New Zealand is a wonderful place to live, partly because of migrants, so keep the gates open and harness the contribution migrants can make.
That was the conclusion of a report titled "The New New Zealanders'', released yesterday by think-tank the New Zealand Initiative.
The report came as Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy and others condemned the move by US President Donald Trump to sign a 90-day ban on citizens of seven majority Muslim nations - Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen - from entering the United States, deeming them "countries of concern''.
The report said inflows of people during the past several centuries into New Zealand had turned uninhabited islands into one of the best countries in which to live.
Reports of net migration figures of 69,000 in the 2015-16 year raised valid concerns about competition for jobs and housing, and pressures on public services and infrastructure, the report said.
But fear and confusion about possible links with terrorism had been harnessed by politicians. Even the pro-immigration National-led Government had tightened policy settings to appease the public.
The report concluded New Zealand was better off keeping its door open to the world.
Labour immigration spokesman Iain Lees-Galloway said the report glossed over important subjects to reach a predetermined conclusion.
"The rapid growth in population that New Zealand is experiencing places significant pressure on infrastructure, particularly in Auckland.
"Not only is immigration one of the key drivers of this population surge, it is the only factor that Government can control,'' he said.
The report also failed to address the inequity of outcomes for different kinds of migrants.
People who transition from temporary work or student visas to residency and citizenship earn less and have poorer employment prospects than people who come as skilled migrants.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters described the report as "academic gobbledygook'' based on nonsensical statements.
The report reflected a "jaundiced and biased'' point of view, he said.
"NZ Initiative has skewed its research to its advantage - to keep a lid on wages and add competition in the workforce.'' - NZN
