Time for reasoned debate

The death this week of Brunhilde Pomsel, a former secretary to the Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels is a timely reminder of what can happen when people turn a blind eye to evil.

Ms Pomsel called it an act of folly she ever decided to work for Goebbels. But her typing speed was excellent and so was the pay. She insisted she had simply acted like most Germans by not resisting the regime.

''Those people nowadays who say they would have stood up against the Nazis - I believe they are sincere in meaning that, but believe me, most of them would not have'', she said in an interview last year.

She described Germany after the rise of the Nazi party as if it was under a kind of spell.

It is difficult for most of the world to accept six million mainly Jewish people were taken to concentration camps and put to death, without the general population of Germany, and its allies, being acutely aware of the practice.

That is why it is hugely incorrect to label the actions of United States President Donald Trump as those of the Nazis. Mr Trump has taken a deeply unpopular decision to ban travellers from some Muslim countries entering the US - a decision causing widespread angst.

People around the world are protesting against the decision and, so far, none of them have been locked up without prospect of release. Hundreds of volunteer lawyers have stationed themselves at airports throughout the US, helping stranded people negotiate the new rules.

Refugees from the Syrian conflict are being turned back. Citizens from other countries are being detained while their status is confirmed. It seems likely there will be some fightback from some of the affected countries. Mr Trump does not seem to care. He is ruling like an emperor, rather than an elected president.

However, the President is sticking to his election promises, an election he won. It is a rare politician who sticks to his election promises even early into his or her term. The US judicial system is going to have a lot of work ahead of it as judges work through the signed executive orders - undoubtedly declaring some illegal.

Hopefully, there will be room in New Zealand for some more refugees but this country too needs to be careful who it takes in for shelter or a new start.

New Zealand is a country built on immigration, a blend of race, creed and culture. Migration to this country is exceeding most expectations for more than 12 months.

The gain of more than 70,000 permanent arrivals for the year ended December does place pressure on the larger cities, particularly Auckland where 43,000 cars were added to the congested city last year alone.

New Zealand needs to have a level-headed debate about immigration to ensure the emotions stirred up by Mr Trump are not transported to this country.

There is a shortage of skilled labour in New Zealand and some of the shortage can be filled by immigrants. But it would be helpful to places like Dunedin, Timaru and Invercargill if the flow of migrants included the south of the South Island.

The New Zealand Initiative released a report this week which said, in part, most economists see immigration as a positive for wealth creation. Fears some New Zealanders have about immigrants taking jobs, suppressing wage growth and pushing up house prices have been recognised. But the Initiative says the economic fears about immigration are largely overblown.

Mr Trump, the Chinese New Year and Waitangi Day next week have provided New Zealanders with an opportunity to start a reasoned debate about the future of immigration to this country. People who will make a positive contribution to the evolution of New Zealand must always be welcome.