First of all, Labour can frankly shut up accusing the Nats of anti-migrant rhetoric because this is a party that hasn’t got a leg to stand on when it comes to migration.
This is the party - and some of the very same people are still there - that campaigned on reducing immigration by up to 30,000 people in 2017, produced a list of Chinese-sounding names two years earlier and then shut down immigration completely, only to do the opposite by opening it up too much during and after COVID. So, on immigration - glass houses etc.
But having said that, what National is proposing to do on immigration should worry businesses up and down this country that rely on migrants. And I’m looking at you - the aged-care sector wanting to bring in Filipino workers to look after our elderly; and I’m looking at you, Health New Zealand, needing to employ Indian nurses; and I’m looking at you, the construction sector, needing to bring in general labourers.
Because Chris Luxon has made it clear in his speech he’s shutting his door to businesses wanting to lobby him for migrant workers. He said: “My message to the business community is that when it comes to immigration, when I’m faced with a choice between social stability and your bottom line, I will choose the former every single time.”
Now that begs the question to the Prime Minister: what does “social stability” mean? Is that basically you saying we’ve got too many Indian migrants?
Which then begs the question: is National trying to match New Zealand First’s anti-Indian rhetoric to avoid losing voters to them? Which then logically begs the next question: is Luxon putting his vote share at the election ahead of New Zealand’s need to bring in the workers that we know we need?
Because we’ve been through COVID, and we know that we do not do these low-skilled jobs - you need migrants to do them. So I think we should all be worried about this.
I think businesses in New Zealand, in particular, should be very worried about this. And it begs a final question: if this is the position that National has taken, is there now even a single party in Parliament that is looking after New Zealand businesses?
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and radio broadcaster who hosts Newstalk ZB's weekday Drive-Time Show – where this article was sourced.
3 comments:
There is a simple answer buried in our GTA with India. Sell your business to an Indian company. It then becomes a subsidiary and there is nothing stopping the entire company staff being Indian immigrants. Everyone. Not an NZ citizen in sight.
So there you go Heather, nothing to worry about. The government you thought was being hard on businesses has made it easier.
“We know that we don’t do those low skilled jobs.” Let’s rephrase that, Heather. We won’t do those jobs. We have created a culture where work is beneath those who are gaming the welfare system. They themselves are low skilled, unless you think sitting around all day smoking a crack pipe while planning your night time nefarious activities, is a skill. And it is those same people who abhor the migrant workers who do all the jobs that locals are too lazy to do. This is why, in areas of high unemployment we still need RSE fruit pickers from Vanuatu to get the kiwi fruit from the vines to the Packhouse, because if we left it to kiwis the fruit would rot where it grows.
TO CXH @8:36Am 18 May - what you have placed as a comment, already happens here in NZ and many have "faced" due diligence with NZ ERA due to 'their so called employment criteria', that has no match/relevance/ connection with NZ Law re Employment.
What is also happening, they arrive, buy a business, set up shop, English is a second language.
Why is this happening, well two things -
- Kiwi's are going to Aussie
- Kiwis are no longer interested in running a business or even working in one.
If you think this is "abnormal" no the Swiss faced this issue many years ago, with migration from Africa - the only requirement required was that the Immigrant had to learn to speak the language of the Canton (there are 3 - German, French, Italian) they resided in, and it had to become "first spoken language" their native tongue could be spoken at home or among friends.
Oh and they had to "obey" The Laws as set out by the Swiss Govt.
You will find no-one protesting in Switzerland.
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