'Our immigration system, as we knew it, was brought to an abrupt halt'
Published:
Fri, Jun 4th 2021 @ 2:19 pm EDT by Amy Boylan
New Zealand's Minister of Tourism, Stuart Nash, announced the country has reevaluated immigration policies after examining the economic effects resulting from a 98% decline in arrivals. Much like what is happening in other countries, the pandemic has continued to be a time of reckoning. Immigration-driven population growth is unsustainable in so many regards, yet, like in the United States, it was viewed as a necessary and vital component for New Zealand's success. This pandemic forced officials to take a step back and rethink what is best for their country. As Stuart Nash said, “Our immigration system, as we knew it, was brought to an abrupt halt."
Despite one out of every six New Zealanders relocating abroad, the country's population has been growing. Since the 1990s, 30% is attributable to immigration policies. It has been a challenge for New Zealand to keep up with their increasing population, which has resulted in housing shortages, overcrowded cities, and rising home prices. In his speech, Nash noted the country's dependence on migrant labor and the pressure it has placed on housing and infrastructure saying that "we need to get ahead of population growth."
https://www.numbersusa.com/blog/our-immigration-system-we-knew-it-was-brought-abrupt-halt
