In general, the Government seem to have got the memo on immigration.

Another loosening was announced by Michael Wood yesterday. But I say in general because as we have discovered, this lot are a mixture of incompetent and Machiavellian.

So, we have the skilled visa category reopening, about time. The parents visa being adjusted is not as big a deal.

And we have "consultation“. Watch that, because it normally spells trouble. But we have consultation on a new uncapped and simplified points system. That, if it comes to anything, is the key.

We have never seen a crisis the likes of which we face at the moment. Yes, as the Government keeps bleating, it's an issue in many parts of the world, but that doesn't excuse the fact they have insisted on making it harder than it needs to be.

The chef decision just this week is all the evidence you need.

They don’t get the real world. They don’t understand business, they don't like business, and they don’t listen to business. That’s why Gordon Ramsay would not have qualified to work in this country as a chef under their system.

It's also why they keep making up stories about the number of offshore nurses applying to come here.

Andrew Little has told us it's 400. It isn't. Michael Wood told us it's 300. It isn't. The real number is about a dozen. 12 have turned up and actually started work as a nurse.

And don't forget nurses don’t get the same pathway to residency that many other professions get that we have deemed to be short of.

The Government didn’t want to be here. They deluded themselves into thinking that locals could do all the work and when we cracked the old immigration door back open the world would flood in. They were wrong on both counts.

The calculation is simple. Are we short of people? Yes. Are more people in the answer? Yes.

There is pretty much work for anyone with a skill. So, the policy should be, welcome, come on in, grab an apron, a hammer, a pen, a desk, and get to work.

It doesn’t have to be as hard and hopeless as they are making it.

In general, the Government seem to have got the memo on immigration.
Another loosening was announced by Michael Wood yesterday. But I say in general because as we have discovered, this lot are a mixture of incompetent and Machiavellian.
So, we have the skilled visa category reopening, about time. The parents visa being adjusted is not as big a deal.
And we have "consultation“. Watch that, because it normally spells trouble. But we have consultation on a new uncapped and simplified points system. That, if it comes to anything, is the key.
We have never seen a crisis the likes of which we face at the moment. Yes, as the Government keeps bleating, it's an issue in many parts of the world, but that doesn't excuse the fact they have insisted on making it harder than it needs to be.
The chef decision just this week is all the evidence you need.
They don’t get the real world. They don’t understand business, they don't like business, and they don’t listen to business. That’s why Gordon Ramsay would not have qualified to work in this country as a chef under their system.
It's also why they keep making up stories about the number of offshore nurses applying to come here.
Andrew Little has told us it's 400. It isn't. Michael Wood told us it's 300. It isn't. The real number is about a dozen. 12 have turned up and actually started work as a nurse.
And don't forget nurses don’t get the same pathway to residency that many other professions get that we have deemed to be short of.
The Government didn’t want to be here. They deluded themselves into thinking that locals could do all the work and when we cracked the old immigration door back open the world would flood in. They were wrong on both counts.
The calculation is simple. Are we short of people? Yes. Are more people in the answer? Yes.
There is pretty much work for anyone with a skill. So, the policy should be, welcome, come on in, grab an apron, a hammer, a pen, a desk, and get to work.
It doesn’t have to be as hard and hopeless as they are making it.

Best of Business is the home of all things business at Newstalk ZB, from morning market updates right through to incisive interviews with New Zealand’s top business leaders and decision makers. 

Whether you’re a small business owner or interested in what’s going on in the Big End of Town, this podcast encompasses the sharpest voices and minds in the world of business.

Best of Business is the home of all things business at Newstalk ZB, from morning market updates right through to incisive interviews with New Zealand’s top business leaders and decision makers. Whether you’re a small business owner or interested in what’s going on in the Big End of Town, this podcast encompasses the sharpest voices and minds in the world of business.

Best of Business is the home of all things business at Newstalk ZB, from morning market updates right through to incisive interviews with New Zealand’s top business leaders and decision makers.