes than should be permitted. Immigrants with clear cut cases for staying have been sent home; recidivist offenders who should have been expelled much earlier, are found to be still in the country.

And it is with those fringe elements of society who think that immigrants are a threat. This is whilst not being able to accept that we are descendants of immigrants ourselves. There is a section of society in New Zealand and most predominantly caucasian nations who believe that an ethnic “great reset” is happening, which has the goal of replacing Caucasians with people of colour. It is promoted by hard right Christian and ethno-nationalists, such as the National Front and individuals like Dieuwe de Boer, William McGimpsey and others.

In an ideal situation, all F.T.A. would be required to be vetted by Parliament before being voted on. This would slow down the F.T.A. signing process, which politicians inevitably want to get done so that they can claim a win.

What New Zealand needs

New Zealand needs quality migrants to work alongside our own. They need to have a clear pathway to follow if they choose to become permanent residents or citizens. After 2 years, I believe those wishing to progress should be invited to an interview about becoming a permanent resident; after 4 years those who wish to become a citizen should be invited to an interview.

I also have concerns with how the process is run. Once a visa is declined the applicant has 28 or 42 days appeal. After that the options narrow and the process becomes significantly tougher.

Are immigration consultants the best placed to handle this process? I would argue no, unless they are all New Zealand citizens, based in New Zealand. Currently, a consultant only has to pass the “fit and proper” litmus test and be licenced.

New Zealand can be better than what we are. It is not unreasonable at this election to ask for a better resourced and funded Immigration New Zealand. It is not unreasonable to demand that politicians be held accountable for how they play the immigration card. Will they be tolerant of diversity as we were raised, or intolerant like the National Front and the Brian Tamaki’s of society?

Be careful what you vote for in November.