They shed a great deal of light on the subject of immigration as well as New Zealand s investment potential. A Free Trade Zone implies a level of government support and protection. New Zealand s policy is that the whole country is a Free Trade Zone. We are close to a zero tariff country now and the government is committed to arriving at a zero tariff within a few years. If you have a Free Trade Zone and it s tax-free, then in our view it is government subsidized.
Somebody has to pay for it.
We appreciate New Zealand s need to maintain a highly selective standard on the issue of immigration. While New Zealand is about the same size as Japan or Great Britain, New Zealand nonetheless is not enormously large and obviously must consider long-range consequences in its immigration policy. That said, talk to us a bit about your policy. Our selectivity is not founded on race, religion or such matters, but on issues that as you state consider the impact of immigration on New Zealand as a whole. Obviously, those who want to invest their time, money and energy into a viable future and have the capacity to do so.