Dr Wayne Mapp
National Immigration Spokesperson
17th February 2004

Zimbabweans need residency, not work permits

It's time the Government gave permanent residency to the people from Zimbabwe living here on visitor visas, says National's Immigration spokesman Wayne Mapp.

There are approximately 2600 Zimbabweans living in New Zealand, unwilling to return because of Robert Mugabe's regime.

"Simply rolling over work permits for another 12 months just creates uncertainty. Many of these people have lost everything in Zimbabwe. They have no real prospect of returning. It is time the Government recognised this reality.

"The Zimbabweans have proven themselves to be hardworking with skills of real benefit to New Zealand.

"If they have been living in New Zealand for three years with a solid work history they should have the right to permanent residency," said Dr Mapp.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>