5. Question No. 5—ImmigrationERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays) to the Minister of ImmigrationQuestion No. 5—Immigration5. ERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays) to the Minister of Immigration: Does he believe Government immigration policy over the last two years has put New Zealand in a competitive position to be an attractive destination for migrant nurses; if so why have more than 800 beds in the aged care sector been closed because of a lack of nurses?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health) on behalf of the Minister of Immigration: Yes immigration policy allowed migrant nurses to cross the border when it was closed; around 2300 nurses did so. Through the immigration rebalance we are providing a simple and streamlined pathway to residency for nurses coming to New Zealand. For the first time in recent history our Government has put hospital nurses on the fast track to residency. In answer to the second part of the question there is no question that we are facing sustained pressure across our health workforce. This is a challenge many other countries are going through as well. As a Government we recognise this and through our immigration policy settings we are setting up our workforces for success in the long term.Erica Stanford: Can the Minister explain how preventing migrant nurses working in New Zealand from reuniting with their partners and children for nearly 18 months while the borders were closed made New Zealand an attractive destination for migrant nurses?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: As I've just said our borders were open to nurses from other parts of the world who wanted to come to work here. Even when the borders were closed of the over 5000 health workers who came to New Zealand while the borders were closed more than 2300 of them were nurses.Erica Stanford: Point of order Mr Speaker. My question was not around other nurses coming to New Zealand. It was around nurses in New Zealand being separated from their families—nothing to do with new nurses coming to New Zealand. He did not address the question.Hon Andrew Little: Speaking to the point of order Mr Speaker the question was about the attractiveness of New Zealand to nurses from overseas. I addressed that question.DEPUTY SPEAKER: OK. Well I might have been distracted a little bit when the question was asked. Can you ask the question again.Erica Stanford: Can the Minister explain how preventing migrant nurses working in New Zealand from reuniting with their partners and children for nearly 18 months while the borders were closed made New Zealand an attractive destination for migrant nurses?DEPUTY SPEAKER: OK. I will get the Minister to respond again.Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I have to repeat my answer: New Zealand was an attractive place for nurses which is why when the borders were closed of the more than 5000 healthcare workers who crossed the border as part of the immigration exemption more than 2300 nurses did so.Erica Stanford: Can the Minister explain how providing dedicated managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) spots for entertainers sports teams and film makers but not nurses until November last year a few months before MIQ was closed made New Zealand a more competitive country for attracting migrant nurses?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: Again on behalf of the Minister when MIQ started shortly after it commenced operations it did have places for health workers including for nurses. It originally set aside a number of places. It was apparent by about the middle of last year—as a consequence of the advocacy of the Minister of Health it became apparent that actually those places were not being set aside for healthcare workers and for nurses and I'm very thankful for the advocacy of the Minister of Health that persuaded us that we had to get that system right and we worked with the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment to make sure that we got 300 dedicated places for healthcare workers a month by the end of the year.Erica Stanford: Can the Minister explain how New Zealand is a desirable destination when migrant nurses here completing their New Zealand nursing training on student visas in 2021 are now blocked from applying for the fast-track resident 2021 visa (R21) despite being now registered nurses working in our health system?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: On behalf of the Minister the 2021 resident visa is open to those who spent a specified period of time here working in their particular profession. So for nurses or other health workers it will be those particular professions that qualifies them for residency. If they haven't worked for that specified period of time then they won't qualify but they should continue to take advantage of the student options open to them and to try to seek work and qualify for residency in the way that they previously did.Erica Stanford: What does he say to the migrant nurse who contacted me last night who has been in New Zealand for 10 years completed her nursing training here is not eligible for R21 because she was on a student visa in September last year who has now applied to move to Australia because she has to wait another two years for residence via the green list?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: On behalf of the Minister there's a hodgepodge of sort of facts there some of which contradict each other. If the member wants to raise the case of a specific individual I'm happy to look at it and consider it against the policy and the policies that have been well notified to all those who are seeking residency in New Zealand.Erica Stanford: Does he think that there is any correlation between the fact that we are 4000 nurses short according to the health Minister and the Government's failure to prioritise nurses through immigration settings over the last two years?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: We have. This Government I know for a fact from talking to the Minister of Health has funded the health system so we have an additional 4000 nurse places in our health system. There are a number of vacancies currently in the health system and every effort is being made to recruit nurses into those vacancies from a number of sources—from overseas is one source; internally is another—and every other measure that we can including graduate nurses being trained here in New Zealand. Every effort is being made to fill those vacancies.