Kiwi work rights on Boris agenda
Government keen to test Johnson’s views during NZ visit
The ability of New Zealanders to live and work in Britain will be one of the discussion points when British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson holds talks here.
The Government will be keen to test the views he previously expressed as London Mayor three years ago about wanting New Zealanders and Australians to live and work freely in Britain.
Things have got more complicated since then, however.
In the interim, Johnson has been elected to Parliament, for a second time, argued successfully for Britain to leave the European Union, and has been made Foreign Minister.
And Britain is a long way from agreeing what its work and travel rights will be with EU citizens in a Brexit deal, let alone what it will be for Commonwealth cousins.
But Johnson is on a mission to extend the influence of Britain in all parts of the globe in preparation for going solo in two years.
He will be visiting Kaikoura today to thank locals for looking after British campervan tourists trapped there during the earthquake last November.
He will unveil a British war memorial at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, and will hold talks with the Government.
Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee is personally greeting Johnson in what will be his first visit to New Zealand.
“As we see Britain exit the European Union, we want to remain as high on their agenda as possible for the trade stuff,” Brownlee told the Herald.
Security issues, the Pacific and Kiwis in Britain would be among the issues that will be discussed as well as trade.
The two countries had a shared interest and commitments in Middle East security.
New Zealand also contributed 10 staff to an officer training academy in Afghanistan run by Britain.
Brownlee also said there was “a whole lot of stuff” related to Johnson having ex- pressed a desire in the past that more New Zealanders might be able to visit Britain, a reference to his support in 2014 for Kiwis and Australians to have reciprocal travel and work rights with Britons, as was the case with the EU.
Johnson has long been an advocate for Britain to make better use of the Commonwealth in its foreign policy.
But his Conservative party appears to be more inclined to tighten access to Britain rather than liberalising it.
During the campaign for the June snap election, the Conservatives promised to cut net migration from 273,000 to less than 100,000 by targeting students and working visas.
It proposed cutting back the number of skilled migrants to get visas, higher levies on employers who take on migrant workers and tripling the National Health Service Immigration Health Surcharge from $350 to $1130 a year for those in the UK on visas of more than six months and about $780 for international students.
That surcharge increase affects those on the traditional OE, although the two-year youth mobility visa remains which allows up to 12,000 young New Zealanders annually aged 18 to 30 to get a twoyear visa to work and travel in the UK.
Johnson is among those in Theresa May’s cabinet considered to be a potential successor in a leadership coup, along with arch rival David Davis, the Brexit minister, Phillip Hammond, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
Johnson, a former journalist, is also known for his quotable quotes.
He recently said the EU leaders could “go whistle” if they thought Britain had to pay a huge amount to leave the EU.
He is also famous for his colourful running outfits.
Johnson will head to Australia after his visit to New Zealand.
We want to remain as high on their agenda as possible for the trade stuff. Gerry Brownlee, British Foreign Minister