Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:606;Page:3347] 
6.  
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Immigration 
: How many permanent and long term non - New Zealand arrivals came to New Zealand in the year ending December 2002 and how does this accord with Government policy? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL (Minister of Immigration) 
: 
 Seventy-thousand five hundred. That number of course includes holders of temporary permits who expressed an intention to remain in New Zealand for 12 months or more. It is evidence of a significant expansion in export education working-holiday visitors and others on work permits as well as residence approvals and Australians who do not need a residence visa. It accords well with the Government’s policy of meeting skills shortages and contributing to economic growth. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Given last year’s figures is the public to gather that for every two New Zealanders who leave these shores the Government will bring in nine non - New Zealanders? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: No because the figures include people who are coming on temporary permits. It includes everyone who expresses an intention to remain in New Zealand for 12 months or more. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. For the period last year which I referred to there were over 75000 students here. How can the Minister go on year in and year out making up the figures when those figures demonstrably tell us that she is not telling us the facts. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order and the member knows it. 
Tim Barnett 
: Can she advise the House the net migration gain for the year ended December 2002 and what factors have led to its increase? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: In the year ended December 2002 according to the permanent and long-term arrival statistics there was a net gain of 38200 people. The proportion of returning New Zealanders continues to increase. Twenty-five percent fewer left New Zealand in 2002 than in 2001 while the numbers returning increased by 8 percent. Although the figure is high it still represents a 10000 net migration gain per year over the past 10 years. 
Brian Connell 
: What is she doing about the recent reports that have seen foreign students in Christchurch “still queuing from as early as 2 a.m. to get visas processed” and what effect will the increase of 12900 permanent long-term arrivals of non - New Zealand citizens have on those queues? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: I am glad that the member understands that it does include students who say they will be in the country for 12 months or more. My advice is that students who are here on particular permits that relate to particular institutions who will change their courses during their time in New Zealand should make early arrangements to deal with immigration. I say that because too many people are leaving it to the last minute and are not leaving their passports and documentation so that they can be processed efficiently by the Immigration Service. 
Paul Adams 
: Can the Minister provide any estimates of the annual migration inflow that will result from recent changes to the level of competence in the English language required by new immigrants? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: There is a distinction between residence approvals and the statistics we are talking about here today. The New Zealand immigration programme has been established at a set figure and therefore the English language changes will have no effect on the numbers.  
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Can I ask the Minister whether she understands clearly that “immigration” is people coming here that “emigration” is people leaving here and that the net figure is not a description of immigration; that being the case how many immigrants came to New Zealand last year? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: I cannot answer that question because Statistics New Zealand does not disaggregate permanent and long-term arrivals. I have written to the department since it is not my area of responsibility asking whether it will consider doing that. May I quote for the member’s benefit the actual provision in the statistics that are produced by the department: “Long-term arrivals include overseas migrants who arrive in New Zealand intending to stay for a period of 12 months or more.” I cannot make it clearer than that.