Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader
Member of Parliament for Northland
4 OCTOBER 2015

Restoring ‘First Cousin’ Status Rests on Abandoning Random Immigration

Restoring “first cousin” status with Australia will not happen while New Zealand allows random and record levels of immigration, says New Zealand First.

“While Australia hasn’t pulled up the drawbridge yet, Kiwis there are facing the brunt of the Australian backlash as the government fears an overload from backdoor entry to Australia through New Zealand,” says New Zealand First Leader and Member of Parliament for Northland Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“National and other political parties can cry crocodile tears now about the treatment of Kiwis, but it is these same politicians who should be taking the responsibility. While we continue to allow loose and unscrutinised entry to New Zealand, something these political parties support, the rush of many of these immigrants onward to Australia means Kiwis in Australia are paying the price.

“The Prime Minister has yet another excuse, this time that Prime Minister Turnbull is new, but Mr Key has had seven years to sort out Kiwis second-class status in Australia where immigrants from other countries have more rights than New Zealanders.

“In the 1990s, New Zealand First began pointing out that our country was being used as a bolt hole to immigrate to Australia and that sooner or later there would be a reaction. These same political parties and commentators reacted with claims of xenophobia and racism.

“Australia was concerned as thousands poured temporarily in to New Zealand then shot through to Australia as soon as they got a Kiwi passport. As we predicted, in 2001 Australia reacted with a change to our special relationship. There has been a steady deterioration ever since.

“The victims include the 650,000 Kiwis living in Australia, and commentators can now feign concern and talk about them getting citizenship, but it is not so easy for those under 40 and lowly skilled.

“Surely it was predictable that Australia was never going to allow us to pervert our special relationship with unfocussed New Zealand immigration policies rebounding on them.

“Returning New Zealand to a sound rationale immigration policy is the first step back to regaining our special relationship with Australia, something that other political parties and commentators should belatedly admit,” says Mr Peters.

ENDS

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