Boris bears good news on Kiwi OE

Kiwis seeking access to the United Kingdom should in future have a regime ‘‘at least as attractive’’ as the current one, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says.

Speaking after talks with Prime Minister Bill English and Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee, Johnson sought to downplay concerns New Zealanders on their ‘‘OE’’ could be worse off after Brexit and amid moves to tighten immigration into the UK.

‘‘So on the ancestry visas, the overseas experience, and stuff like that we will want to maintain a regime that is at least as attractive as the current regime and we will want to maintain a policy of openness and engagement,’’ he said.

When mayor of London, Johnson thought the city benefited from being open to talent but he added that in any society, you had to control and manage it.

With Brexit: ‘‘It wasn’t that people were hostile to immigrants, they weren’t hostile to people with talent and energy coming to the UK. They just wanted to feel the British Government had a handle on it and that’s what we are going to do.’’

‘‘That does not mean that we are in any way going to make life more difficult for New Zealanders. On the contrary, we massively value, we love Kiwis coming to our country. It makes a huge difference to our economy that we have people of talent and ambition who want to come, even if it’s only for a short time and then go back back again.’’

Brownlee later told reporters that when it came to New Zealand, officials hoped for even more. ‘‘We think there might be some chances of getting better access, particularly for our young people.’’

New Zealanders staying in the UK for more than six months have to pay a National Health Service (NHS) surcharge of £150 (NZ$326) if they are on the Youth Mobility Scheme or student visas, and £200 (NZ$435) on other visas

Out of more than 150,000 New Zealanders who travelled to the UK in 2015, about 8000 were on visas allowing them to stay longer than six months.

Changes to tier 2 general visas announced in 2016 meant employers must pay $2000 a year to hire immigrant workers.

The ‘‘experienced’’ workers on these visas have to be in a job that pays a salary of at least $63,000.

Brownlee said the message he took away from the talks with Johnson was that Brexit did not mean the end of the strong relationship with the UK.

Johnson reiterated that Brexit was not about Britain turning away from the world.

He said New Zealand would be ‘‘at or near the front of the queue’’ for future free-trade talks.

Brownlee said the UK had to formally exit the European Union (EU) before it could enter into those talks.

New Zealand had preferential access into the EU and some of that went into the UK, such as meat and butter quotas. Britain was looking at preserving that and it would form the basis of a freetrade agreement.

At the point Britain was ready to discuss a free-trade deal, New Zealand would be ready, Brownlee said.

The two had also discussed international security issues, including Isis as well as North Korea’s missile launches and what Johnson called the ‘‘nuclear adventurism of that regime’’.

‘‘I think to an almost embarrassing degree there was a total failure to disagree on any point of substance.

‘‘These are two countries that really do think on the same lines on so many of the issues that matter to our people and to our electorates,’’ Johnson said.

He and Brownlee announced a ‘‘people-to-people’’ dialogue – a phrase that seemed to bemuse Johnson, who pondered how that was possible without it involving people.

Brownlee said the UK was also interested in New Zealand’s ‘‘social investment’’ approach. ❚ British connection, Editorial A8