Immigration Policy and New Zealand's Development into the 21st Century: Review and Speculation

Abstract

This article reviews the impacts of changes in immigration policy since the 1980s on New Zealand's population, with particular reference to the labor market, and discusses recent initiatives in strengthening policies for New Zealand's development in the 21st century. The policy objectives of encouraging the immigration of highly skilled people and those with capital to invest in business development initially drew favorable response, especially from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. However, the actual experiences of migrants in the New Zealand labor market and business environment were much less positive. Immigrants from Asian countries were found to have high levels of unemployment. Another concern is the emigration of skilled people from New Zealand. The government has undertaken a review of immigration policies and is supporting a longitudinal study of immigrant experiences. The final section speculates on prospects for immigration and the labor force into the 21st century, bearing in mind the evolving immigration policy environment.