Please explain Mr Dunne?

United Future Leader Peter Dunne's call for 'a well planned population and immigration policy' with a target of five million New Zealanders by 2015 will take a bit of explaining, according to National Party Immigration spokesman Murray McCully.

"Mr Dunne says the target is based on a 'minimum of 60,000 immigration approvals every year to complement our natural population growth', but New Zealand already achieves more than 60,000 arrivals every year," notes Mr McCully.

"In fact, in the year to March 2003 New Zealand had 98,000 permanent and long-term arrivals.

"So does Mr Dunne really mean a net inflow of 60,000 per year? In which case he is advocating a significant increase in immigration?

"If that's what he's doing I strongly disagree with his focus, New Zealand needs to target quality not quantity.

"Or does Mr Dunne really mean the 60,000, which his statement says?

"If that is the case, there is only one way to achieve Mr Dunne's five million target: a dramatic increase in an activity which Mr Dunne, as the leader of New Zealand's self-styled family values party, would seem a somewhat unlikely chief advocate," Mr McCully jokes.

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