Every time I hear a National Party policy announcement that seems to make even a semblance of sense … I stop and do a double take.
In this instance, because it really IS a double take. For you see, when it comes to the eminently reasonable suggestion of redirecting migratory flows *away* from Auckland and instead into our semi-struggling regional economies … we’ve heard it all before.
From New Zealand First.
Three years ago, we unveiled a policy-package designed to encourage migrants to settle in our regions rather than all axiomatically gravitating to Auckland. We even made it one of our “bottom line” policies at the last Election.
At the time, the National Party bullishly claimed that such a policy would be a violation of migrants’ “civil rights”, and seemed to suggest that any indication of of a problem – much less a solution – in this area was just more of the same Winston rhetoric on immigration.
Well I guess John Key’s own announcement that National will do something about this issue is tantamount to an admission that we were, as per usual, right.
Now I’m no great fan of some of the excesses of Winston’s rhetoric on immigration. But it’s widely acknowledged that one of the core factors driving up house prices in Auckland, is the inarguable fact that there’s a supply shortfall created by our city growing at a rate of 50,000 people a year … yet only building five and a half thousand houses over the same period.
Much of that population growth is comprised of new migrants to the country. Who quite understandably need places to live.
At the same time, our regional economies continue to bleed skilled workers and socio-economic capital to the bigger centers via the internal migration of Kiwis. One way by which we might seek to begin to redress this is, of course, by funneling skilled workers and socio-economic capital coming into the country into these areas to make up the shortfall.
Incentivizing migrants to move to the regions rather than remaining in Auckland thus makes a considerable degree of sense for a number of reasons.
Which is why I’m rather surprised that National thought of it.
Oh wait … that’s right. They didn’t 😉
Actually…during the 1950’s when many Dutch people came here they were given a list of places to settle, in which case they chose that place and there is where most settled for a time….the rationale being that it avoided disproportionate numbers settling in any one area.
It also provided a more balanced approach to assimilating into NZ culture rather than creating the conditions of the natural tendencies for an insular migrant/immigrant community to take longer to assimilate in their new country of adoption.
Key always steals other parties ideas and dresses them up as his own.
There is no honour to this directionless hollow man.
NZ First has most of the best policies we have today, like changing the whole electricity Authority operational structure, to make consumers benefit not the fat cats.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1405/S00497/peters-an-energy-sector-that-once-again-serves-all-nzers.htm
Also another anchor policy as instead of spending billions on what are effectively just truck roads, – NZ first has a Rail and transport plan that will carry us back from this third world transportation to a first world system of safer roads and better rail freight & passenger services in our country wide network while making coastal and air travel better too.
http://www.odt.co.nz/
Next we will see FJK steal these policies too?
I wold not be surprised at all watch this space.
And not only that and much , much more besides – I bloody miss that stirring old advertising for NZ Rail sung with total gusto !!!!!
Rollin , Rollin , Rollin, – keep those wheels a-rollin ‘!!!!
Move em up , !!! Move em out !!!!
RAILFRIIIIIIEEEEGGGGGHHHHHTTTTTT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bloody cracker!!!
It’s a ridiculous policy and I would keep quite about thinking of it first if I were you. The skilled are leaving the regions because they can no longer survive there; there’s no industry, no decent health service, bugger all to make any one want to stay. Why, do you think migrants are going to want to go there?
Would YOU move to Taumarunui? Taumarunui on the main trunk line where the passenger trains (what there is of them) don’t even stop any longer.
Another thing. If a migrant is so short of points that they need to gain them under this scheme, do we want them?
And how are you going to make them stay there? Chain them to the nearest hydrant?
“The skilled are leaving the regions because they can no longer survive there; there’s no industry, no decent health service, bugger all to make any one want to stay.”
Spoke like a true Aucklander Brigid. I’m not sure which regions you are basing this on, but I travel regularly through the more “backwoods” parts of the country, and this is simply not true. Te Tai Tokerau (Northland), for example, has some of the best and cheapest primary health care I’ve ever come across. North Canterbury has plenty of industry, and is desperately looking for workers to train.
The reason people are leaving the regions for the big cities is that’s where all the *money* appears to be, having been hoovered up by the financial elites (the winners of the FIRE economy as described by Jane Kelsey), who all live in the cities (or at least own property there). Also because of policies like the “Jobs Jolt”, foisted on us by Clark’s Labour government, and similar policies enacted by National before and since, which essentially force unemployed people to congregate in the big cities, meaning that their families and friends will tend to end up drifting there too, especially if they also lose their job.
The regions are being cleared of working class people as part of a neoliberal strategy to turn fertile farmland over to corporate-owned industrial farming (eg dairying), with no public oversight of farming practices and their environmental impact, and no local resistance. Anything we can do to reverse this madness is well worth taking credit for.
1000% DSB. house prices sink in the Provincial regions and rise in Auckland as a result.
While regional infrastructure crumbles as all funding is funnelled to Auckland.
The two tier economy its called and created by Neo cons.
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