Waikato Business News | November 1, 2023

14 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS
NOVEMBER 2023
ADVERTORIAL
What Immigration
Changes can we expect
from the new Government?
New Zealand’s immigration
settings over the last 6 years
of the Labour Government
were very significantly
impacted by the Covid border
lockdown, and then the protracted
border re-opening. It has only
been in the last 15 months that the
Government finally introduced the
employer accreditation regime that
it had announced pre-covid, the new
investor category, and then, and only
very recently, the new Skilled Migrant
residence settings.
Looking back, the main features
of the last few years has been the
transition to online visa application
processing, the staggering number,
and frequency of, policy changes
(almost every week!), and the increase
in incidence of migrant exploitation.
So, what can we expect from the
new Government? – and what would
we like to see!
The National Party has already
announced it will introduce a
5-year visitor visa for parents and
grandparents to visit their family
in New Zealand, and which can be
renewed for a further 5 years. It will
also look to expand the work rights for
international students in an endeavour
to revitalise the international
education sector. Three capped visa
programmes to attract top talent will
also be introduced. The International
Graduates Visa, is a 3 year open work
visa for graduates of the top 100
universities in the world; the Global
Growth Tech Visa is a residence visa
for people who have been working in
top global tech companies earning
NZ$400,000 pa; and the Digital
Nomad Visa which is a 1 year visa
to attract highly mobile people to
come to New Zealand while working
remotely for an overseas-based
company.
Collectively there is a cap of 1,000
people under these three new visa
policies. As always, the devil will be
the policy detail as good visa ideas
often lose their “gloss” once the
policy-writers have their say!
National has already expressed
concerns, in regard to the present
high levels of immigration, that some
60% of the workers now coming
to New Zealand fall into lower skill
job categories. As a consequence
it is likely we can expect some
“tightening” in this area, with maybe
more emphasis on getting NZers
into, or trained for, these jobs and/or
employers having to at least evidence
they are doing more to fill these roles
with NZers.
Because the employer
accreditation, skilled migrant and
investor policies are all still being
“bedded in” it is unlikely that there will
be any immediate changes. However,
there are obvious flaws in all these
policies which will need attention
sooner rather than later.
It is expected the new Government
will introduce a new visa fee regime
in which an additional fee is be paid
for urgent visa processing. This may
be part of a bigger plan to make
Immigration New Zealand a profitcentre
in its own right, and similar to
what is the case in Australia. Expect
visa cost increases!
Most current immigration policies
have a linkage with the New Zealand
median pay rate (currently $29.66
ph). This linkage was introduced
by the Labour Government on the
understanding it was, in some way,
a measure of the skill level of the
employment role.
Clearly this is not the case and,
instead, the arbitrary imposition of
the median pay rate across the various
visa categories has simply had the
effect of pushing up employer costs
across the board.
The median pay rate increase to
$31.61 ph next February should, at
least, be deferred while the new
Government considers the impact
of this additional cost on businesses
– many of whom are under financial
strain.
Overall, what we would most like
to see is the new Government being
much more willing to engage and
consult on the pragmatism, risks and
outcomes of the policies it wishes
to introduce to ensure these can
best deliver the intended objectives.
Taking a little more time to get it
right first time is one lesson the
new Government can learn from its
predecessor – hopefully?
Pathways to New Zealand
Level 2 | 586 Victoria Street | Hamilton 3204
Level 3 | 50 Manners Street | Wellington 6011
07 834 9222 enquiries@pathwaysnz.com pathwaysnz.com
Councils told to
open for business
The Ombudsman has drawn a line under councils who do too
much talking in secret. Mary Anne Gill looks at the ramification.
A
report
criticising
councils for conducting
business behind closed
doors should result in an
end to the secret exchanges
which in some cases protect
councillors from looking
stupid.
Workshops, briefings,
forum, hui, wānanga –
they’ve been given a myriad
names - but too many have
been away from the public
glare, Chief Ombudsman
Peter Boshier’s Open for
Business report released last
month concludes.
And opening them up may
make what are some of the
biggest businesses in town
a lot more relevant to their
communities.
District councils across
the Waikato - Hamilton
city councillors a notable
exception with their robust
debates - retreat to workshop
style meetings, out of the
public eye, to discuss key
issues while voters’ interest
in the triennial elections
wane.
Boshier’s hard hitting
report tells councils to
get back to their council
chambers rooms and talk in
public.
Waikato Business News’
sister publications in
Cambridge and Te Awamutu
have been arguing the point
with Waipā District Council
Expect to see a spade in the ground before
Christmas.
That is the word from Ingham Motor
Group principal dealer John Ingham about
the former Bunnings site in Cambridge.
And the man who started in Ōtorohanga
in 1968 and then expanded into Te
Awamutu and Hamilton as well as across
the upper North Island has confirmed the
development is a four-year project.
Given the nature of the motor industry
today, do not expect to see too much
duplication in the Waikato market, he says.
Ingham has eight brands - Hyundai,
Isuzu, Kia, Suzuki, Mercedes-Benz, Renault,
Honda and Mitsubishi – at 17 dealerships.
“The motor industry is really changing
Joe Wilson has received a Billie Award for
Strengths-Based Research at the Te Auaha
Pito Mata – New and Emerging Researcher
Awards, hosted by Community Research
New Zealand.
The award recognises the work of the Lots
of Little Fires initiative, a project under the
Waikato Wellbeing Project,
“We’re immensely proud of Joe Wilson and
the Lots of Little Fires project,” Wellbeing
Project executive director Harvey Brookes
said.
“Joe’s commitment to the transformative
power of storytelling has not only enriched
our communities but also embodies the core
values of the Waikato Wellbeing Project.”
He said his work was a reminder of the
positive change that can happen “when we
focus on the strengths and unique stories of
individuals within our communities”.
Peter Boshier
all year.
The council’s workshops
last four to five times longer
than their actual council
meetings and the “informal”
workshops between
councillors is a chance to
compare diaries, catch up
on issues around the district
and discuss who is going to
attend the various events on
offer.
No decisions are made,
staff are not present but they
come in afterwards where
matters are discussed for
“information only,” according
to the council’s Governance
manager.
The News’ issue with Waipā
is the regularity elected
members cite information
they received at workshops
when making decisions at
public meetings.
Sometimes it makes it
difficult to follow the debate
Ingham to drive in
because councillors had
information gleaned at the
workshop which was not
available to the public, or the
media.
Boshier investigated eight
councils, none of them were
in the Waikato with Rotorua
Lakes Council the closest.
He found no evidence
that any of the councils were
making decisions in the
workshops.
But the next day a new
councillor at Rotorua –
during a council meeting
where its damning report was
discussed as an “urgent item”
- said he believed decisions
were made in workshops.
Boshier found some
workshop practices were
counter to the principles
of openness and could
contribute to a perception
that workshops are not being
used in the right way.
“I also discovered that
a range of council officials
and elected members didn’t
want to open workshops for a
number of reasons including
that asking questions could
make them look stupid.”
Protecting councillors was
not a valid reason to close the
workshop doors.
“Elected members should
be resilient enough to
withstand reasonable public
scrutiny. It is the job they are
elected to do.”
at the moment,” said
Ingham, who would
not confirm what three
franchises would operate
in Cambridge.
John Ingham
But one of them will
not be Mercedes Benz, he said.
Ingham Group’s resource consent
application to demolish the Bunnings
building and redevelop on the overall 6852
sq m site for a car dealership and associated
vehicle servicing was granted in July.
The development would be in two stages.
Building consents are expected to be lodged
with Waipā District Council next month and
site works, starting with the demolition of
the Bunnings building, soon afterwards.
Joe’s a bright spark
Joe Wilson, pictured with Garth Nowland-
Foreman (left). The Billie award is named after
his mother.
Through the lens of cinematographer
Muredach Daly, Lots of Little Fires celebrates
the journeys, resilience, and unique
contributions of everyday people.