But will this initiative be more successful than efforts to lure nurses?
Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash and Immigration Minister Michael Wood have announced the official opening of the new Active Investor Plus visa category, created to attract “high-value” investors.
They described this initiative as a key milestone in the Government’s Immigration Rebalance strategy.
All going well, the wealthy migrants who come here with their millions will be willing to roll up their sleeves and pitch in where help is needed as well as invest where their money is needed.
According to a Stuff report this week, businesses are desperate to attract staff:
It has been a busy week for Wood.
It was his job as Workplace Relations and Safety Minister to announce the Bill establishing Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day has passed its third reading.
The passing of the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day Bill designates 26 September 2022 as a one-off public holiday. The holiday will coincide with the State Memorial Service, to be held in Wellington Cathedral. This will be televised and live-streamed.
The decision to hold a one-off Public Holiday in the Queen’s honour is in line with similar holidays in the UK and Australia.
As Minister of Immigration, Wood announced that from 3 October 2022, registrations for the Samoan Quota will reopen, and from 5 October registrations for the Pacific Access Category will reopen. These are visa categories that enable people from our Pacific partner countries to become residents of New Zealand.
Collectively these pathways will provide for up to 5,900 people to become residents over the next two years, helping reduce the impact of global labour shortages and help grow our economy, Wood said.
While he was busy with those issues, we learn from The Beehive website that
As Minister for Emergency Management Kieran MacAnulty has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the newly established Australian National Emergency Management Agency.
He said the new agreement was signed on the side-lines of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Brisbane this week follows the recent signing of another Memorandum of Cooperation between NEMA and the United States’ Federal Emergency Management Agency
The new agreement “reinforces the relationship” between the trans-Tasman emergency management agencies, MacAnulty said, although his statement gives no details of what is entailed.
A joint statement from McAnulty and Senator Murray Watt can be viewed here
New Zealand, the USA, Twitter, and Microsoft have announced investment in a technology innovation initiative under the banner of the Christchurch Call. This initiative aims to support the creation of new technology to understand the impacts of algorithms on people’s online experiences.
The hope is that, once the new software tools are developed, they could be used to overcome barriers to researching how algorithms drive individuals towards terrorist and violent content.
The Charities Amendment Bill has been introduced to Parliament, intending to increase transparency, improve access to justice services and reduce the red tape that impede smaller charities.
The changes proposed in the bill include reduced reporting requirements for very small charities and a more accessible tribunal for charities that want to appeal decisions.
A new Year 1-13 designated character wharekura will be established in Feilding, Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis announced today.
To be known as Te Kura o Kauwhata, the wharekura will cater for the expected growth in Feilding for years to come.
The Government has a goal of strengthening Māori Medium Education and growing the number of learners to 30% by 2040.
Mātauranga taketake and Te Ao Māori will be embedded in the teaching and learning at all levels of the wharekura, and Te Reo Māori will be the primary language of instruction. The proposed curriculum will be grounded in taonga tuku ihohanga (cultural inheritance) of Ngāti Kauwhata ancestry.
The statement from Stuart Nash and Michael Wood tells us the new Active Investor Plus visa replaces the previous investor visa categories, which often resulted in investment into passive asset classes such as bonds rather than investment directly into New Zealand companies, meaning a missed opportunity to encourage investment that delivers real benefits to our economy
The minimum amount required if all funds are placed in indirect investments will be $15 million.
Details on the Active Investor Plus visa can be found on the Immigration New Zealand website
Here’s hoping the Government is more successful with this initiative than with its efforts to attract nurses.
A week or so ago, RNZ reported just 24 overseas nurses had applied to work in New Zealand under a new visa scheme that was supposed to make recruitment faster and easier.
The government’s plan to boost recruitment of health workers includes dedicated immigration support services and funding to make it easier for them to move to New Zealand.
Meanwhile, frustrated New Zealand-trained migrant nurses were reported to be planning to leave the country because they cannot find an immediate path to residency, just as the government tries to entice foreigners to fill thousands of jobs in hospitals, aged care and clinics.
According to a Stuff report this week, businesses are desperate to attract staff:
The struggle to find and keep staff is repeated all over the country in many industries, and just under 11,000 employers have applied for accreditation to bring in almost 53,000 migrant workers.
It has been a busy week for Wood.
It was his job as Workplace Relations and Safety Minister to announce the Bill establishing Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day has passed its third reading.
The passing of the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day Bill designates 26 September 2022 as a one-off public holiday. The holiday will coincide with the State Memorial Service, to be held in Wellington Cathedral. This will be televised and live-streamed.
The decision to hold a one-off Public Holiday in the Queen’s honour is in line with similar holidays in the UK and Australia.
As Minister of Immigration, Wood announced that from 3 October 2022, registrations for the Samoan Quota will reopen, and from 5 October registrations for the Pacific Access Category will reopen. These are visa categories that enable people from our Pacific partner countries to become residents of New Zealand.
Collectively these pathways will provide for up to 5,900 people to become residents over the next two years, helping reduce the impact of global labour shortages and help grow our economy, Wood said.
While he was busy with those issues, we learn from The Beehive website that
* Kieran MacAnulty has reported on his accomplishments in Australia –
As Minister for Emergency Management Kieran MacAnulty has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the newly established Australian National Emergency Management Agency.
He said the new agreement was signed on the side-lines of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Brisbane this week follows the recent signing of another Memorandum of Cooperation between NEMA and the United States’ Federal Emergency Management Agency
The new agreement “reinforces the relationship” between the trans-Tasman emergency management agencies, MacAnulty said, although his statement gives no details of what is entailed.
A joint statement from McAnulty and Senator Murray Watt can be viewed here
* Jacinda Ardern has reported on what she has been doing in New York –
New Zealand, the USA, Twitter, and Microsoft have announced investment in a technology innovation initiative under the banner of the Christchurch Call. This initiative aims to support the creation of new technology to understand the impacts of algorithms on people’s online experiences.
The hope is that, once the new software tools are developed, they could be used to overcome barriers to researching how algorithms drive individuals towards terrorist and violent content.
“We simply won’t make the progress we need on these important issues, without better understanding how they are operating in the real world in the first place,” the PM said.
* Priyanca Radakrishnan is updating our laws on charities –
The Charities Amendment Bill has been introduced to Parliament, intending to increase transparency, improve access to justice services and reduce the red tape that impede smaller charities.
The changes proposed in the bill include reduced reporting requirements for very small charities and a more accessible tribunal for charities that want to appeal decisions.
* Kelvin Davis is preparing for growth in Feilding’s population –
A new Year 1-13 designated character wharekura will be established in Feilding, Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis announced today.
To be known as Te Kura o Kauwhata, the wharekura will cater for the expected growth in Feilding for years to come.
The Government has a goal of strengthening Māori Medium Education and growing the number of learners to 30% by 2040.
Mātauranga taketake and Te Ao Māori will be embedded in the teaching and learning at all levels of the wharekura, and Te Reo Māori will be the primary language of instruction. The proposed curriculum will be grounded in taonga tuku ihohanga (cultural inheritance) of Ngāti Kauwhata ancestry.
The statement from Stuart Nash and Michael Wood tells us the new Active Investor Plus visa replaces the previous investor visa categories, which often resulted in investment into passive asset classes such as bonds rather than investment directly into New Zealand companies, meaning a missed opportunity to encourage investment that delivers real benefits to our economy
“We want to encourage active investment into New Zealand, which generates more high-skilled jobs and economic growth compared to passive investment. This new visa category will help us leverage the skills, experience and networks of migrants who will bring their access to global networks and global markets to help Kiwi companies grow faster and smarter.
“The new visa category will help to attract investors that wish to invest in New Zealand for the long term, bringing their skills and experience to helping to increase our productivity and competitiveness, and supporting our transition to a high wage, productive economy.
“Applicants who make acceptable direct investments into New Zealand firms, among other requirements, will be eligible for the new visa with a $5 million minimum investment. Direct investments receive the highest weighting, while those who choose less direct investments will need to invest more capital.”
The minimum amount required if all funds are placed in indirect investments will be $15 million.
Details on the Active Investor Plus visa can be found on the Immigration New Zealand website
Here’s hoping the Government is more successful with this initiative than with its efforts to attract nurses.
A week or so ago, RNZ reported just 24 overseas nurses had applied to work in New Zealand under a new visa scheme that was supposed to make recruitment faster and easier.
The government’s plan to boost recruitment of health workers includes dedicated immigration support services and funding to make it easier for them to move to New Zealand.
Meanwhile, frustrated New Zealand-trained migrant nurses were reported to be planning to leave the country because they cannot find an immediate path to residency, just as the government tries to entice foreigners to fill thousands of jobs in hospitals, aged care and clinics.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian TempletonRecent graduates working in aged care in Tauranga say they are being forced to abandon their dream home because of an immigration policy that means they must waitanother two years for residency.
1 comment:
people with 5 million to 15 million dollars do not expect to fill up forms in manglish and scratch their heads trying to find the translation of names of govt depts they need to deal with.
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