Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:617;Page:12753] 
1. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Immigration 
: Does he agree with the former Minister of Immigration Lianne Dalziel’s statement: “No I do not consider there to be a need to review the student visa system.I consider that the current system facilitates the entry of genuine students while managing the associated risks.”; if not why not? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN (Minister of Immigration) 
: 
 By and large the student visa system is working well to facilitate the entry of genuine students who are an important part of New Zealand’s export education industry. However I am aware of some issues relating to the temporary entry system generally and I have asked officials to look at this as part of a wider Immigration Act review which is currently being considered. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: What happened to these comments made on 11 April last year after substantial parliamentary questions by New Zealand First when the previous Minister said: “For example it has enabled us to think more broadly about better using the information we gather when we experience adverse outcomes to improve our decision making at the front end. An outputs focus has us counting the number of removals of overstayers; an outcomes focus has us identifying those who pose a risk of overstaying and managing that risk at the outset so we have fewer overstayers to remove.”; what on earth happened to that? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: I am not a hundred percent sure what happened to all of that but what I can say is that there are some issues and I think the member touches on them. That is why we are going to have a review of this issue—there are some concerns that need to be addressed. 
Dianne Yates 
: What is the process when a temporary permit expires? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: When a temporary permit expires the person either renews the permit if he or she wants to stay in New Zealand or leaves voluntarily—which most do actually. If people do not do this they must appeal against the removal within 42 days of the permit expiring or face removal. One of the issues I am looking into is how we can make this removal process more robust. 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: Can the Minister give New Zealanders an assurance that he will change the law so that immigrants who commit serious crimes when they are here on temporary visas or during their first 5 years of residency will be automatically deported? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: I am reviewing the Act. The issues the member raises are under consideration. Changes that need to be made to the Act will be brought before Parliament in due course. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Having regard to the fact that we have 20000 overstayers—an apparent laughing matter to the previous Minister—is it not a fact that “managing risk” is a nonsense term when the truth of it is that we have people entering this country on temporary permits who have no intention of leaving and who make up that 20000 and that no woolly “outcomes focus” or so-called improved decision-making at the front end will minimise the huge problem that according to him his officials are struggling to cope with—which he made public last week—and why on earth have another review; how about doing the job? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: It is important to say right from the outset that the vast majority of people on temporary permits do obey the terms and conditions of the permits and leave when the permits expire. There are a number though—as the member has outlined—who do stay and there are some who do come deliberately with the intent of not going home. Those are the things I want to address which is why we are looking at what changes need to be made to the Act—so we can act on that sooner. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I seek leave to table a press statement in respect of a temporary permit holder whose permit had expired and who despite the fact that he should have been deported from this country went on to commit a murder on our roads. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.