Why New Zealand is cracking down on immigration

The government of New Zealand this week tightened the country’s working visa rules in order to stem historically high numbers of international migrants making their way to the South Seas.

Immigration minister Erica Stanford said that the changes will allow businesses to make greater use of local workers while still attracting high-skill migrants where there are skill shortages. ‘Getting our immigration settings right is critical to this government’s plan to rebuild the economy,’ she says.

The new rules have also been billed as protecting migrants from exploitation. But at least part of the political story is about the way New Zealand’s infrastructure seems to be groaning in response to the surging number of international newcomers since the end of the country’s famously severe Covid restrictions.

On almost any given year up until 2020, New Zealand comfortably processed around 120,000 migrant arrivals, including thousands of younger Brits taking advantage of a working holiday scheme that allows thousands from both places to live and work in either country.