TAKING ACTION With Dr James McDowell ACT List MP

The immigration system continues to go through significant changes and looks nothing like it did just a year or so ago.

The Government basically tipped the system on its head and made it impossible to get workers into NZ, now we're dealing with constant incremental change as they realise they made a mistake.

Employers trying to get migrant workers have had to grapple with astronomical processing times, closed borders, losing accreditation; then having to reapply under a new scheme.

The Government calls this experiment its immigration reset. Basically – hiring locals good; hiring migrants bad.

The actual evidence, as collated by the Productivity Commission, shows this makes no sense. It has sent businesses to the wall as they haven't been able to find enough staff to keep going.

ACT says a reset of the immigration reset is needed.

Immigration is a make or break policy area for NZ. If NZ doesn't have processes at least as good as those in major competitor countries like Australia and Canada, businesses will struggle to grow, social services will fail to deliver, and a spiral will take hold where it's even more difficult to attract and retain talent than in competitor countries.

ACT is confident employers know best when it comes to who they need to hire, and how many. They don't need to be micromanaged by politicians nor bureaucrats in Wellington.

The work visa scheme and its wage rules needs to be tossed out, and open work rights for workers restored, which will help employers and employees and significantly reduce risk of migrant exploitation by enabling simple movement between jobs and roles within organisations.

Pathways to residency need to be created for all skill levels so people actually have an incentive for coming here and making a go of a better life, contributing to NZ's productivity along the way, and enjoying the freedoms our multi-ethnic liberal democracy has to offer. We'll take the ideology out of the system, making it a simple, viable option so businesses can get on with it.

It's time we made it easier to do business in NZ, increased productivity and give the people who put it all on the line a break.