Mark Ron: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMark Ron: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 29 March 2016. Volume:712;Page:9921. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.RON MARK (Deputy Leader—NZ First) to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement from September 2015 “But now we are moving into a bit of the cycle where it’s likely that migration must flatten out sometime.”?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance): Yes. The pattern of migration in New Zealand is that net migration numbers have been fairly predictable up until recently and that is that they have peaked at around 50000 and then dropped off. However this time they seem to be going up for longer and staying up.Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Is it acceptable for a front-bench Cabinet Minister to refer to another member as a member of a redneck party in this Chamber? [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! It is certainly not acceptable. I did not hear any such comment being yelled from the front bench of the National Party but if I had I would have acted on it. I did not hear it but it is completely unacceptable. [Interruption] Order! Ron Mark will resume his seat immediately. I realise you were probably responding to an interjection but when I call you to ask a supplementary question do so without also interjecting.Ron Mark: How can New Zealanders have faith in this Government when on 9 December 2015 Immigration New Zealand said that migration would peak at around 63000 this June but it has soared well past that figure in December and January and now in February 2016 it is at 67400 people and rising?Hon BILL ENGLISH: One of the significant drivers of that number is the number of New Zealanders staying home and the number of New Zealanders who are returning. In the Government’s view that is a positive problem. If the Public Service like the member underestimated the enthusiasm of New Zealanders for staying here and for coming home then we do not see that as a big difficulty either.Ron Mark: In light of that answer can I seek leave to table two documents please obtained under the Official Information Act. The first is from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment dated 9 December 2015 entitled Briefing Amendments to the Essential Skills in Demand List. The second is a joint Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment and Treasury briefing dated 10 December 2015 entitled Improving the Long-term Contribution of Immigration to the Labour Market.Mr SPEAKER: I will put the leave for both of those documents. Leave is sought to table both of those documents. Is there any objection? There is none. They can be tabled.Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.Ron Mark: Is the Minister unconcerned that these two papers set out concerns about low-skilled immigration and his intention to go on driving down wages in our economy?Hon BILL ENGLISH: I am not sure what pieces of paper the member is referring to but I certainly would not agree with his assertions. But I am a bit disappointed that a party that calls itself New Zealand First does not seem to think it is a good thing when New Zealanders are so enthusiastic about staying in their own country or coming home.Ron Mark: If record migration is so good for the economy then how come a joint Treasury and Immigration New Zealand briefing said: “Migrants are meeting firm demands for labour and skills but increasingly in low-productivity low-growth industries and low-wage skilled jobs.”?Hon BILL ENGLISH: I am not quite sure of the connection between those two statements but we do need a flow of skilled migrants coming into New Zealand to fill those jobs where we are unable to fill them domestically. Some of our industries which are lower skilled do need the same kind of supply of labour. But the important thing is that our labour supply has been flexible particularly through the Canterbury earthquake and it is not the Government’s intention to make major changes to the policy setting.Ron Mark: Given that these papers show low-skilled migration with a significant number of low-skilled migrants why is the Government providing competition for low-skilled New Zealand workers by artificially inflating the numbers from offshore?Hon BILL ENGLISH: I think the member is generalising from the analysis. We have quite a complex—Hon Member: You just quoted from it.Hon BILL ENGLISH: The inflow of migrants is driven by students which is a fast-growing business of international education that requires high levels of skill to grow that business and we have a flow of skilled migrants who have to meet pretty precise criteria in order to get in. So if the member is saying that the flow in migration is all about more low-skilled people then he is not correct.