Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader
Member of Parliament for Northland
26 JULY 2015

National Does "Cut And Paste" Double U-Turn on Migrants to the Regions

The Prime Minister's statement on sending migrants outside of Auckland might look like a concession to sound policy, but it is not, says the Rt Hon Winston Peters.

"First of all, instead of admitting net immigration is at over 57,000 per annum, most of whom go to Auckland, he referred to the 10,000 annual intake of skilled migrants currently settling in Auckland, as though there isn't a far greater problem than the one he seeks to address.

"When New Zealand First called for incentive bonus points for migrants to go to the regions for at least three years the National Party said it was a breach of their civil rights.

"Now, caught with the huge controversy of mass migration and a serious lack of housing supply, National has conceded the wisdom of New Zealand First's policy but at the same time have so diluted it that it will not work.

"A 'cut and paste' policy to send migrants to the regions for only one year, and not at least three years as other countries do, simply will have little effect on long term settlement in the regions.

"As with the previously inflated dollar, last year's reserve bank LVRs, and the still overvalued Official Cash Rate, National is doing far too little and far too late.

"This is not a U-turn but a double U-turn," says Mr Peters.

ENDS

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