Ardern defends Govt rules on immigration
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has met with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in Melbourne, while one of New Zealand’s top chief executive officers implored the Government to help get more workers into New Zealand.
Yesterday was the first full day of Ardern’s trip to Australia where she is leading a trade delegation and attending the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum.
Andrews, a fellow Labour (Labor in Australia) politician who was the most enthusiastic proponent of lockdowns among Australia’s premiers, said that phone calls with Ardern during the acute stage of the Covid-19 pandemic were very important to him. Ardern last met him, in person, in 2019.
‘‘These last couple of years – it was really challenging – and good friends have meant so much to us and I know my many, many telephone calls with you.
‘‘I hope they were a help to you, but they were certainly a help for me. I’m very grateful for that,’’ Andrews said yesterday.
The Melbourne CBD is still clearly bearing the scars of the elongated lockdowns – the streets are quiet, businesses are shuttered.
While it is clearly coming back, and there is very little obvious mask-wearing out and about, it is still a shade of its pre-pandemic self.
At an ANZ business breakfast, ANZ New Zealand CEO Antonia Watson praised the Government for its new free trade deal with Europe, but warned that immigration should be a priority for it .
The trade deal, she said, was ‘‘a huge win for New Zealand.’’
‘‘I know there are some disappointments there for some sectors but the fact that we’ve got that free trade agreement with Europe is huge.
‘‘It’s enormous, and it should be a huge opportunity for New Zealand exporters.’’
However, she sounded a warning on immigration and skills shortages.
‘‘The types of things that would be a big focus, I think is still immigration. I totally understand that we want a more productive country – that will take years and investment – and in the meantime, you know, the businesses I’ve been talking to already this morning, people are just crying out for staff,’’ she said.
‘‘I’d like to see a little bit more flexibility at the moment ... flexibility and the ability to bring skilled labour into New Zealand.’’
Ardern defended the Government’s immigration settings, arguing that they strike the right balance.
‘‘The balance to be struck here is that New Zealand does have skill shortages in particular areas and so we have made it easier for those individuals to come in and to stay.’’