Monday, November 24, 2014

Incoming migrants are a good thing

A commenter asked how many immigrants I thought NZ should allow in (interestingly, on a post about anti-Chinese attitudes).

I certainly don't think we have too many incoming migrants. We need them anyway to balance the departures.

The looming deficit of taxpayers caused by the ageing population is going to create a problem. Increased immigration, especially encouraging foreign students who have studied here to make NZ their home, may be part of a solution.

Frankly, as long as people wanting to come to NZ have a proven work ethic and some usable skills, why turn them away? By developed-world standards, NZ is a sparsely populated nation and looking at the graph below, current levels of migration aren't about to test existing resources.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

You need to remove the "students" and temporary visa's for the real figures.
It's the nett longterm residents that matter. The rest are temporary, theoretically not earning and not paying taxes other than GST sometimes but consuming a lot of education resources paid for by the permanent residents.

Jamie said...

I don't like mass immigration,
If that makes me the big R-word or Z-word then so be it...

How many is too many???
When all of NZ is like Auckland???

Go on ball-park figure for this young returned serviceman who is struggling to find employment in the lands he and his Fore-Fathers risked their lives for...

:(

Lindsay Mitchell said...

We are granting around 45,000 residence visas annually. Representing less than 1% of the total population I don't think that's too high. I have sympathy for you struggling to find employment but incomers with money to invest (and possibly an entreprenurial bent) provide jobs as well as fill them. Unlike you Jamie I am an immigrant to this country so that may, in part, explain my differing view. Primarily though my main experience of Asians (which is who you seem worried about) is as NZ-born friends or co-students of my kids. They are diverse, but generally high-achieving individuals.

Odakyu-sen said...

You can see from the graph that the best two times to have bought property are right at the end of a net outflow (1990, 2002).

Hamish said...

@Jamie, I find it quite telling that you don't know how to spell both of the terms for your racism.

There is no such thing as too many or too few in regards to immigration when you think rationally and objectively and ignore your own personal biases. Anyone that positively contributes to our economy and growth is good for us, and we already prevent immigration where they are unlikely to fall into that category.

China lost 14 million people in WWII, they risked just as much, if not more to prevent the axis from winning the war, and thus securing our sovereignty. Any war after that has nothing to do with our protecting our lands.

On top of this, the fact that someone fought in a war doesn't mean they should be entitled to a job over more qualified applicants unless the employer values their historical efforts enough to decide they are - your personal feelings do not dictate how our society does or should operate, and if they did we would be a far less prosperous and interesting country. I'm very thankful your type of xenophobia is rare in my generation.

Odakyu-sen said...

Why the focus on economic aggregate quantity? What about quality of life on an individual basis?
We don't have the infrastructure in Auckland to support more immigrants.
Let's have a referendum.

Jamie said...

Hey Hamish you should get the hot brand out for me, or maybe some tar and feathers...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02FE0j0RSCQ

http://whitegenocideproject.com/white-people-almost-facing-stage-four-genocide/

Sometimes it is hard to see the forest for the trees...

Jamie said...

Yeah, they're tryin' to move us to use us
Like Judas did Jesus to please us
Diverting the issues to misuse the people
So how are we gonna get 'em?
How are we gonna vote them out?
When the wingtips got it locked up

Yeah, with one thing you don't know ya dig it
The freaking wingtips did it
But some of us is wise and some of us is suckers
We all bleed red, even racist motherfuckers

And I can't get with that
No, I can't get with that

I see the hoes and the hustlers, be piled up in clusters
Now, since they upped the anti and hooked up Giuliani
And the black kill the black and Latino kill Latino, man it's evil
The same damn story and a sequel

I thought I fought for what was right
But in the end, my friend, 20-20 is hindsight

And I can't get with that
No, I can't get with that

Fun Lovin Criminals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocwL6OaRJNE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXLmt6i-hBY

Hamish said...

@John B, economic indicators strongly correlate with quality of life indicators, always have, always will. Realistically discussing one is discussing the other, to argue that would be mere pedantry.

If someone's quality of life is dependant on how many people look like them, the problem is with them.

I disagree strongly that immigrants should be valued less than people already residing in an area. Any major city anywhere has similar issues and teething problems as Auckland, if you've got a problem with the progress you can always move.

Jamie said...

Hey Hamish do you actually care about genocide???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63DORtkeIjQ

Min 2.45

Or are you just another big talkin, holier than thou, judgemental hypocrite???