Shane Jones: NZ First deputy leader criticises the Government's plan to allow more migrant workers to get fast-tracked residency

New Zealand First is slamming the Government's latest immigration move - allowing more migrant workers to get a fast-tracked residency.

The Government's announced two new pathways, one for skilled work experience and another for trades and technicians.

NZ First has invoked the agree to disagree clause - voicing concerns that those who gain residency will become citizens and then leave for Australia.

Deputy Leader Shane Jones claims New Zealand's had unfocused immigration policies for some time.

He says the Government's focused on 'pumping up the tyres' of employers instead of training up Kiwis to fill the jobs. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Another agree to disagree moment for the coalition. New Zealand
First doesn't like the new skilled residency pathways announced today.
Government says we need them to attract and retain good
migrant workers. Businesses need them. They are thankful. Shane Jones,
New Zealand First Deputy. How do you like the sound
of that, Shane?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yeah, well it is invoking the agree to disagree.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
But no one should be surprised, no, because it's immigration.
But you've come out and said we take them in,
we train them up, we upskill them, we look after
their families, and then they emigrate. But in this case
that's not true at all.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Is it an actual fact? Over the next three years,
we're likely to see another seventy or eighty thousand people
with a pathway to residency that's accelerated and in short
time they will become citizens. And the government statistician has
already pointed out earlier this year thirty percent of the

(00:53):
people going to Australia and then qualifying for residency and
citizenship over there born in New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
Yeah, but what's the proportion of foreign born New Zealander
is currently roughly the same, So it's proportional. Right.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Oh no, no, no, it's not not, the statistician said.
The statistician said, those of us who are native New
Zealand as born here, represent a smaller percentage of those
who are fleeing New Zealand qualifying for Australian entitlements whilst
we train them, care for them, nurture them here in
New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
But when shown we're not training them. They're coming here,
they're already skilled, they have qualifications, they need to have
had five years relevant experience, including at least two in
New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yeah, and it's not so much that we're not acknowledging
that they're not already here. The portion that we differed
on is that those particular people they were able to
stay here. We were willing to extend their entitlements to
continue to work here. We just don't agree that we
should fast track their residency, uplift continue the folly that

(02:03):
Jacinda bought in whereabout sharing.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
These are businesses, These are regional New Zealand businesses that
you supposedly care about who are crying out and they're
saying extending that on the whim of a minister is
not a lifestyle that these guys would tolerate and they'll
bugger off and then the business is up up at
Shripe Craig.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yeah. But the deeper problem that we've got to grapple with,
and it may prove to be that no government wants
to deal with it, is that we have something like
ninety thousand to one hundred thousand of these wretched young
needs were not working. We've got a track record since
twenty twenty, since two thousand and two of continually trying
to solve this problem by relying upon immigration. There's nothing

(02:45):
wrong with New Zealand first drawing a line in the
sand and saying we need to take a hard line
and also have a harder line on the ensuring it's Shane.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
That's great, But as you said, and you've been in
three governments over that time that you've just identified, no
one has fixed the problem. In the meantime, what do
you say to those businesses who need them?

Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah, but those businesses have already got them. And I
say to the businesses, sure, I understand, I was the
chairman of Sea Lords. I thoroughly understand we're not economic ludites.
But at what point do you stop fast Trekking residency,
changing the character of New Zealand's population, constantly pumping up

(03:28):
the tires of employers where we're not creating our own
kiwis to take these jobs. That's an existential challenge in
New Zealand. For this is in title to highlight.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
What about the two hundred thousand kwis on the doll.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
Well, don't get me started off that, you know, as
well as argue, much to the chagrin of Jasinda, I
was the guy who said get the nefs off the couch.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
And we didn't, and we haven't and there's more of
them been added daily, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
Yeah, Look, there's a variety of ways how you can
pump economy. Okay, you can massively expand immigration, which is
what Stephen Joyce and John Key did. But we're just
not up for that. We're up for the fact that
we are changing rapidly the character and the makeup of
our population without having gone to campaign on it. Now,
I accept that we've allowed the paper to go through

(04:20):
the policy in twenty twenty eight, it's going to be reviewed.
The Minister has the authority to put various occupations on
or off the green light, but we are where we.

Speaker 1 (04:28):
Are Jane Jones, Deputy Leader of New Zealand first disagreeing
with the coalition For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive.
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