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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
12

12/07/11 - PM: NZ ready to deal with arrival of boat people

New Zealand is ready to deal with a boatload of asylum seekers should one make it to our waters, which is an increasingly likely prospect, says Prime Minister John Key.
Commenting on reports a boat detained in Indonesia on Saturday was carrying 88 Sri Lankan asylum seekers apparently determined to make it to New Zealand, Mr Key yesterday said they were not welcome.
Letting boatpeople into New Zealand would reward people smugglers and open the floodgates to asylum seekers, Prime Minister John Key says.
Mr Key has warned several times that they types of vessels increasingly employed by people smugglers were capable of reaching New Zealand and it was only a matter of time before one reached New Zealand waters.
This morning Mr Key said should that happen, New Zealand was ready.
"We've upgraded our operating manual.. in the way that we'd deal with a mass migration issue if it came to New Zealand and we're confident that we understand our legal position.
"I don't want to go into detail but all I will say is we've got the capability and we've modelled that we understand what we need to do."
Mr Key said the relevant legislation had recently been reviewed.
"We haven't proposed major changes at this point because we don't think that's necessary although we'd be in a position to do that if required."
There was no evidence to date that any asylum seekers had successfully landed in New Zealand by sea but there had clearly been a number of attempts.
"If they reached New Zealand waters ultimately we would need to process them and see whether they are genuine asylum seekers."
However those on the boat detained in Indonesia would not be considered.
"No one has the right to claim an asylum seeking position or that they are a genuine refugee unless they are in New Zealand waters. These people are not."
Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman said nothing was found on the boat to indicate that they intended to come to New Zealand.
"It's not just about the capability [of the boat], but the reality is you would expect there to be things like maps on board, charts that would indicate their true destination.
"There was no concrete evidence found on that boat that those people were really intending to come to New Zealand."
The purpose of the signs may have been to create political pressure, he said.
"If you're standing on a boat with signs saying 'we want to got to New Zealand' and inviting intervention, then that's a form of pressure."
He said his information came from a range of sources, but would not comment further.
"These people won't be coming to New Zealand. That's the bottom line."
Mr Key said New Zealand took in 750 refugees a year and there were no plans to expand that programme.
"That's a good programme, it basically identifies genuine refugees and they come to New Zealand and we do everything we can to make them feel at home here and start a new life here," Mr Key told TV3's Firstline.
"But once you start taking people in the form of people smugglers, then you're rewarding the bay guys, you're rewarding people who are putting other's lives at risk.
"There's no guarantee that they're actually refugees, and quite frankly you open the floodgate, which you've seen in Australia is one that you can't stop."
There were millions of boatpeople so taking one boatload was not a clear-cut action.
"There are just thousands and thousands of other boats that will come," he said.
"But while they're not anywhere near our waters, the message is a very clear one - we don't want people coming to New Zealand in this form," he said.
"Frankly that's the way it should be because there's a very clear pathway, it's fair to people, and that is you come through the normal channels as a refugee, otherwise you're jumping the queue."
Mr Key said he had not had any discussions with Australia over the boatpeople.
Refugee Council of New Zealand chief executive Gary Poole said asylum seekers should not become a political football. "Unfortunately, there is frankly quite a lot to learn from Australia in how not to address the issue," he said.
Labour leader Phil Goff said while "individually we can feel very sympathetic to the people that are in a very awful situation", a country couldn't run its immigration policy by saying it would take whoever turned up.
Mr Goff said Mr Key's comment that the asylum seekers were not welcome "shows a lack of human feeling for the suffering of the individuals concerned", but New Zealand couldn't simply give way to the people smugglers "who are making money out of people's misery".
"We've got to do it properly, we've got to do it through the United Nations."
(Source NZ Herald, Derek Cheng and Adam Bennett )

New Zealand is ready to deal with a boatload of asylum seekers should one make it to our waters, which is an increasingly likely prospect, says Prime Minister John Key.

Commenting on reports a boat detained in Indonesia on Saturday was carrying 88 Sri Lankan asylum seekers apparently determined to make it to New Zealand, Mr Key yesterday said they were not welcome.

Letting boatpeople into New Zealand would reward people smugglers and open the floodgates to asylum seekers, Prime Minister John Key says.

Mr Key has warned several times that they types of vessels increasingly employed by people smugglers were capable of reaching New Zealand and it was only a matter of time before one reached New Zealand waters.

This morning Mr Key said should that happen, New Zealand was ready.

"We've upgraded our operating manual.. in the way that we'd deal with a mass migration issue if it came to New Zealand and we're confident that we understand our legal position.

"I don't want to go into detail but all I will say is we've got the capability and we've modelled that we understand what we need to do."

Mr Key said the relevant legislation had recently been reviewed.

"We haven't proposed major changes at this point because we don't think that's necessary although we'd be in a position to do that if required."

There was no evidence to date that any asylum seekers had successfully landed in New Zealand by sea but there had clearly been a number of attempts.

"If they reached New Zealand waters ultimately we would need to process them and see whether they are genuine asylum seekers."

However those on the boat detained in Indonesia would not be considered.

"No one has the right to claim an asylum seeking position or that they are a genuine refugee unless they are in New Zealand waters. These people are not."

Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman said nothing was found on the boat to indicate that they intended to come to New Zealand.

"It's not just about the capability [of the boat], but the reality is you would expect there to be things like maps on board, charts that would indicate their true destination.

"There was no concrete evidence found on that boat that those people were really intending to come to New Zealand."

The purpose of the signs may have been to create political pressure, he said.

"If you're standing on a boat with signs saying 'we want to got to New Zealand' and inviting intervention, then that's a form of pressure."

He said his information came from a range of sources, but would not comment further.

"These people won't be coming to New Zealand. That's the bottom line."

Mr Key said New Zealand took in 750 refugees a year and there were no plans to expand that programme.

"That's a good programme, it basically identifies genuine refugees and they come to New Zealand and we do everything we can to make them feel at home here and start a new life here," Mr Key told TV3's Firstline.

"But once you start taking people in the form of people smugglers, then you're rewarding the bay guys, you're rewarding people who are putting other's lives at risk.

"There's no guarantee that they're actually refugees, and quite frankly you open the floodgate, which you've seen in Australia is one that you can't stop."

There were millions of boatpeople so taking one boatload was not a clear-cut action.

"There are just thousands and thousands of other boats that will come," he said.

"But while they're not anywhere near our waters, the message is a very clear one - we don't want people coming to New Zealand in this form," he said.

"Frankly that's the way it should be because there's a very clear pathway, it's fair to people, and that is you come through the normal channels as a refugee, otherwise you're jumping the queue."

Mr Key said he had not had any discussions with Australia over the boatpeople.

Refugee Council of New Zealand chief executive Gary Poole said asylum seekers should not become a political football. "Unfortunately, there is frankly quite a lot to learn from Australia in how not to address the issue," he said.

Labour leader Phil Goff said while "individually we can feel very sympathetic to the people that are in a very awful situation", a country couldn't run its immigration policy by saying it would take whoever turned up.

Mr Goff said Mr Key's comment that the asylum seekers were not welcome "shows a lack of human feeling for the suffering of the individuals concerned", but New Zealand couldn't simply give way to the people smugglers "who are making money out of people's misery".

"We've got to do it properly, we've got to do it through the United Nations."

(Source NZ Herald, Derek Cheng and Adam Bennett )

Jul
07

07/07/11 - Asia, Pacific leading world tourism rebound

Asia and the Pacific are leading international tourism's recovery from the global financial crisis, a new report says.
The World Tourism Organisation report said global tourism rebounded strongly last year, with arrivals up 6.6 per cent to 940 million people. Arrivals fell 3.8 per cent the previous year.
"The increase more than offset the decline caused by the economic downturn, with an additional 23 million arrivals over the former peak year of 2008," it said.
Asia and the Pacific was the first region to recover and among the strongest growing areas last year - up 12.7 per cent, it said.
Tourism Industry Association policy and research manager Simon Wallace said New Zealand was in the right area to benefit from growth in the Asia Pacific region.
"It's been a really tough year for the industry ... but I think we can take some heart from the fact that we're in the Asia region where there is good growth," Wallace said.
Statistics New Zealand data shows short-term overseas visitor arrivals grew 1 per cent in the year ended May to 2.5 million. Arrivals from Asia rose 9.7 per cent while the numbers from Europe fell 6.7 per cent.
Roadshows during the past couple of months had shown the industry needed to better understand the experience of Asian visitors, Wallace said.
"We need to be really aware of the kind of experience that they're looking for ... what kind of products do they want to do, is our service up to expectation, are we providing the sort of food that they need," he said.
The World Tourism Organisation report said global international tourism receipts were estimated to have increased 4.7 per cent in real terms.
"The most significant change among the top 10 by international arrivals in 2010 was the rise of China to third position [by destination], ousting Spain, having overtaken both the United Kingdom and Italy during the past few years," it said. International tourist arrivals had been projected to rise by 4 to 5 per cent this year, with impacts from events in North Africa and the Middle East, and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan not expected to substantially affect the overall forecast, the report said.
Meanwhile, global international tourist arrivals grew by 4.5 per cent in the first four months of this year.
World Tourism Organisation secretary general Taleb Rifai said the sustained optimism shown by the World Tourism Organisation confidence index was reassuring.
The confidence index, a short-term outlook based on consultations with more than 350 experts worldwide, remained largely optimistic for the period May to August.
Experts in the Americas and Europe expected the best outcomes.
(Source NZ Herald,  Owen Hembry)

Asia and the Pacific are leading international tourism's recovery from the global financial crisis, a new report says.

The World Tourism Organisation report said global tourism rebounded strongly last year, with arrivals up 6.6 per cent to 940 million people. Arrivals fell 3.8 per cent the previous year.

"The increase more than offset the decline caused by the economic downturn, with an additional 23 million arrivals over the former peak year of 2008," it said.

Asia and the Pacific was the first region to recover and among the strongest growing areas last year - up 12.7 per cent, it said.

Tourism Industry Association policy and research manager Simon Wallace said New Zealand was in the right area to benefit from growth in the Asia Pacific region.

"It's been a really tough year for the industry ... but I think we can take some heart from the fact that we're in the Asia region where there is good growth," Wallace said.

Statistics New Zealand data shows short-term overseas visitor arrivals grew 1 per cent in the year ended May to 2.5 million. Arrivals from Asia rose 9.7 per cent while the numbers from Europe fell 6.7 per cent.

Roadshows during the past couple of months had shown the industry needed to better understand the experience of Asian visitors, Wallace said.

"We need to be really aware of the kind of experience that they're looking for ... what kind of products do they want to do, is our service up to expectation, are we providing the sort of food that they need," he said.

The World Tourism Organisation report said global international tourism receipts were estimated to have increased 4.7 per cent in real terms.

"The most significant change among the top 10 by international arrivals in 2010 was the rise of China to third position [by destination], ousting Spain, having overtaken both the United Kingdom and Italy during the past few years," it said. International tourist arrivals had been projected to rise by 4 to 5 per cent this year, with impacts from events in North Africa and the Middle East, and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan not expected to substantially affect the overall forecast, the report said.

Meanwhile, global international tourist arrivals grew by 4.5 per cent in the first four months of this year.

World Tourism Organisation secretary general Taleb Rifai said the sustained optimism shown by the World Tourism Organisation confidence index was reassuring.

The confidence index, a short-term outlook based on consultations with more than 350 experts worldwide, remained largely optimistic for the period May to August.

Experts in the Americas and Europe expected the best outcomes.

(Source NZ Herald,  Owen Hembry)

Jul
01

30/06/11 - EDANZ National Economic Development Forum - Speech Notes

Good morning everyone, it’s my pleasure to step in today for my colleague Dr Mapp who’s in the United States and speak at this year’s EDANZ’s conference.
The conference theme ‘Innovation through collaboration -driving innovation across the economy’ – is one that this Government strongly agrees with.
Growing the economy is the Government’s number one priority, and science and innovation have a key part to play in that growth.
Indeed, this Government has made science and innovation one of the six cornerstones of its economic growth agenda. We’ve done this because New Zealand needs an economic jolt. Our productivity and economic growth have been sluggish for decades and as a result we have slipped down the OECD’s ranking of national wealth per capita.
Our performance compared to other smaller advanced economies has been uninspiring at best. For example, in 1976 our per capita income was slightly ahead of Australia. It was nearly 20 percent greater than the OECD average.
We are now 20 percent behind the OECD average. Australia, by contrast, is still about 20 percent ahead.
Finland is another example of our relative decline. In 1979 our per capita income lines crossed - New Zealand going down and Finland going up. The Finns are now about 20 percent ahead of us.
So, how do we turn the situation around?
The answer is not by working harder – New Zealanders work about 12 percent more hours than the OECD average - we need to work smarter.  Our productivity, the value of the output for each hour worked, is also 20 percent below the OECD average.  That’s no coincidence.
For us to raise productivity, for us to work smarter, we need to have smart businesses. We need businesses producing high-value products for overseas markets and businesses using R&D to develop those products which drives other benefits, like better production processes and marketing.
Basically it’s about using innovation to drive our economy.
We have some of these companies already – the likes of Fisher and Paykel, Tait and Rakon.  Our world-leading dairy industry also owes much of its success to innovation.
So, the challenge is to create more of these businesses and then help them grow through R&D.  That’s where we see connections as being important and where EDANZ can play a leading role.
As a small country, we lack the advantages of scale. We need to work together to get things done. One of the advantages of being small is that it is relatively easy to make those connections.
However, we need to be more connected. For example, research and business often see each other as operating in different worlds and both business and research could have better ties to government.
The Government has taken numerous steps to improve these links.  We have made the largest reforms to the science and innovation system in two decades. These include creating the Ministry of Science and Innovation.  One of its most important tasks is to facilitate the relationships between businesses, research organisations and government, so that good ideas flow between all three and the whole country benefits.
We want to get knowledge and technology transferred from the laboratories of research organisations to businesses that can turn that into products and profit.
To achieve that as part of our increased investment in supporting business R&D, we have also introduced the Technology Transfer Vouchers.  These are aimed at giving businesses access to the skills and knowledge inside research organisations.
The Government has also made major reforms to the Crown Research Institutes. They have been given longer-term funding certainty, which allows them to better plan for the future.  It also means they spend less time, money and paperwork on applying for funding and more on good science.
CRIs are also shifting their focus away from the bottom line to delivering results for all New Zealand.  And they are getting better connected to the users of their work - including business.
These reforms are ongoing. Plans are underway to improve commercialisation by improving the connections and coordination between the organisations that commercialise research here.
The economic downturn and need to prioritise spending means that Government finances are tight.  The Canterbury earthquakes have added to these difficulties.  But we are still committed to supporting innovation and the Government has been looking at successful economies like Singapore, Queensland and Denmark. These are economies where innovation has been one of the biggest factors in economic growth.
One thing they have in common is centres for innovation and knowledge transfer – such as the Danish Technology Institute and Finland’s Technopolis.
These centres become hubs of invention. They act as a link between research and business. They are large enough to provide services and facilities that businesses need. They also have in-house research capabilities and development facilities.
The Government has commissioned a review of the high-value manufacturing and services area from experts in this field.
The review covered the role that research organisations play in business research and development, commercialisation, technology and knowledge transfer. The major focus is to strengthen the process of getting products to market which ultimately benefits the economy.
The panel’s recommendations are with Cabinet and we will be making some important decisions shortly.
Feedback to date says the Government’s programme of reforms is succeeding. CRIs are better connected to the sectors they serve, with businesses reporting better engagement with them. Everyone is talking about innovation and that talk is being turned into action.
R&D spending
Last year’s R&D Survey from Statistics New Zealand showed that total R&D spending for 2010 was almost $2.5 billion, up 13 percent from 2008.  Just over a billion dollars of that was business R&D, up 10 percent on 2008.
While it’s a good start, we need to do more. EDANZ has an important part in helping that happen. We support your goals of creating connections, networks and clusters to complete research, develop products and services and establishing channels to market.  This is the way to convert smart ideas into export-generating results.
In many ways, good connections are about partnerships; Crown research institutes, universities and other research organisations working with firms, central and local government, and other players.
Central government’s partnerships with the Economic Development Agencies have been strengthened recently through the creation of the fourteen Regional Business Partners.
Each of the 14 Regional Business Partners have as part of their team an EDA from within the region. Many of the regions have taken a broader approach by involving chambers of commerce and business incubators.
By working with the Ministry of Science and Innovation and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise to give advice, support and funding to businesses in the regions, the Partners are performing a valuable job. For many businesses, the Partners are the first point of contact with the government and the support it provides.
The Regional Business Partners are making access to funding, advice and support easier and much more coordinated, providing a ‘front door’ for businesses wanting to engage with the government.
Since the Partner programme was established in 2008, the Partners have invested more than $13 million in supporting R&D in more than 1100 businesses.  As Richard Bentley mentioned earlier today, it has been a record year for investment by the Partners, who have approved nearly 500 applications for funding worth almost six million dollars.
Finally, in terms of fostering innovation, you may be interested to hear of how this Government has been leveraging immigration to grow the economy. As you’ll be aware, one of the constraints on the growth of our economy has been availability of capital. Upon becoming the Government, we identified significant gaps in the existing business migration policies.
Now we have a package that makes New Zealand very attractive to business migrants, and in 20 months we have attracted over $600 million in potential investment capital.
To date $155 million has been transferred and invested in New Zealand and an additional $195 million has been approved for funds transfer. Applications from investors worth an additional $253 million are being processed.
Since the policy has been operating, it’s attracted several times the amount of potential investment capital compared to the previous Government’s policy.
So how does this relate to the EDANZ conference? I understand one of the issues being discussed is raising finance for businesses. EDANZ is also about helping businesses innovate and grow.
One of the key aspects of the business migration package is attracting investors who have capital and a greater ability to support New Zealand businesses. Yes, this package is about attracting investment, but what’s equally important is that we are attracting people with commercial nous, experience and global networks.
The marketing of our Business Migration Package is also targeted at key OECD markets including the United Kingdom and the United States. We’re also looking at the major developing markets in India and South East Asia.
Although the majority of business migrants are investing their funds in vehicles such as bonds, shares and securities, there could be opportunities for EDANZ to link more closely with Immigration New Zealand and explore options for tapping into the new capital that’s flowing into our country.
EDANZ as a group represents one of the economy’s engine rooms.  You know your regions and have a strong footing in them.  If the Government is going to grow the economy then we need to do it across the country. We need EDANZ to help us do this.
We look forward to collaborating with you to ensure that innovation drives our economy forward into a better future.
Thank you.

Good morning everyone, it’s my pleasure to step in today for my colleague Dr Mapp who’s in the United States and speak at this year’s EDANZ’s conference.

The conference theme ‘Innovation through collaboration -driving innovation across the economy’ – is one that this Government strongly agrees with.

Growing the economy is the Government’s number one priority, and science and innovation have a key part to play in that growth.

Indeed, this Government has made science and innovation one of the six cornerstones of its economic growth agenda. We’ve done this because New Zealand needs an economic jolt. Our productivity and economic growth have been sluggish for decades and as a result we have slipped down the OECD’s ranking of national wealth per capita.

Our performance compared to other smaller advanced economies has been uninspiring at best. For example, in 1976 our per capita income was slightly ahead of Australia. It was nearly 20 percent greater than the OECD average.

We are now 20 percent behind the OECD average. Australia, by contrast, is still about 20 percent ahead.

Finland is another example of our relative decline. In 1979 our per capita income lines crossed - New Zealand going down and Finland going up. The Finns are now about 20 percent ahead of us.

So, how do we turn the situation around?

The answer is not by working harder – New Zealanders work about 12 percent more hours than the OECD average - we need to work smarter.  Our productivity, the value of the output for each hour worked, is also 20 percent below the OECD average.  That’s no coincidence.

For us to raise productivity, for us to work smarter, we need to have smart businesses. We need businesses producing high-value products for overseas markets and businesses using R&D to develop those products which drives other benefits, like better production processes and marketing.

Basically it’s about using innovation to drive our economy.

We have some of these companies already – the likes of Fisher and Paykel, Tait and Rakon.  Our world-leading dairy industry also owes much of its success to innovation.

So, the challenge is to create more of these businesses and then help them grow through R&D.  That’s where we see connections as being important and where EDANZ can play a leading role.

As a small country, we lack the advantages of scale. We need to work together to get things done. One of the advantages of being small is that it is relatively easy to make those connections.

However, we need to be more connected. For example, research and business often see each other as operating in different worlds and both business and research could have better ties to government.

The Government has taken numerous steps to improve these links.  We have made the largest reforms to the science and innovation system in two decades. These include creating the Ministry of Science and Innovation.  One of its most important tasks is to facilitate the relationships between businesses, research organisations and government, so that good ideas flow between all three and the whole country benefits.

We want to get knowledge and technology transferred from the laboratories of research organisations to businesses that can turn that into products and profit.

To achieve that as part of our increased investment in supporting business R&D, we have also introduced the Technology Transfer Vouchers.  These are aimed at giving businesses access to the skills and knowledge inside research organisations.

The Government has also made major reforms to the Crown Research Institutes. They have been given longer-term funding certainty, which allows them to better plan for the future.  It also means they spend less time, money and paperwork on applying for funding and more on good science.

CRIs are also shifting their focus away from the bottom line to delivering results for all New Zealand.  And they are getting better connected to the users of their work - including business.

These reforms are ongoing. Plans are underway to improve commercialisation by improving the connections and coordination between the organisations that commercialise research here.

The economic downturn and need to prioritise spending means that Government finances are tight.  The Canterbury earthquakes have added to these difficulties.  But we are still committed to supporting innovation and the Government has been looking at successful economies like Singapore, Queensland and Denmark. These are economies where innovation has been one of the biggest factors in economic growth.

One thing they have in common is centres for innovation and knowledge transfer – such as the Danish Technology Institute and Finland’s Technopolis.

These centres become hubs of invention. They act as a link between research and business. They are large enough to provide services and facilities that businesses need. They also have in-house research capabilities and development facilities.

The Government has commissioned a review of the high-value manufacturing and services area from experts in this field.

The review covered the role that research organisations play in business research and development, commercialisation, technology and knowledge transfer. The major focus is to strengthen the process of getting products to market which ultimately benefits the economy.

The panel’s recommendations are with Cabinet and we will be making some important decisions shortly.

Feedback to date says the Government’s programme of reforms is succeeding. CRIs are better connected to the sectors they serve, with businesses reporting better engagement with them. Everyone is talking about innovation and that talk is being turned into action.

R&D spending

Last year’s R&D Survey from Statistics New Zealand showed that total R&D spending for 2010 was almost $2.5 billion, up 13 percent from 2008.  Just over a billion dollars of that was business R&D, up 10 percent on 2008.

While it’s a good start, we need to do more. EDANZ has an important part in helping that happen. We support your goals of creating connections, networks and clusters to complete research, develop products and services and establishing channels to market.  This is the way to convert smart ideas into export-generating results.

In many ways, good connections are about partnerships; Crown research institutes, universities and other research organisations working with firms, central and local government, and other players.

Central government’s partnerships with the Economic Development Agencies have been strengthened recently through the creation of the fourteen Regional Business Partners.

Each of the 14 Regional Business Partners have as part of their team an EDA from within the region. Many of the regions have taken a broader approach by involving chambers of commerce and business incubators.

By working with the Ministry of Science and Innovation and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise to give advice, support and funding to businesses in the regions, the Partners are performing a valuable job. For many businesses, the Partners are the first point of contact with the government and the support it provides.

The Regional Business Partners are making access to funding, advice and support easier and much more coordinated, providing a ‘front door’ for businesses wanting to engage with the government.

Since the Partner programme was established in 2008, the Partners have invested more than $13 million in supporting R&D in more than 1100 businesses.  As Richard Bentley mentioned earlier today, it has been a record year for investment by the Partners, who have approved nearly 500 applications for funding worth almost six million dollars.

Finally, in terms of fostering innovation, you may be interested to hear of how this Government has been leveraging immigration to grow the economy. As you’ll be aware, one of the constraints on the growth of our economy has been availability of capital. Upon becoming the Government, we identified significant gaps in the existing business migration policies.

Now we have a package that makes New Zealand very attractive to business migrants, and in 20 months we have attracted over $600 million in potential investment capital.

To date $155 million has been transferred and invested in New Zealand and an additional $195 million has been approved for funds transfer. Applications from investors worth an additional $253 million are being processed.

Since the policy has been operating, it’s attracted several times the amount of potential investment capital compared to the previous Government’s policy.

So how does this relate to the EDANZ conference? I understand one of the issues being discussed is raising finance for businesses. EDANZ is also about helping businesses innovate and grow.

One of the key aspects of the business migration package is attracting investors who have capital and a greater ability to support New Zealand businesses. Yes, this package is about attracting investment, but what’s equally important is that we are attracting people with commercial nous, experience and global networks.

The marketing of our Business Migration Package is also targeted at key OECD markets including the United Kingdom and the United States. We’re also looking at the major developing markets in India and South East Asia.

Although the majority of business migrants are investing their funds in vehicles such as bonds, shares and securities, there could be opportunities for EDANZ to link more closely with Immigration New Zealand and explore options for tapping into the new capital that’s flowing into our country.

EDANZ as a group represents one of the economy’s engine rooms.  You know your regions and have a strong footing in them.  If the Government is going to grow the economy then we need to do it across the country. We need EDANZ to help us do this.

We look forward to collaborating with you to ensure that innovation drives our economy forward into a better future.

Thank you(Source Beehive, J Coleman)

Jul
01

30/06/11 - Horticulture NZ Recognised Seasonal Employer Conference - Speech notes

Good morning. It is a pleasure to be invited to speak at the RSE Employers’ Conference this year, as we head into the fifth season of the RSE scheme.
Many of you don’t need convincing that the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme has been a success and has supported the growth of the horticulture and viticulture industries.
I recently met with some growers and contractors in Blenheim and the feedback was overwhelming – RSE is vital for their businesses. Given RSE’s importance to your sector, I would like to assure you today the Government is committed to the scheme.
Your sector is a major driver of economic growth and it needs the necessary tools to operate productively.
Each year it contributes around NZ$4.2 billion to the economy and NZ$3.3 billion in exports.
The industry’s goal is to grow the sector to $10 billion by 2020, and RSE will play an important role in realising that goal.
This year is set to be a watershed one for horticulture and viticulture. Excellent growing conditions have seen production peak across most of the sector:
• apple production was up a spectacular 21 percent, and apple exports increased by over 10 percent this season
• the national grape vintage is up more than 20 percent on last year, and production area has expanded by another 400 hectares
• kiwifruit production area increased in 2010 – although the impact of PSA is yet to be fully realised – and 12 percent more trays have been submitted this year to date, and
• total vegetable exports increase year on year (by NZ$3.8 million from 2009 to 2010).
With the opening up of the Australian apple market and direct access to the Chinese market, the industry is well positioned to reap the benefits of an exceptional harvest.
Future of RSE
The RSE scheme has done much to resolve the lost production and staffing problems that had previously plagued your industry. It has provided the confidence and security that has allowed many growers to expand their production base.
Around 80 percent of RSE workers are now returning with improved skill levels and the proven ability to work well in New Zealand. In spite of these achievements, in the current economic climate, some will inevitably question whether the RSE scheme will take jobs away from New Zealanders. To this I can answer with a categorical NO.
As you all know, the RSE scheme is not a cheap alternative to employing New Zealanders. Rather it is designed to ensure that a key industry is able to operate productively. It has been successful in this and in some cases has resulted in the creation of permanent jobs for New Zealanders.
Mr Apple is New Zealand’s largest apple grower. In the past few years, the company has increased the number of permanent jobs for New Zealanders by around 20 per cent — in large part because of the success of the RSE scheme.
Managing regional labour needs
So, what does the future hold for RSE in 2011/12?  We will continue to manage the actual number of RSE worker arrivals within the national cap of 8,000 which will protect jobs for New Zealanders.  This year we expect to have seen just over 7,000 RSE workers for the 2010/11 season.
I know that you are already working in the regions to plan for the next season.  What will your crop size be?  Will there be New Zealanders available?  What will the weather be like?
This year has been a bumper harvest. History shows us that after a bountiful season, often the trees, vines and fields reduce productivity to recover for the following season. Simultaneously we have more New Zealanders out of work and looking for jobs. Given this situation I would cautiously suggest that overall RSE numbers in 2011/12 will remain at similar levels to this year’s intake, and in some cases may reduce.
Relationship with the Ministry of Social Development
I know there have been tensions between industry and the Ministry of Social Development in determining what employers need.  At last year’s Conference, I understand you raised concerns about MSD wielding too much influence.
RSE policy is about creating a sustainable labour supply for the horticulture and viticulture industries – I believe it has done that.  The policy allows you, as employers, to recruit workers from overseas when there are no suitable New Zealanders available.  It is not government agencies’ role to overly involve themselves in your business.
However it is Government’s role to get more New Zealanders into work.  And you, as employers, are telling me that productive, returning RSE workers are a cornerstone to enable you to do that.
I am interested in keeping these discussions going and planning for RSE worker numbers in the regions, not in Wellington.
You are the experts.  You know your labour needs.  Government agencies – such as MSD – can and do provide assistance with planning and determining labour supply.
INZ will continue to engage directly with employers at the regional level through dedicated Relationship Managers.  Through the Department’s direct contacts with Pacific States, the Department has been able to facilitate as smooth as possible recruitment from your chosen Pacific partners.  For example:
• Re-confirming departure details of workers from Tuvalu affected by this season’s cyclones
• Liaising with the Samoan Government on the RSE worker infected with typhoid this season
• Assisting with contacts when employers are considering moving to a new Pacific RSE source country
• Connecting employers across regions and sectors to establish so-called joint ATRs [where one worker works for two or more employers in consecutive periods over one season].
On-going funding relationship
The Department has a strong, on-going mutually beneficial relationship with industry through Horticulture New Zealand and NZ Winegrowers, and has part-funded the national seasonal labour coordination function at HortNZ in 2010/11.  I am pleased to announce at your Conference today that this funding arrangement will be continued into the 2011/12 season.
RSE health screening
Thankfully there have been few incidents of notifiable diseases in RSE workers – the most notable being the incident of typhoid in the kiwifruit sector this year.  Given the value of horticultural and viticultural exports to the New Zealand economy, it is timely for INZ to review offshore RSE health screening and in-country risk management to ensure the safety of New Zealanders, the food we export and our international reputation.
The Department, together with Horticulture NZ, and wider industry in the medium-term, is looking at:
• the prevalence of notifiable diseases, such as typhoid, in RSE sending states.
• RSE operational health screening requirements.
• whether there should be additional screening requirements, such as notification to RSE employers of health outbreaks in Pacific states before workers are recruited or arrive in New Zealand.
This work will also take into account existing industry risk management tools, such as NZGAP (Good Agricultural Practices), which you, as employers, will already be familiar with.  Immigration health screening is important to ensure that migrants do not pose a risk to New Zealand.  We have to ensure we get this right.
Improving Immigration New Zealand’s performance
Given the link between your businesses and RSE, it’s important that the department that oversees RSE is performing well. That’s why over the past 20 months I have been driving them to deliver across specific areas including:
• Improving the quality of immigration decision making
• Focussing on the timeliness in processing visa applications
• Improving satisfaction with Immigration New Zealand’s services.
We are now seeing the results of this effort.
The latest figures show good and adequate decisions for all applications have increased from around 71 percent in mid-2009 to its current mark of 87 percent.  Poor and questionable decisions are down from over 29 percent in mid-2009 to 13 percent in early 2011.
This improved performance is being noticed by INZ’s customers.
Over the past two years employer satisfaction has increased from 70 percent to 90 percent and overall client satisfaction has risen from 68 to 80 percent.
A new IT system will also allow Immigration New Zealand to provide more online functions which will streamline applications and reduce processing times. This will greatly increase the responsiveness of the service which will be more customer focussed, agile and responsive to employer needs.
Working with the Department
RSE is a great example of the Government and the private sector growing a successful partnership. It has proved a successful partnership because it has been a responsive one, built on mutual trust and cooperation.
That association was recognised last week with an award. The Department of Labour won the Russel McVeagh Award for Excellence in Working Together category of the IPANZ Gen-i Public Sector Excellence Awards for the RSE policy.
I congratulate everyone involved for winning this prestigious award as recognition of the Department’s partnerships across government agencies, and with you in the industry, to make RSE work.
The future
The success of the RSE policy has provided a solid foundation for the further development of a strong and productive relationship between the horticultural industry and Immigration New Zealand.
I look forward to seeing that relationship deepen and broaden as your industry moves towards achieving its strategic goal of growing the sector even further. Thank you and enjoy the conference.

Good morning. It is a pleasure to be invited to speak at the RSE Employers’ Conference this year, as we head into the fifth season of the RSE scheme.

Many of you don’t need convincing that the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme has been a success and has supported the growth of the horticulture and viticulture industries.

I recently met with some growers and contractors in Blenheim and the feedback was overwhelming – RSE is vital for their businesses. Given RSE’s importance to your sector, I would like to assure you today the Government is committed to the scheme.

Your sector is a major driver of economic growth and it needs the necessary tools to operate productively.

Each year it contributes around NZ$4.2 billion to the economy and NZ$3.3 billion in exports.

The industry’s goal is to grow the sector to $10 billion by 2020, and RSE will play an important role in realising that goal.

This year is set to be a watershed one for horticulture and viticulture. Excellent growing conditions have seen production peak across most of the sector:

  • apple production was up a spectacular 21 percent, and apple exports increased by over 10 percent this season
  • the national grape vintage is up more than 20 percent on last year, and production area has expanded by another 400 hectares
  • kiwifruit production area increased in 2010 – although the impact of PSA is yet to be fully realised – and 12 percent more trays have been submitted this year to date, and
  • total vegetable exports increase year on year (by NZ$3.8 million from 2009 to 2010).

With the opening up of the Australian apple market and direct access to the Chinese market, the industry is well positioned to reap the benefits of an exceptional harvest.

Future of RSE

The RSE scheme has done much to resolve the lost production and staffing problems that had previously plagued your industry. It has provided the confidence and security that has allowed many growers to expand their production base.

Around 80 percent of RSE workers are now returning with improved skill levels and the proven ability to work well in New Zealand. In spite of these achievements, in the current economic climate, some will inevitably question whether the RSE scheme will take jobs away from New Zealanders. To this I can answer with a categorical NO.

As you all know, the RSE scheme is not a cheap alternative to employing New Zealanders. Rather it is designed to ensure that a key industry is able to operate productively. It has been successful in this and in some cases has resulted in the creation of permanent jobs for New Zealanders.

Mr Apple is New Zealand’s largest apple grower. In the past few years, the company has increased the number of permanent jobs for New Zealanders by around 20 per cent — in large part because of the success of the RSE scheme.

Managing regional labour needs

So, what does the future hold for RSE in 2011/12?  We will continue to manage the actual number of RSE worker arrivals within the national cap of 8,000 which will protect jobs for New Zealanders.  This year we expect to have seen just over 7,000 RSE workers for the 2010/11 season.

I know that you are already working in the regions to plan for the next season.  What will your crop size be?  Will there be New Zealanders available?  What will the weather be like?

This year has been a bumper harvest. History shows us that after a bountiful season, often the trees, vines and fields reduce productivity to recover for the following season. Simultaneously we have more New Zealanders out of work and looking for jobs. Given this situation I would cautiously suggest that overall RSE numbers in 2011/12 will remain at similar levels to this year’s intake, and in some cases may reduce.

Relationship with the Ministry of Social Development

I know there have been tensions between industry and the Ministry of Social Development in determining what employers need.  At last year’s Conference, I understand you raised concerns about MSD wielding too much influence.

RSE policy is about creating a sustainable labour supply for the horticulture and viticulture industries – I believe it has done that.  The policy allows you, as employers, to recruit workers from overseas when there are no suitable New Zealanders available.  It is not government agencies’ role to overly involve themselves in your business.

However it is Government’s role to get more New Zealanders into work.  And you, as employers, are telling me that productive, returning RSE workers are a cornerstone to enable you to do that.

I am interested in keeping these discussions going and planning for RSE worker numbers in the regions, not in Wellington.

You are the experts.  You know your labour needs.  Government agencies – such as MSD – can and do provide assistance with planning and determining labour supply.

INZ will continue to engage directly with employers at the regional level through dedicated Relationship Managers.  Through the Department’s direct contacts with Pacific States, the Department has been able to facilitate as smooth as possible recruitment from your chosen Pacific partners.  For example:

  • Re-confirming departure details of workers from Tuvalu affected by this season’s cyclones
  • Liaising with the Samoan Government on the RSE worker infected with typhoid this season
  • Assisting with contacts when employers are considering moving to a new Pacific RSE source country
  • Connecting employers across regions and sectors to establish so-called joint ATRs [where one worker works for two or more employers in consecutive periods over one season].

On-going funding relationship

The Department has a strong, on-going mutually beneficial relationship with industry through Horticulture New Zealand and NZ Winegrowers, and has part-funded the national seasonal labour coordination function at HortNZ in 2010/11.  I am pleased to announce at your Conference today that this funding arrangement will be continued into the 2011/12 season.

RSE health screening

Thankfully there have been few incidents of notifiable diseases in RSE workers – the most notable being the incident of typhoid in the kiwifruit sector this year.  Given the value of horticultural and viticultural exports to the New Zealand economy, it is timely for INZ to review offshore RSE health screening and in-country risk management to ensure the safety of New Zealanders, the food we export and our international reputation.

The Department, together with Horticulture NZ, and wider industry in the medium-term, is looking at:

  • the prevalence of notifiable diseases, such as typhoid, in RSE sending states.
  • RSE operational health screening requirements.
  • whether there should be additional screening requirements, such as notification to RSE employers of health outbreaks in Pacific states before workers are recruited or arrive in New Zealand.

This work will also take into account existing industry risk management tools, such as NZGAP (Good Agricultural Practices), which you, as employers, will already be familiar with.  Immigration health screening is important to ensure that migrants do not pose a risk to New Zealand.  We have to ensure we get this right.

Improving Immigration New Zealand’s performance

Given the link between your businesses and RSE, it’s important that the department that oversees RSE is performing well. That’s why over the past 20 months I have been driving them to deliver across specific areas including:

  • Improving the quality of immigration decision making
  • Focussing on the timeliness in processing visa applications
  • Improving satisfaction with Immigration New Zealand’s services.

We are now seeing the results of this effort.

The latest figures show good and adequate decisions for all applications have increased from around 71 percent in mid-2009 to its current mark of 87 percent.  Poor and questionable decisions are down from over 29 percent in mid-2009 to 13 percent in early 2011.

This improved performance is being noticed by INZ’s customers.

Over the past two years employer satisfaction has increased from 70 percent to 90 percent and overall client satisfaction has risen from 68 to 80 percent.

A new IT system will also allow Immigration New Zealand to provide more online functions which will streamline applications and reduce processing times. This will greatly increase the responsiveness of the service which will be more customer focussed, agile and responsive to employer needs.

Working with the Department

RSE is a great example of the Government and the private sector growing a successful partnership. It has proved a successful partnership because it has been a responsive one, built on mutual trust and cooperation.

That association was recognised last week with an award. The Department of Labour won the Russel McVeagh Award for Excellence in Working Together category of the IPANZ Gen-i Public Sector Excellence Awards for the RSE policy.

I congratulate everyone involved for winning this prestigious award as recognition of the Department’s partnerships across government agencies, and with you in the industry, to make RSE work.

The future

The success of the RSE policy has provided a solid foundation for the further development of a strong and productive relationship between the horticultural industry and Immigration New Zealand.

I look forward to seeing that relationship deepen and broaden as your industry moves towards achieving its strategic goal of growing the sector even further. Thank you and enjoy the conference.

(Source Beehive, J Coleman)

Jul
01

28/06/11 - Immigration changes affecting students - update

On 1 June 2011, the Minister of Immigration announced a package of policy changes for international students.
Following that announcement, sector feedback was received regarding the new requirement for students to study a two-year course before they can qualify for Study to Work visas (the Graduate Job Search and Graduate Work Experience visas).
In order to ensure that this requirement is well targeted, a further round of targeted sector consultation was undertaken. The submissions received have now been considered and final decisions made. These decisions are to:
• delay the implementation of this requirement until 2 April 2012 (students who commence their course before this date will not be affected)
• enable qualifying one academic year courses to include:
◦ all postgraduate qualifications, or
◦ credit-transferred bachelors’ degrees, or
◦ all one year level 7 courses.
• and also enable ‘one year + one year’ course combinations to meet the two-year study requirement, so long as:
◦ both courses qualify for Skilled Migrant Category points, and
◦ the second course is at a higher level than the first course (for example, a level 5 diploma followed by a level 6 diploma), and
◦ both courses are of at least one academic year’s duration (eight months full time study).
The updated Student changes fact sheet PDF [437KB] contains the detail of these changes and also provides more detail on the overall policy package.
See also the frequently asked questions on changes to Skilled Migrant Category and Study to Work instructions.

On 1 June 2011, the Minister of Immigration announced a package of policy changes for international students.

Following that announcement, sector feedback was received regarding the new requirement for students to study a two-year course before they can qualify for Study to Work visas (the Graduate Job Search and Graduate Work Experience visas).

In order to ensure that this requirement is well targeted, a further round of targeted sector consultation was undertaken. The submissions received have now been considered and final decisions made. These decisions are to:

  • delay the implementation of this requirement until 2 April 2012 (students who commence their course before this date will not be affected)
  • enable qualifying one academic year courses to include:
    • all postgraduate qualifications, or
    • credit-transferred bachelors’ degrees, or
    • all one year level 7 courses.
  • and also enable ‘one year + one year’ course combinations to meet the two-year study requirement, so long as:
    • both courses qualify for Skilled Migrant Category points, and
    • the second course is at a higher level than the first course (for example, a level 5 diploma followed by a level 6 diploma), and
    • both courses are of at least one academic year’s duration (eight months full time study).

The updated Student changes fact sheet PDF [437KB] contains the detail of these changes and also provides more detail on the overall policy package.

See also the frequently asked questions on changes to Skilled Migrant Category and Study to Work instructions.

(Source INZ)

Jun
17

16/06/11 - Skilled migrants feel misled by work-visa policy

Bangkok university lecturer Chanon Jitkomut thought his Silver Fern work visa was a ticket to a job and a better life in New Zealand.

But the only opportunities the 33-year-old science graduate has found since arriving last month have been low paid and unskilled, including a food-court job that paid $6 an hour.

The visa policy was started to attract young, highly skilled migrants to settle in the country to give "businesses international connections" and "provide skills to transform our economic landscape".

Hundreds of people lodged applications within 30 minutes of the scheme's launch, but many who have arrived are struggling to find work.

A 34-year-old former business analyst with a multinational company is now working as a stripper to pay her rent.

Another who holds a master's degree in economics is working in a Korean restaurant for $400 a week.

Both resigned from jobs and took on loans to move to New Zealand. But they do not want to return home because they would lose face.

"The Silver Fern visa is like a trap," said Mr Chanon, a former hospitality lecturer at Suan Dusit Rajabhat University. "It gives you false hope and puts you in a position where you can easily be exploited as cheap labour by employers after you get here.

"I am desperate and I will take any job I can get, even if it is under minimum wage, because I have a wife and child in Thailand waiting for me to send money."

Under the Silver Fern scheme, people aged 20 to 35 can seek skilled employment for nine months. Once employed, they are issued with a visa to stay another two years to apply for permanent residency. The scheme has an annual quota of 300.

Of the 293 visas issued last year, only 85 people have found work or received a job offer. Eighty have not found employment, 70 have left the country and 58 have yet to arrive.

Immigration New Zealand said the scheme had attracted young, skilled people despite the tight job market.

"It does not guarantee them employment," said Immigration NZ chief Nigel Bickle.

"We'd advise them to research the labour market thoroughly to ensure jobs that match their skills and experience are available."

The National Distribution Union said the scheme was flawed, and it wants Immigration New Zealand to review it.

"All that's been happening is a repeat of the 'rocket scientists driving taxis' situation and clearly, many of those who came under the scheme feel they have been misled," said migrant support co-ordinator Dennis Maga.

Immigration New Zealand does not plan to review the policy.

(Source NZ Herald, Lincoln Tan)


Jun
14

10/06/11 - Speech notes - English New Zealand AGM

Good morning all.

Thank you Rob for inviting me to speak at your annual general meeting.  I welcome the opportunity to meet with you again and to address your members.

It is now 20 years since English New Zealand was formed by a group of young entrepreneurs wanting to market New Zealand internationally as a preferred destination for English language students.

Twenty years on, I think we can all agree that marketing New Zealand as an export education destination of choice continues to be vitally important as we face increasingly fierce global competition for international students.  And it is easy to see why.  The revenue generated from export education is immense — around $2.3 billion each year.  Most importantly, it also generates around 32,000 jobs in the industry and elsewhere.

The Government has pitched its focus squarely on growing the economy and I’m sure everyone here today is only too aware of the challenging fiscal environment we currently face.  Recovery will be built on exports and investment, and not the debt and spending we saw over the past decade.

Immigration has an important role to play in supporting the Government’s economic growth agenda.  As Minister of Immigration, I am committed to exploring ways to better support the work you do to grow the export education industry.  If your businesses are going to be able to compete successfully it is essential that our immigration policies are effective and our services efficient.

Service Changes

I want to emphasise that the Government is committed to delivering policies and services that stimulate the growth of the export education sector. One key area which impacts on your business is Immigration New Zealand’s performance.

Timeliness of decision making has to be a major focus and for the majority of Immigration New Zealand customers this is the key measure of the service’s performance. However, before we aggressively attacked timeliness, it was important that we addressed the quality of decision making – there’s no point in making bad decisions quickly.

Last year, after hearing concerns about student visa processing times, particularly in the Palmerston North branch, I instructed Immigration New Zealand to take immediate steps to clear the backlog.  This involved implementing an action plan to lift service standards, which included increasing resources, and improving existing processes.

At the end of April 2010, there were 6600 applications on-hand at the Palmerston North branch. At the end of April 2011 the on-hand figure has almost been halved to 3420.

Excluding applications with health, character or policy issues, Palmerston North is currently processing 96 percent of applications within 30 days – well within the target of 80 percent in 30 days.

There will be continuous downward pressure on targets - 90 percent of all applications to be processed within 30 days by the end of June 2011 and a further stretch of 90 percent processed in 25 days by June 2012.

Today I can confirm that INZ’s overall performance in processing student applications has improved over the past year. As at March 2011, 89 percent of student applications were being processed on average in 30 days.

The drive to improve performance is being noticed by Immigration New Zealand’s customers. Over the past two years employer satisfaction has increased from 70 percent to 90 percent and overall client satisfaction has risen from 68 to 80 percent, but there’s still more work ahead. However, what’s good is that the mechanisms are in place to ensure it continues to make progress.

Bear in mind though that the pressure on the department will increase if we are to make the industry succeed. There will be more applications, and the challenge for INZ is how to increase services in a fiscally constrained environment.

Immigration New Zealand is also upping its game internationally, especially in the key Chinese and Indian markets.

To support market growth, we need the right resources in place to meet demand. In March I visited India and opened a new Mumbai immigration office. The first visa officers have been hired and are undergoing training so we can expect to see improved processing times in India over the coming year.

To address the performance issues in New Dehli, high value and low-risk applications have been handled by the Bangkok office where on average student applications are being processed in 17 days. In China student applications are being processed on average in 18 days.

We are determined to drive improvement in India. With New Dehli, it’s been taking 93 days on average to make a decision, but we have moved to remedy this. The Mumbai branch, once fully operational will reduce processing times. New Dehli though has experienced an almost 50 percent increase in demand with the number of applications rising over two years from 6040 to 8900.  Compounding this is the fact 77% of these applications are declined because the applications are from people who are not genuine students or the applications are fraudulent.

To rectify this and to reduce red tape and quicken processing times, we’re looking at changing how we deal with applications in India.

We’re seeing what other jurisdictions do, particularly in the India market, for example more succinct written communications; declining fraudulent applications outright and banning fraudulent applicants from reapplying; and working more closely with accredited institutions to fast-track genuine students.

Immigration New Zealand is also conducting a review of health screening services to see if we can sensibly eliminate bureaucracy by taking a more risk-based approach to screening applicants.

As a doctor, my view is that very few people under 40 are likely to place a burden on our health system because of an existing health condition. I would like to see a system where we place much more onus on students and their families to make sure they are of good health when they come here, the quid pro quo being that we can run a much faster application process.

We’ve already extended the validity of health certificates for fee paying students from two years to three years and we’re extending it further for PhD students from July 2011. There is more progress to come.

Policy/Legislative Changes

In the past year, we have also made a number of policy changes to make it easier for international students to study here and to stimulate the growth of the export education sector.

We made it easier for migrants to enrol in more short-term courses in any one year.

This means that more short-stay students are now expected to enrol here and this will provide a significant boost in revenue for many education providers.  Making it easier to study short-term will also help attract longer-term, full fee-paying students, and encourage more temporary migrants to study while they are here for other purposes.

In addition, we introduced a new ‘interim visa’ to enable students to continue studying when applying for visas to further their studies.

Christchurchrecovery

Even with these changes, there is still more that needs to be done to stimulate the growth of export education, especially with the recent Christchurch earthquakes.

I understand that many of your members are based in Christchurch and we know what a difficult time Christchurch businesses face.  Yet, of those whose businesses were located in the heart of what is now the red zone, five are now already up and running again.  Student numbers are of course nowhere near pre-earthquake levels, but there are reports of early recovery – a real achievement considering what happened in Christchurch.

One way in which the Government is looking to support sector growth is by introducing a new Crown entity to manage New Zealand’s international education promotion and offshore activities.

It will be operational in September this year, and Immigration New Zealand will be playing an active role in its operations.  Nigel Bickle, the head of Immigration New Zealand, will be an ongoing advisor to the Board.

Facilitating genuine students and restricting fraudulent providers

However, any growth in the sector has implications for immigration, particularly growth into high risk immigration markets. As demand grows, a central challenge will be how to prevent student visa fraud while making visa processes easier for genuine students.

For some students, I am aware that their primary intention is just to work and gain residence by whatever means is available.  Recent media reports, and direct feedback to me, indicate that some education providers enrol students who do not attend classes and are not capable of successfully completing their courses.

For an Association such as yours, which is committed to the highest professional standards, this sort of behaviour must be particularly galling.  It puts at risk your business and damages New Zealand’s reputation.

As you may be aware, Immigration New Zealand has been taking a strong stance against education providers who commit immigration offences.

In the last two years, the processing of student visa applications has been suspended for some private providers, including some prior to their closure by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

To preserve our reputation as a high quality study destination, last year I directed the Department of Labour to review immigration policies relating to student visas and students’ pathways to work and residence.  I am aware that many of you provided input last year into these reviews, and I would like to thank you for your contributions.

Student policy changes

To deal with the abuse of student visas by non-bona fide students and non-compliant education providers, from 25 July 2011 student visa applications will be subject to more scrutiny.  Students will be more rigorously assessed to ensure that they genuinely meet the prerequisites for the course, have sufficient access to funds for maintenance, and are studying at good quality education providers.

Student visa conditions relating to satisfactory attendance and progress will also be clarified.  This will ensure that both students and education providers are aware of their obligations.  Monitoring and compliance will also be improved.

These changes signal that the Government will not tolerate abuse of the immigration system by non-bona fide students and non-compliant education providers.

I know some of you here today are especially concerned about the requirement to have a two year qualification to be eligible for study to work visas.

The purpose of Study to Work policies, including the Graduate Job Search visa, is to ensure that New Zealand employers and industry have access to the skills and knowledge they need to grow by providing a pathway to skilled employment and residence for highly skilled graduates.

Research commissioned by Education New Zealand shows that New Zealand attracts a disproportionate number of certificate and diploma students compared to its competitors.  The Department of Labour’s research shows that migrants with lower level New Zealand qualifications are less likely to be in skilled employment, earn less, and are more likely to go back to full time study (as domestic students) than more highly qualified students.

The decision to require students to undertake a two-year academic qualification (with a minimum duration of 16 months) before they can be eligible for study to work visas has not been taken lightly by this government.  The changes announced last week target higher level students and move immigration incentives away from short, lower level qualifications.

The intent of these changes is to incentivise students to study for longer, thereby increasing export education revenue and other benefits associated with international education, and ensure that those students who choose to stay here are better positioned to take up genuinely skilled employment.

Pathways to work and residence

We are also introducing a second package of changes from 25 July 2011 to strengthen the incentives to study qualifications that have good employment outcomes.

I am aware from the Department’s research that many English language students transition into further tertiary study.  This second package of changes will incentivise these students to transition into longer, higher-level courses that have better employment outcomes and are likely to meet New Zealand’s skill needs.

This means that English language students have the potential to bring in significant export education earnings to New Zealand, as well as provide a springboard to further study, and potentially work and residence in New Zealand.

Conclusion

As a whole, these policy changes are designed to protect both individual businesses such as yours and the wider export education industry.

Export education is important to us all — it provides jobs and export earnings that are vital to the national economy.  As Minister of Immigration, I want to continue to ensure that both immigration policy and the quality of service provided by Immigration New Zealand better meets your needs.

Thank you.

(Source Beehive, J Coleman)

Jun
03

03/06/11 - First Z petrol station opens

One of the largest rebranding exercises in New Zealand history kicks off this morning when the first Z petrol station opens in Auckland.

Following the 2010 sale of the Shell petrol stations and distribution business to Infratil and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, the company announced last month that it was dropping the famous red and yellow brand for a new identity.

It has since launched a major advertising campaign playing up its local ownership.

The first of 10 pilot sites under the Z brand was opened by Maungakiekie MP, Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga this morning.

Z Energy, which was previously known as Greenstone, said it carried out a major research exercise into the its customers which revealed little connection to the Shell brand itself. The company has also admitted that the cost of using the Shell brand - around $10 million a year - was also a factor in the decision.

As well as a new brand, the company is overhauling is offering, with New Zealand-made pies and cupcakes, better coffee and forecourt attendants during some hours.

''Our new look stores will provide customers with a completely overhauled and significantly improved offer,'' Z Energy chief executive Mike Bennetts said this morning.

Other Z sites, in Auckland, Christchurch,  Wellington, Turangi and Putaruru will be opened over the coming months, with all of the 220 Shell stations expected to be rebranded by June 2012.

(Source Dominion Post)

Jun
02

01/06/11 - Speech notes - Study Auckland Conference

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for inviting me to speak to you again at your conference.

Export education is an industry that has the potential for major growth, and has been identified as such by the Prime Minister. As a Government, we are working across portfolios to identify ways to better support the industry.

As I am sure you are aware, the revenue generated from export education is significant, injecting over $2.3 billion of foreign exchange each year into our economy.  Most importantly, it also supports around 32,000 jobs. Auckland is crucial to the success of the industry, with our region hosting 57,000 international students in 2010.

As well as generating revenue from tuition fees and other expenses, many international students also stay here and go on to contribute to our skilled workforce.  These former students are well-positioned to settle here successfully, and can help drive economic growth through increased productivity and innovation in the labour market.

From a wider international education perspective, international students also contribute to research and innovation at higher education providers.  They also enrich the learning and teaching experiences on your campuses by introducing international perspectives.

I want to emphasise that the Government is committed to delivering policies and services that stimulate the growth of the sector here in Auckland as well as of course, across the rest of the country.

When I spoke to you last June, you expressed your concerns about the need for the Government to better support and grow the export education sector.  In particular, you expressed your frustrations about delays in Immigration New Zealand’s visa processing.

I want to assure you that your concerns were taken extremely seriously.  Timeliness of decision making has to be a major focus and for the majority of Immigration New Zealand customers this is the key measure of the service’s performance. However it was important that INZ first got the quality of its decisions right first- there’s no point in making bad decisions quickly.

Immigration New Zealand’s old target for student applications was 95 percent of decisions to be made within 60 days, but global reporting of targets over extended time periods was masking the true performance of the service and hiding where the real problems were.

In our session last year, it became apparent that neither students nor institutions were receiving the service they expected, and the discussion prompted a hard look at the performance of INZ in the student area.

After hearing about your concerns with student visa processing times, particularly in the Palmerston North branch, I instructed Immigration New Zealand to take immediate steps to clear the backlog.

This involved implementing an action plan to lift service standards, which included increasing resources, and enhancing existing processes.

At the end of April 2010, there were 6600 applications on-hand at the Palmerston North branch. At the end of April 2011 the on-hand figure has almost been halved to 3420. Excluding applications with health character or policy issues, Palmerston North is currently processing 96 percent of applications within 30 days – well within the target of 80 percent in 30 days.

Today I can confirm that INZ’s overall performance in processing student applications has improved over the past year. As at March 2011, 89 percent of student applications were being processed on average in 30 days.

There will be continuous downward pressure on targets- 90 percent of all applications to be processed within 30 days by the end of June 2011 and a further reduction of 90 percent processed in 25 days by June 2012.

The department’s performance is improving but there’s still more work ahead. However what’s good is that the mechanisms are in place to ensure it continues to make progress.

Bear in mind though that the pressure on the department will increase if we are to make the industry succeed. There will be more applications, and the challenge for INZ is how to increase services in a fiscally constrained environment.

Immigration New Zealand is also upping its game internationally, especially in the key Chinese and Indian markets. Expanding these markets will help the industry grow into a $5 billion dollar a year export earner.

But to support a growing market, we need the right resources in place to meet demand. In March I opened a new Mumbai immigration office. The first visa officers have been hired and are undergoing training so we can expect to see improved processing times in India over the coming year.

To address the performance issues in New Dehli, high value and low-risk applications have been handled by the Bangkok office where on average student applications are being processed in 17 days. In China student applications are being processed on average in 18 days.

We are continuing to drive improvement in India. With New Dehli, it takes 93 days on average to make a decision, but we have moved to remedy this. The Mumbai branch, once fully operational will reduce processing times. New Dehli though has experienced an almost 50 percent increase in demand with the number of applications rising over two years from 6040 to 8900.  Compounding this is the fact 77% of these applications are declined because the applications are from people who are not genuine students or the applications are fraudulent.

To rectify this and to reduce red tape and quicken processing times, we’re looking at changing how we deal with applications in India.

We’re seeing what other jurisdictions do, particularly in the India market, for example more succinct written communications; declining fraudulent applications outright and banning the applicant from reapplying and working more closely with accredited institutions to fast-track genuine students.

Immigration New Zealand is also conducting a review of health screening services to see if we can sensibly eliminate bureaucracy by taking a more risk-based approach to screening applicants. As a doctor, my view is that very few people under 40 are likely to place a burden on our health system because of an existing health condition. I would like to see a system where we place much more onus on students and their families to make sure they are of good health when they come here, the quid pro quo being that we can run a much faster application process.

We’ve already extended the validity of health certificates for fee paying students from two years to three years and we’re extending it further for PhD students from July 2011. There is more progress to come.

Immigration Business Development Programme

At a broader level, Immigration New Zealand is working towards significantly improving its service delivery over the next two years.  This includes a programme to improve the quality of visa decisions made.

Decision-making is Immigration New Zealand’s core business and it’s critical that it is done well.

Latest figures show good and adequate decisions have increased from around 71 percent in mid-2009 to its current mark of 87 percent.  Poor and questionable decisions are down from over 29 percent in mid-2009 to 13 percent in early 2011.

This improved performance is being noticed by Immigration New Zealand’s customers.

Over the past two years employer satisfaction has increased from 70 percent to 90 percent and overall client satisfaction has risen from 68 to 80 percent.

Senior representatives from Immigration New Zealand will continue to work closely with export education industry representatives at both strategic and operational levels to ensure we stay ahead of any issues affecting the industry as they arise.

Policy/Legislative Changes

In the past year, we have made a number of policy changes to stimulate both the growth of your business and the national economy.

Last year, we made it easier for temporary migrants to undertake short periods of study in New Zealand (including allowing school students to study short-term on visitor visas).

In February this year, we made several changes to make it easier for international students to study in New Zealand.  This includes:

  • extending the validity of police and medical certificates from two to three years for fee-paying foreign students
  • removing the requirement for all students to provide a guarantee of accommodation, while protecting the needs of younger students, and
  • introducing a new ‘interim visa’ to enable students to continue studying when applying for visas to further their studies.

Challenges

However there are challenges in the sector. In spite of the global economic downturn, the market for genuine, high-level students remains keenly competitive.  New Zealand continues to face strong competition from other countries.  This competition will intensify as the world economy moves out of recession.

Overall foreign fee-paying students increased by three percent between 2009 and 2010 to 99,980.  We need to maintain momentum.

The Government is assisting this by introducing a new Crown entity to manage New Zealand’s international education promotion and offshore activities.  When operational in September this year, this entity will help develop the international education sector, focussing on promotion and marketing of New Zealand education offshore and providing better support for international students.

The Department of Labour was involved in the development of the Crown Entity, and will continue to play an active role in the operations. Nigel Bickle, will be an advisor to the Board.

Facilitating genuine students and pathways

Any growth in the sector however has implications for immigration, particularly growth into high risk immigration markets.  We need to be able to facilitate the entry of genuine students, while screening out those who see a student visa as nothing more than a shortcut to living and working here.

Unfortunately some education providers have enrolled students who do not attend classes, are not capable of successfully completing their courses, and are achieving poor learning outcomes.

This affects our reputation as a high quality study destination, and our ability to attract more genuine students.  It also poses risks that some students who complete qualifications in New Zealand do not genuinely have the skills we need, but are taking up work and residence opportunities.

Policy Changes

Well we’re not going to allow bad providers and fraudulent students to put our whole export education industry at risk.

In the last two years, the processing of student visa applications has been suspended for some private providers, including some prior to their closure by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

To preserve our reputation as a high quality study destination, while ensuring we attract students who have the potential to contribute their skills to the labour market, last year I directed the Department of Labour to review immigration policies relating to student visas and students’ pathways to work and residence.

Many of you provided input last year into these reviews, and I would like to thank you for your valuable feedback.  Today I can announce the outcome of these reviews.

Student policy changes

To address those applications from people who we believe do not have a genuine intent to study here in New Zealand and non-compliant education providers, from 25 July 2011 student visa applications will be subject to more scrutiny.  This will include:

  • A more rigorous assessment of student visa applications to ensure students genuinely meet the prerequisites for the course
  • Ensuring students genuinely have sufficient access to funds for maintenance, and are studying at good quality education providers
  • Clarifying student visa conditions relating to satisfactory attendance and progress to ensure students and education providers are aware of their obligations, and to ensure better monitoring and compliance.

As a package, these changes signal that the Government will not tolerate abuse of the immigration system by non-bona fide students and non-compliant education providers.

At the same time, we need to make it easier for genuine students to study here, so we are relaxing some visa requirements to facilitate genuine students.

This includes:

  • extending the validity period of police and medical certificates for PhD students, their partners, and dependants
  • making it easier for work visa holders to formally train as part of their job by removing the requirement to obtain a variation of conditions, and
  • ensuring that the definition of full-time study is consistent across different education providers for the same or similar courses.

I have also asked officials to look at whether access to student visas and work rights should be linked to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority’s quality assurance system.  While I am aware that work rights may be a draw card for many students, I am not satisfied that, in the current environment, enough has been done to weed out non-bona fide students and education providers that may take advantage of such a policy.

Pathways to work and residence

As mentioned earlier, the changes aim to ensure we increase the quantity of genuine students, including those who transition to work and residence.

I am aware that some students opt for the quickest and easiest route to residence through studying the shortest eligible courses available.  This is a problem because these students may not genuinely have the skills New Zealand needs to increase economic growth.

To address these issues, a second package of changes is being introduced from 25 July 2011 to strengthen the incentives to study qualifications that have good employment outcomes.

In short, these changes target higher level students and move immigration incentives away from short, lower level qualifications.  The changes will incentivise students to study for longer, thereby increasing export education revenue and other benefits associated with international education, and ensure students are well-positioned to contribute to productivity gains and innovation.

These two packages support the Government’s objective of positioning New Zealand as a high quality study destination for genuine students, and ensuring those who stay here genuinely have the skills we need.  This benefits your industry, and New Zealand’s wider economic objectives.  A high level summary of the key changes is being announced publicly this morning on the Immigration NZ website.  Details of all of the changes are yet to be finalised, but are expected to be available on the Immigration New Zealand website in early July.

Conclusion

Immigration’s job in supporting export education and the economy is a critical one.  Along with facilitative policy, we need a world-leading immigration service that makes consistent, high-quality decisions in a timely and efficient manner.

Immigration New Zealand is headed in that direction and good service delivery can yield real economic gains that will benefit us and all those who come to visit, study, work and settle here.

Thank you.

(Source Beehive, J Coleman)

Jun
02

01/06/11 - Speech notes - Refugee Resettlement Forum

Good afternoon everyone.

It’s a pleasure to be here and thank you for inviting me to speak at this year’s National Refugee Resettlement Forum. It’s the third year that I’ve spoken at the Forum and I know how informative and rewarding this session is for the various groups and organisations represented here.

Firstly I’d like to acknowledge Rick Towle, Regional Representative, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

I’d also like to acknowledge Mitchell Pham who you have just heard from. Mitchell’s is an inspiring story and it is one that we can all draw powerful lessons from.

Of the many insights Mitchell has shared with us today the one that most stands out to me is that no matter how hopeless our situation might appear to be, there is always a path forward.

We all have something to contribute, something to make of our lives. And in Mitchell Pham’s case, what an incredible contribution he has made.

As some of you will be aware, in March this year, Mitchell was honoured by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader — one of just 190 successful candidates out of 5,000 from across a wide range of disciplines and sectors.

On receiving this coveted international honour Mitchell said he hoped that his story would not only be an inspiration to future generations of young refugees but also to the communities that take in refugees. Looking back on his life here, Mitchell declared:

“Without the chance I was given in New Zealand to have a new life, I would not have been able to contribute at any level domestic or international… giving back to New Zealand is really important to me and many of the refugees that I know. When people from overseas ask me where I am from, I often say “born in Vietnam— made in New Zealand.”

Mitchell has indeed given back much to New Zealand and continues to also support a number of charitable agencies working in the refugee and wider social services sector.

Contributions of other refugees and community groups

But Mitchell is not alone in his achievements or his commitment to New Zealand. The contributions made by many former refugees, at both a professional and personal level, are truly remarkable. This was particularly evident in the national response to the Christchurch earthquake.

Just a few weeks after the quake, Auckland businessmen Lim Nam Chour and Thanh Tran presented a $45,000 cheque to Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker for the Red Cross relief fund.

Both men had arrived in New Zealand as penniless refugees more than 30 years ago. Chhour, who runs a chain of supermarkets, arrived in New Zealand as a Cambodian refugee in the 1970, while Tran, who imports and sells Asian foods, arrived from Vietnam in 1977.

Like Mitchell Pham, these men wanted to give something back to the country that had helped them in their hour of need. As Albert Tang put it:

“… we want to repay what we have earned in New Zealand to the people of Christchurch. We want to thank New Zealand because it was very kind to us and accepted us. As refugees, we are very grateful.”

More recent arrivals also pitched in to help as best they could. Nine year-old Afghan refugee, Ahsan “Ali” Ahmadi, spent two weeks working with the Addington Action Committee — a group set up after the February 22 earthquake.

The family had only been in New Zealand eight months and in spite of language difficulties both father and son pitched in to help. Ali helped clear rubble, dig toilets and deliver food and water to people in need.

Addington School principal, Trudy Heath, says Ali is a role model for the school who shows exactly what a great citizen should be. His teacher, Brendan Leslie, says that his “care and desire to help are amazing.”

And the refugee response to events in Christchurch was not limited to individuals. The Christchurch Somali Community prepared and packed lunches for the Police and Soldiers on cordon duty around the devastated Central Business District. As Somali community leader, Ahmed Tani said:

“…we understand the problems of a disaster. We come from a disaster country. We know how to survive and how to help each other. This way we can help our host community that helped us and welcomed us.”

These are just a few examples of how individual refugees and communities have responded in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake.

Economic contribution of Immigration

These heart-warming stories also illustrate just how well-settled many refugees feel in their new home. In a broader context, they also highlight just how important immigration is to the New Zealand economy.

Immigration is serious business for New Zealand, and refugees are a part of this. Migrants contribute $1.9 billion to the economy every year. One in four workers in New Zealand is a migrant. Over the past five years 60% of New Zealand’s workforce growth came from temporary and permanent migrants.

If immigration stopped today, it is estimated that by 2021 New Zealand’s population would drop by 9.6 percent and economic output would fall by 11.3 percent.

We want all refugees to achieve their potential in New Zealand, to succeed socially and economically. Your success is New Zealand’s success and that is why it is such a pleasure to be here today where the focus is on how we can improve refugee resettlement.

New Zealandhas a good record in receiving refugees and our nation’s contribution is recognised internationally. But in the resettlement context there’s room for improvement.

A new approach to refugee resettlement

My officials are currently leading the development of a new approach to refugee resettlement that will reduce the high dependency refugees have on government support and enable them to more easily achieve fulfilling, independent lives.

Many of you here today have been actively involved in this process. Your contributions are especially important because only you can truly see things from a refugee perspective. That is why this Forum is so important. It provides an opportunity for Government officials to learn from your experiences of resettling in a new and very foreign country. This sort of first-hand input is vital to developing a better approach.

The new approach focuses on five key areas that refugee communities and independent researchers have identified as vital to successful settlement. These five areas are:

  • Self sufficiency
  • Participation
  • Education
  • Housing

Health and Well Being

I will comment just briefly on each of these areas.

Self sufficiency is about work. Refugees have told us long and loud that first and foremost they need work.

We want all working age refugees to be in paid work or to be supported by a family member who is in paid work.  This also includes self employment which more entrepreneurial refugees, such as Mitchell, have found is a viable path to self sufficiency and independence.

We have not always done well in getting refugees into jobs and so we will be looking at new approaches to refugee employment.

As you will be aware this presents particular challenges in the current economic situation, where getting a job is also a challenge for many New Zealanders and particularly for our youth.

I am pleased to note that youth and employment is a key focus for this two-day Forum.

Participation

As Mitchell Pham has so strongly emphasised, building links with fellow Kiwis is vital to success. You can’t do it alone. Success comes from working with New Zealanders and becoming a part of your community.

We want all refugees actively participate in New Zealand life and have a strong sense of belonging to New Zealand. And to this end I want to mention the important contribution that volunteers make. I understand that Refugee Services Aotearoa trains four or five hundred new volunteers each year to assist resettlement and build important bridges into New Zealand homes and communities.  This is a strong signal of how supportive ordinary New Zealanders are of our international commitment to refugees.

Community links are of critical importance for young people. They provide that sense of belonging that plays a vital part in their success at school and later in the workplace. And I am pleased to note that schools themselves contribute to ensuring new refugee intakes are welcomed at Mangere.

Education

As we all know speaking English is critical to settling well here. It determines our ability to participate in the workforce, the local community and take advantage of educational opportunities.

I am pleased to note, for example, that this Forum sees the launch of the fourth Somali Graduate Journal. This publication documents the achievements of a large number of young refugees in one community who are getting on and doing well and making the most of what New Zealand offers. I look forward to their individual success bringing success to New Zealand.

Housing

Refugees are currently heavily dependent on government housing and housing assistance.

Although these services will always be important during the early period of settlement, we want to reduce long-term dependence and see more refugees either renting privately or owning their own homes and living independently of government assistance.

The new approach will look at new ways of achieving this and already resettlement agencies are making the adjustments. I understand that the latest intake of refugees have all been settled in private housing in the central North Island, and have been very warmly welcomed by local residents and Mayors.

Health and Well Being

Good health is critical to everyone. We want all refugees to enjoy healthy independent lives.

And we know that good health and well-being is strongly connected to the other outcome areas - being in employment, being well-connected into the local community, being well-housed and well-educated.

The new approach will consider these inter-dependencies across the outcomes sought through the proposed Strategy. It will also be more responsive to individual need and ensure services are delivered ant the right time and not wasted on those who do not need them.

We live in difficult times. There is simply no additional money available and we have to work within the resources we have. The proposed new approach to refugee resettlement will have to be achieved within current budget and resources. And I’m pleased to note that my officials have assured me that this will happen.  This is what good government services are about — providing better, smarter services at less cost.

I very much look forward to taking the outcome of this work to my Cabinet colleagues later in the year.

Quota Refugees and New Zealand’s international obligations.

In spite of the difficult economic situation, I am happy to confirm that the Government has retained its commitment to resettling 750 quota refugees annually.

To enable us to better plan and deliver resettlement services for quota refugees the Government has agreed to the establishment of a three year rolling refugee quota programme.

Unfortunately, given the impact of the earthquake in Christchurch in February, we will be resettling a reduced number of quota refugees in New Zealand this year. This is also likely to impact the numbers of quota refugees we will be able to resettle in the coming financial year.

While Government has an important role to play in the selection and resettlement of refugees we could not achieve what we do without the contributions of non-government organisations, their volunteers and communities - many of whom are represented at the Forum here today. Your efforts, activities and programmes make an enormous contribution – for example, I believe the cost of setting up each new refugee family home is about $5,000 and that entire cost is offset by donated goods.

We want to better support refugees to settle here quickly and succeed.  The Government’s approach is about ensuring that the support provided generates self sufficiency not dependence. We want to make it possible for all refugees to realise their full potential.

No matter where you were born we want you to make it in New Zealand, and to participate fully in our society and economy.

As Mitchell so memorably phrases it, when speaking of his own journey, — “Born in Vietnam; made in New Zealand.”

That is indeed a message for us all.

I wish you well for a successful Forum and thank you for contributing to the important discussions on refugee youth and employment.

(Source Beehive, J Coleman)

Jun
01

01/06/11 - Immigration changes to strengthen export education

New Zealand’s $2.3 billion dollar export education industry will be strengthened through changes to immigration policy for international students announced today by Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman.

Dr Coleman says ensuring students are genuinely here to study, and enabling the best students to stay on and contribute to New Zealand’s skilled workforce, benefits the sector’s reputation and New Zealand’s economy.

The changes, which come into effect from July 2011, will strengthen student visa requirements and conditions, improve access to study and training, and improve pathways to residence. Some changes will not take effect until early 2012 to remove any additional barriers to students affected by the Christchurch earthquake.

‘’The majority of people are here to legitimately study, but some just see a student visa as a short cut to gaining access to New Zealand,’’ Dr Coleman says.

‘’Some education providers have been enrolling students who are not capable of successfully completing their courses, have poor attendance and who are recording poor learning outcomes'. This affects our reputation as a high quality study destination, and our ability to attract more genuine students who have the skills New Zealand needs.

‘’Export education supports about 32,000 jobs and providers received nearly $600 million in fees last year from over 90,000 students – it’s a significant earner for New Zealand so these changes are about ensuring we maintain the sector’s reputation and attract genuine students.’’

Some of the key changes being introduced from July include:

 

  • Tightening the criteria around whether students are genuinely here to study and are capable of successfully completing their courses.
  • Student visa conditions around attendance and academic progress will be clarified and strengthened.
  • Students will need to satisfy Immigration New Zealand that they genuinely have access to funds for maintenance.
  • Requirements for sponsorship and financial undertakings will be strengthened, while introducing more flexibility for genuine students.
  • The validity period of medical and police certificates for PhD students, their partners and dependants will be extended from 24 to 36 months, the same as for fee-paying foreign students.
  • Work visa holders will no longer need to obtain a variation of conditions to undertake training authorised by their employer as part of their job.
  • Students will need to study in New Zealand for at least two years to qualify for Study to Work visas, unless they have postgraduate qualifications or credit-transferred bachelor’s degrees.
  • Students who obtain a second, higher qualification at bachelor’s degree or postgraduate level will be able to obtain a second Graduate Job Search visa, rather than just one.
(Source Beehive, J Coleman)
Please click here for further details what those KEY changes are

 

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