10. Question No. 10—ImmigrationJO LUXTON (Labour—Rangitata) to the Minister of ImmigrationQuestion No. 10—Immigration10. JO LUXTON (Labour—Rangitata) to the Minister of Immigration: What reports has he seen regarding migration to New Zealand?Hon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Immigration): This week I saw reporting from Stats New Zealand showing a net migration gain for the seventh consecutive month with 11400 people arriving in the country in October 2022 compared to 8000 people departing—or a net gain of around 3300 people. Further to this I saw data yesterday from Immigration New Zealand that suggested this trend has continued through the month of November as well with a number of arrivals in the country totalling over 423000 people compared to around 374000 departures—a net figure of 49470 arrivals with a positive flow of both New Zealand passport holders and non - New Zealand passport holders. This is reflected in the huge demand we're seeing for visitor and work visas in particular the working holiday scheme for which we have now granted 40000 visas and welcomed 22000 people on shore. This shows that while the domestic and international labour markets do remain very tight our immigration rebalance is beginning to work well and that while we will need to make changes from time to time as we did earlier this week to maintain our competitiveness our immigration system is well-placed to be responsive to international conditions and support our reconnection to the world.Jo Luxton: Why is the strong trend in net migration important?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: New Zealand's reconnection with the world over recent months has enabled friends and family to reconnect with each other sometimes after long periods apart. It's also important in terms of boosting our economy through tourism and getting the skills into New Zealand that we need in different parts of our economy. Our immigration rebalance has been about shifting away from the old low-wage low-skill high-exploitation model to a system that values migrants and builds the skills that we need to be a productive and prosperous country. There's ongoing work to do we'll keep listening to sectors who are experiencing challenges but in amongst that I'm optimistic that this trend will continue and we'll see further positive results in 2023.Erica Stanford: Has he seen reports from today that have showed Treasury reducing its growth forecast from earlier in the year because of lower levels of expected migration and does he think this shows the Reserve Bank Governor was right when he said that this Government's immigration policies have meant that interest rates will have to go higher as a result?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: In response to the second part of the member's questions I don't think that is a fair reflection on the Reserve Bank Governor's comments; he in fact acknowledged the complexities of immigration and its impact on inflation.Jo Luxton: What is the Government doing to attract migrants to New Zealand and fill skill shortages?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: Since our borders opened the Government has taken a number of steps to support businesses to recruit internationally to fill labour shortages. We've approved over 94000 job positions for international recruitment through the job check process. We've reopened the Pacific Access Category Resident Visa and Samoan Quota Resident Visa delivered the largest increase in a decade to the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme resumed the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa and Parent Resident Visa schemes and this week expanded the Green List further to ensure that employers remain highly competitive when recruiting internationally. This complements the significant work that we've done to train and upskill New Zealanders to meet skill shortages consistent with the principles of the immigration rebalance with over 200000 people having taken up free apprenticeships or trade training since July 2020. We've done that at the same time as we've continued to look to improve wages for New Zealanders across our economy; that's important on this side of the House.Jo Luxton: What recent feedback has he heard regarding the Government's efforts to attract migrants to New Zealand?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: I note Business New Zealand chief executive Kirk Hope described the changes we announced yesterday as positive and that they would help in meeting skill shortages across a range of industries. I also note the Motor Trade Association described the addition of skilled motor mechanics to the Green List as a massive boost to the industry. The Civil Contractors New Zealand said that the construction roles that had been added to the Green List would provide a great benefit to communities at a time where skilled tradespeople are in hot demand globally.Hon Kieran McAnulty: On this the last day of Parliament and 11 days before Christmas can the Minister confirm to Kiwi kids that Santa Claus has all necessary documentation to enter New Zealand?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: I have received one application for a short-term work visa from the North Pole. I can confirm that as Minister I have issued a special direction in spite of immigration instructions for him. I've spoken to the Minister of Customs about expediting customs clearance for the 12 live animals that will be coming in with him. I've also talked with the Minister of Trade and confirmed that the EU free-trade agreement provisions mean that no tariffs will apply to the large cargo that he's bringing into New Zealand. The Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety has advised that despite their small size the elves who are also being sponsored on the visa must be paid the full minimum wage of $21.20 per hour. This visa will be a big boost to New Zealand's economy and is further evidence that the team in red always delivers.SPEAKER: Both question and answer would have been better suited for the adjournment debate.Erica Stanford: Supplementary question Mr Speaker—supplementary Christmas question Mr Speaker in the spirit of—SPEAKER: Pardon?Erica Stanford: I said supplementary Christmas question in the spirit of the—SPEAKER: Yeah why not.Erica Stanford: Can the Minister confirm that Santa's family will also be included on this visa given that so many split families in New Zealand of migrants are still waiting to be separated nearly three years after our borders were closed.Hon MICHAEL WOOD: I can confirm that visas have been issued to the whole family group and I can also confirm that Santa Claus is very aware of the difference between Honolulu and Te Puke so he won't get lost on the way.SPEAKER: Let's stop there.