McNair Craig: Immigration Amendment Bill — Instructions to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
McNair Craig: Immigration Amendment Bill — Instructions to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:611;Page:8275] 
CRAIG McNAIR (NZ First) 
: 
 I want to speak on Part 1 of the bill because I was kind of staggered when I heard the United Future spokesperson Paul Adams ask the New Zealand First Party why we are not voting for this bill. 
First of all I think the fact that United Future is voting for the bill shows why we are voting against it. In the election campaign I opened up the newspaper to find Peter Dunne talking about his immigration policy. He said that United Future wanted 60000-plus immigrants per year. That is obviously why United Future is voting for this bill. We believe that it does absolutely nothing to change the regime to change the ad hoc policy-making implemented by this Government and that is the reason we are voting against Part 1. [ 
Interruption 
] Well where there is a will there is a way and there is no will over there. Why would a party that wants 60000-plus immigrants a year not vote for a policy like this? It is very obvious to us in New Zealand First that this bill is just smoke and mirrors. 
Part 1 which deals with the commencement and the objects of this legislation does nothing whatsoever to increase the fortunes of this nation. When I looked through this part of the bill it became very apparent to me that this legislation will allow for continuing high levels of immigration. It does nothing to help the average young Kiwi couple who are chasing the most basic of Kiwi dreams like buying a home. I will be in that situation in a few months when I get married. I was looking at the  
Sunday-Star Times  
on Sunday and I found an article on page 8 entitled “First-home dreams built on sand” that I want quickly to bring to the attention of the Committee. The article says exactly what the problem is in this country. Once the commencement of this bill takes place it will do nothing for people like Jude Davies and Tim Dunning who are staying with Dunning’s parents as he and Davies save for a deposit on a Wellington house. The article states: “You can spot them at house auctions: clean-cut young couples happy in love and ready to set up home together. They stand at the front nervous but excited clutching in one hand the letter from their bank pre-approving a loan of up to $350000 maybe a little more. They are tense avoiding any little nod or wink that might be wrongly interpreted as a bid. They miss the first bid—a seasoned bidder gets in first—but maybe the young bloke raises his hand for the second bid. You can see them walking away afterwards disappointed bewildered. The bidding quickly moved out of their reach. … The world should be their oyster”—at this time in life for them—“yet they cannot afford to fulfil the most basic of Kiwi dreams: buying a home.” 
All that this Government is doing with its immigration policy is making it harder and harder for couples like Tim Dunning and Jude Davies to buy a house to start a life together and to pursue the most basic of dreams. As I said that problem is a direct result of the Government’s immigration policy. Instead of having a policy like that New Zealand First suggests we should have something a little more creative like export policies that provide tax abatement like concession policies to ensure that viable exporting opportunities and innovation are not lost. Contrary to the objects of this Act in clause 3 the bill will not help the young mechanics who were talked about earlier. There are plenty of young guys whom I have met when I have gone to get my car fixed and so on who would just love to be able to become a mechanic. There is no skills shortage as far as that is concerned.