Faafoi KrisEducation and Workforce Sector (relating to immigration workplace relations and safety and employment)CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): Members I understand the responsible Ministers are available to speak to the remaining Votes in the education and workforce sector volume (B.5 Volume 2). Again the question is that Vote Education Vote Education Review Office Vote Labour Market Vote Pike River Re-entry and Vote Tertiary Education stand part of the Schedules.Dr PARMJEET PARMAR (National): Thank you Madam Chair. It's a real pleasure to take this call as the chair of the Education and Workforce Committee and to summarise the evidence. In this part we are focusing on the 2020-21 Estimates for Vote Labour Market. It includes ACC appropriations—that's what we are focusing on—ACC appropriations immigration appropriations and workplace relations and safety appropriations. This is because we have already dealt with the education component earlier.So the select committee had the opportunity to have the Minister before the committee. At that time it was the Hon Iain Lees-Galloway and the Minister was in charge of all three portfolios—that is workplace relations and safety immigration and ACC. The total appropriations as noted by the select committee for 2020-2021 are just under $2.39 billion.In ACC appropriations if I quickly look through those appropriations they include appropriations for claims on the Non-Earners' Account and for claims by non-earners on the Treatment Injury Account. This is to cover the estimated cost of injury prevention claim processing assessment payment services and case management public health acute services medical services elective healthcare and contracted services. Appropriations also include appropriation for claims on the Non-Earners' Account to cover the cost of income maintenance independence allowance and other compensation payments. It includes an appropriation for claims by non-earners—CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): Can I just interrupt the member. As the select committee chair you don't have to make another speech in this part because you've already spoken in the first part. You're most welcome to continue but you don't have to do another speech.Dr PARMJEET PARMAR: Thank you. That time I just covered education.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): I know but your time is counting out of your party's—Dr PARMJEET PARMAR: Yes—yes. I understand. So that means I can ask questions in this?CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): Absolutely.Dr PARMJEET PARMAR: Yes—thank you. So—yes we will move on to questions. Thank you for that clarification so I don't have to summarise the report. The question that I have for the Minister is that I'm receiving a huge amount of correspondence—this is in regard to immigration—for people that are stuck overseas. I'm talking about people that are partners or spouses of New Zealand residents and citizens. So these people have the right to be here with their partner or spouse who is a New Zealand citizen or New Zealand resident. These people some of them have gone overseas before lockdown. They got married in that country. They came back hoping that their partner or spouse would be able to join them here after their application is processed but because of lockdown that person has not been able to come and join their partner or spouse here in New Zealand.There are a lot of families in that kind of stress and I would like to know from the Minister what his stance is on these people that are stuck overseas. I'm talking specifically about spouses and partners of New Zealand residents and citizens because we have allowed New Zealand residents and citizens to come here but their spouses and partners because they got married just before lockdown are in a different country. They are not residents or citizens here yet but their application needs to be processed. These people are already here. They cannot go back and join their partner or spouse back home but they want their partner or spouse to come here and join them here because this is the place they have chosen to live together. So it will be good to have some clarification on the plan that the Minister has to bring in these people that are stuck overseas. This is creating a lot of stress amongst a lot of people that are here that were hoping that their husband or wife will be able to join them as soon as they come back here and as soon as their application process will go through. Thank you Madam Chair.Hon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Immigration): Can I thank the member for her question. The Government obviously understands that it's a difficult time for the group of people that she has discussed in her contribution but I think the starting point has to be that our border is our first and best line of defence in order to keep the COVID-19 virus out of our communities. As the member would appreciate as well as the cohort that she is talking about there are also groups such as temporary visa holders who are ordinarily resident here in New Zealand who are also finding it difficult to come to New Zealand but our borders are closed for a reason.In amongst managing all of that is the management of the quarantine centres being undertaken by the Hon Dr Megan Woods as Minister of Housing. So while we are aware and understand the difficult circumstances that some of these cohorts of people who would like to come back to New Zealand to be repatriated reunified with their families we also have to understand (a) that the border is essentially closed with a number of exemptions and exceptions. Obviously for New Zealand residents and New Zealand citizens coming back is fine but it will take some time for us to work and stage through every visa category in order for us to think about how we might plan getting some of those people who have either got partners here in New Zealand or who might ordinarily live in New Zealand back into the country.My understanding is if someone were to be in that situation they would be able to travel back to New Zealand if they were travelling with their partners. Also my understanding is that if they are not travelling with their partners they are unable to re-enter the country. But again I will go back to my starting position that the border again—and we're seeing obviously some sensitivities around it—is the best weapon and especially the weapon that New Zealanders most want to see as secure to keep us safe from COVID-19.