New Zealand Immigration
To date, five periods of Immigration to New Zealand may be identified. These began with Polynesian settlement of a so far uninhabited New Zealand in the thirteenth century.
European colonisation of New Zealand began with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi of 1840. Post-World War II New Zealand immigration was characterised by not only those displaced by war, but also those emigrating to meet a labour shortage. The introduction of a points system in 1986 was part of the sweeping reforms of neo-liberalism. Finally, immigration policies after the 9/11 terrorist attacks were adapted in response to security concerns and continues to shape the debate around immigration into New Zealand.
Point-based System
Along with the introduction a radical direction of economic theory, a new Immigration Act was passed into law in 1987. This was to end the preference for migrants from Britain, Europe or Northern America based on their race, and instead classify migrants on their skills, personal qualities, and potential contribution to New Zealand economy and society. The introduction of the points-based system came under the National government who pursued this policy change even more than the previous Labour one.This system was very similar to Canada’s, and came into effect in 1991. Effectively the qualities that are sought in the migrants are ranked and given a priority using a points scale. This is the current framework still governing immigration to New Zealand, however the results of an immigration review were announced in December 2006.
New migrant groups
This policy resulted in a wide variety of ethnicities, over 120 countries, being represented in New Zealand. Between 1991 and 1995 those given approval grew rapidly: 26,000 in 1992; 35,000 in 1994; 54,811 in 1995. The minimum target for residency approval was set at 25,000. The number approved was almost twice what was targeted. Since 1999, under the Labour-led New Zealand governments, no change to the Immigration Act 1987 has been made, although some changes were made to the 1991 policy.In particular, the minimum International English Language Testing System level for skilled migrants was raised from 5.5 to 6.5 in 2002, following concerns that immigrants who spoke English as a second language were encountering difficulty getting jobs in their chosen fields. Since then, migration from Britain and South Africa has increased, at the expense of immigration from Asia. However this has been mitigated somewhat by a study-for-residency programme for foreign university students.
By 2005, 60% of the applicants were accepted under the Skilled/Business category that awarded points for qualifications and work experience, or business experience and funds they had available. In 2005, NZD$2,000,000 was the minimum for the investor category. Changes to the point system have also given more weight to job offers as compared to educational degrees. Previously, it had been noted (half-jokingly, half-cynically), that most taxi drivers in Auckland tended to be highly qualified engineers or doctors - who were unable to then find jobs in their fields once in the country.
Recent New Zealand Immigration Trends
In 2004-2005, a target of 45,000 was set by the New Zealand immigration Service and represented 1.5% of the total population. However, the net effect was a population decline, since more left than arrived. 48,815 arrived, and overall the population was 10,000 0r 0.25% less than the previous year. Overall though New Zealand has one of the highest populations that were born overseas. In 2005, almost 20% of New Zealanders were born overseas, one of the highest percentages of any country in the world.The New Zealand Department of Labour’s sixth annual Migration Trends report shows a 21 per cent rise in work permits issued in the 2005/06 year compared with the previous year. Nearly 100,000 people were issued work permits to work in sectors ranging from IT to horticulture in the 2005/06 year. This compares with around 35,000 work permits issued in 1999-2000. Around 52,000 people were approved for permanent New Zealand residence in 2005/06. Over 60 per cent were approved under the skilled or business categories.
Links:
Immigration New Zealand
Department of Labour
New Zealand Qualifications Authority
International English Language Testing System
Statistics New Zealand
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