The recent report titled Trade, Diaspora and Migration to New Zealand, commissioned by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, actually goes to confirm anecdotal evidence of the positive effect sensible migration policies could have on the host country’s economy in so many ways.

Statistics show there is a direct relationship between the number of migrants coming in from a country and the positive effect that has on New Zealand’s import-export trade with that country. With increased migration from India, Indian stores and restaurants are now ubiquitous and imports from India have grown by leaps and bounds – something that was not the case 15 or 20 years ago.

Pretty much the same can be said of exports. With India opening up to foreign investment and because of the sustained near double-digit growth of its economy, Indians living here have been helping channel both investments and exports into India. ClimSystems, the company that has developed disaster scenario generation software is one such example where a Hamiltonian Indian is helping the company find its feet in India.

There are several other examples as well. And this is equally true for other countries from where migrants have come to New Zealand in significant numbers – particularly from the fast growing Asian and South Asian countries. The report goes on to say that non-English speaking migrants from developing countries bring big benefits to the economy.

But New Zealand’s existing immigration policies have for long left a lot to be desired. The disjointed skills-based policy has grossly under-delivered typified by the oft-quoted example of doctors driving taxis while there is a huge shortage of medical practitioners.

In the wake of the economic downturn these policies have especially come in for severe criticism not only here but also in the UK, according to news reports from that country.

Migrant groups raised concerns to Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman this week about the way New Zealand was still projecting itself as a destination for skilled migrants when hundreds of them on temporary work visas were losing their jobs and facing the disappointing prospect of going back home with nothing to fall back on.

New Zealand immigration policy and the bureaucracy itself – which has recently been criticised as one of the worst departments in the government – need a thorough revamp if the suggestions in NZIER’s research can be made to work.

IHopefully, the government will take cognisance of some of the recommendations in this report to come up with a sensible immigration policy taking a leaf out of several other western countries that have in recent years revamped their policies with the objectives of benefiting their economies and external trade while adding richly to their cultural diversity.
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