12. DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East) Link to this
to the Minister of Immigration
What progress has the Government made in attracting business migrants to New Zealand?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Immigration) Link to this
Last July the Government announced it would revamp the business migrant scheme to boost economic performance. The changes have made it easier for migrants to invest or set up a business in New Zealand and to gain permanent residence. There has been healthy interest in the new policy. Immigration New Zealand reports that over 100 expressions of interest have been received by prospective migrant investors since last July. In total, new immigration policies have attracted approximately $194 million in potential new investment.
How does the performance of this Government in attracting business migrants to date compare with that of the previous Government?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN Link to this
The current Government has attracted more business migrants in 8 months than the previous Government did in 2 years. In other words, the previous Government took three times as long to produce less than half the result.
Rahui KateneHow confident is he that the business skills being sought after in attracting migrants are not evident in the 64,000 New Zealanders officially registered as job seekers and, in particular, the 21,000 Māori job seekers?
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN Link to this
Business migration policies aim to complement existing capital and entrepreneurial skills within the economy, so there is no such thing as having too much of either.