Migration needs a human touch
Immigration, particularly in a country which has a small population, is an absolute necessity for economic success.
New Zealand has the happy luxury of being able to appreciate the benefits skilled migrants bring to the economic health of the nation, and has a commendable track record in making efforts to assimilate people from different cultures into its own.
Research shows that migrant flows - if managed efficiently and flexibly bring strong opportunities for economic growth. It’s true that migrants can have the effect of lowering wages, and unfortunately there is little enshrined in employment law to force firms to be play fair with their wage structures to stop that happening.
But as a consequence of having access to more workers, research also shows that actually, firms are more likely to be able to create more jobs and invest and expand production capacity.
Businesses love the fact that most migrants are motivated and either highly trained or educated, or both. Free of familial ties in their adopted countries, they can move around easily and eagerly perfect to meet labour demands.
It means local booms and busts can be evened out. As the Christchurch rebuild changes and eventually winds down for example, a highly experienced workforce will be on hand to help out with construction challenges in other cities Auckland being in focus (cover story p6-7).
Yet despite all the benefits, the issue of immigration and how to manage the movement of people humanely and productively, is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today.
So it is good to see the construction industry in New Zealand getting directly involved, not only in the selection and training of skilled migrants, but also in helping foreignborn workers settle into an unfamiliar culture.
The very best outcome is happy workers, enhanced communities and grateful businesses who can use the fresh perspective and skills of outsiders to flourish. A lot of hard work needs to go in upfront for that goal to be achieved, but those sectors which rise to the challenge will be in a good position to grow.