Does New Zealand need more immigration?

• advantage
• 6 years ago
• Categories: capitalism, Economy, immigration

The Australian Federal Treasury has put out a think piece that has come out strongly in support of the government policy of adding 190,000 non-humanitarian migrants a year with a focus on taking skilled workers. They say that level of immigration boosted economic growth, reduced the adverse effects of an ageing population, and lifted aggregate demand through consumption and investment.

I’m not sure where populists who want to really limit immigration go after this.

Bloomberg has previously called this level of immigration “the secret to Australia avoiding a recession.”

Reading through the Australian Treasury report, the parallels with New Zealand are eerily familiar.

Plenty will argue that New Zealand’s social services are too strained as it is to cope with more.

Others may point to New Zealand’s tens of thousand of unbuilt houses, strong economy, low headline unemployment, skills shortages, low capital base, and tolerant and diversified society.

There will be an argument about whether sustained inwards immigration got us through the post-GFC recession, earthquake rebuilds, and dairy price downturn.

Personally, the last two decades of immigration have overall remade this country, for good, and forever.