11. Question No. 11—ImmigrationNICOLA WILLIS (National) to the Minister of ImmigrationQuestion No. 11—Immigration11. NICOLA WILLIS (National) to the Minister of Immigration: Does he stand by his statement that he is confident that the border exception is meeting the needs in terms of the flow of critical health workers in"; if so how many of the critical health workers who have been able to come into New Zealand since the border closed in March 2020 were intensive care nurses?Hon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Immigration): Yes because critical health workers are by some distance the largest group of workers we've been able to bring across the border since we closed it to protect the health of New Zealanders in March of last year. As I told the House yesterday we've been able to bring 7000 critical workers health workers and their dependants into the country since August of last year and a further 7000 in the period from March to August of last year to support our health system in the context of a global pandemic. This includes intensive care nurses but as I've told Parliament Immigration New Zealand does not distinguish between nursing specialisations. If an applicant is a nurse then they meet the Immigration system's threshold for receiving a border exception and coming to New Zealand to support our efforts.Nicola Willis: How is it that in a global pandemic when we are so critically short of ICU nurses the Minister does not know nor collect information about how many ICU nurses have entered New Zealand?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I think I've already addressed some of that question and I think my colleague the Minister of Health also pointed out why we are facing such a critical shortage of ICU workers. I'd also acknowledge that our solution to the problem isn't one that the previous National Government took when we had skill shortages and that was bringing all of that skill into the country. We have made efforts over the last 18 months to put in resources to train additional ICU nurses which places us at about 1400 ICU nurses fully trained at the moment and a little over 700 trained for surge capacity if required.Nicola Willis: Is it then the case that Immigration New Zealand leaves it to chance that some of the nurses entering New Zealand might be ICU trained?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: No we don't leave it to chance. We have a broad critical health border exception which has allowed 14000 people over the last 18 months—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Order! I'm trying to hear.Hon KRIS FAAFOI: It is the role of district health boards (DHBs) to identify what shortages of skills in terms of the number of nursing roles that it might need and to attract them and it's the role of the Government to make sure there's a streamlined process in order for that to happen.Nicola Willis: When he said yesterday: "Instead of taking a sector by sector approach" does he not think it would be reasonable to specifically prioritise targeting ICU nurses through the immigration system given we are in a global pandemic; and if not why not?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I will repeat: we have given a broad border exception for critical health workers so DHBs and other health organisations that need to bring workers in have the ability to bring in whatever skill they need. As I mentioned we do face a worker shortage. Some of that is because of the catch-up work needed to be done because of decisions that the previous Government did not make. And I'd also point towards the efforts that I've mentioned before: by making sure we have additional New Zealand nurses trained to work in ICU units which has given us a little over 700 more nurses available to deal with surge capacity if required.Nicola Willis: Will the new "2021 one-off residency visa for all migrant workers" uploaded briefly today on Immigration New Zealand's website prioritise residency for critical healthcare workers?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: That member will have to wait for that decision. I believe someone may have got little trigger happy at Immigration New Zealand. But when the Government is ready to announce that we will. As I said yesterday it will be comprehensive and give certainty to both employers and migrants.Nicola Willis: I seek leave to table a document that is not publicly available anymore and that is a page from the Immigration New Zealand website which refers to a 2021 one-off residency—SPEAKER: All right all right. I think the member described it fairly well earlier on. Is there any objection to that document being tabled? There is objection."