Dr The Rt Hon Lockwood Smith - News

Labour puts politics ahead of NZ's growth

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:33:00 +1200

Labour's sad attempt to discredit National's immigration policy confirms how out of touch this Government has been over the past nine years, says National's Immigration spokesman, Lockwood Smith.

"If Labour doesn't want skilled immigrants, if it doesn't want new arrivals who can look after themselves financially – then what are Labour's priorities for immigration?"

Dr Smith says Immigration Minister Clayton Cosgrove's hysterical rantings over National's plan to remove layers of bureaucratic red tape for skilled immigrants are a front for his Government's failings in this area.

"Mr Cosgrove clearly can't get his head around the fact that immigration policy is largely about attracting the right skills and investment to allow our economy to grow. Labour's complacency has led to record departures – we need skilled people to fill those gaps."

Dr Smith says that under Labour, business category approval numbers have decreased steadily since reaching a peak of 4,517 in 2001/02, down to just 689 in 2007/08.

"The primary reason for this has been the dramatic reduction in approved investor immigrants. In 2001/02, 1,326 principal applicants were approved under the investor category which requires each to bring at least $1 million of investment into New Zealand. That's investment of at least $1.326 billion.

"In 2007/08, just 28 principal applications were approved. The figures speak for themselves."

Dr Smith says National will:

• Set realistic investment capital and English language requirements for business immigrants.
• Require approvals to better match the experience of potential business immigrants with their proposed investment in New Zealand.
• Focus the assessment of success for long-term business visa holders seeking residence in New Zealand on job creation and export earnings.

"We will also put measures in place to ensure that Kiwis living overseas will be given all the right incentives to return home."

Immigration policy: Bring more Kiwis home

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:33:00 +1200

National's immigration policy aims to stem the exodus of Kiwis and bring more home, as well as to create a climate that encourages skilled immigrants to our shores, says National's Immigration spokesman, Lockwood Smith.

"New Zealand has tragically lost more than 80,000 people overseas permanently in the past 12 months. That is more than 1,500 people each week. The numbers departing have been steadily worsening. Departing Kiwis are replaced by new immigrants, which makes immigration policy critically important to New Zealand's future.

"Creating the opportunities here in New Zealand to stem that debilitating loss will be a priority for the next National Government. Those opportunities must also attract back to New Zealand those Kiwis who have been developing their skills abroad, as well as other skilled people."

Dr Smith says National's immigration policy has three overriding objectives:

• To attract more overseas Kiwis back to their home country.
• To better match the skills of immigrants with the employment needs of our economy.
• To make our immigration services world class in their efficiency and effectiveness, and restore confidence in the integrity of Immigration New Zealand.

Dr Smith says creating the right conditions to encourage New Zealanders to come home is paramount.

"We will ensure that tax, regulatory, and infrastructure policies make returning home an attractive prospect for highly skilled ex-pat Kiwis. We will also require Immigration New Zealand to initiate a one-stop-shop approach to servicing the needs of returning New Zealanders. "

National will also:

• Streamline employer accreditation policies to recruit overseas.
• Reduce the bureaucratic barriers to being able to hire seasonal workers from countries outside the existing RSE scheme, where the RSE scheme is unable to meet employers' needs.
• Introduce a Silver Fern Visa to enable people with recognised tertiary qualifications to be in New Zealand for a short period of time to seek permanent employment in highly skilled areas which are of high value to the New Zealand economy. Silver Fern Visa holders may undertake temporary work while seeking highly paid permanent employment.
• Set realistic investment capital and English language requirements for business immigrants.
• Establish a Retirement Visa for high net-worth people wishing to live in New Zealand at no cost to the taxpayer.

"National will establish a world-class immigration service. We all know that confidence in Immigration New Zealand has reached an all-time low. Countless scandals have seriously damaged the reputation of the service. This has now become endemic within Immigration New Zealand, and the time to address this is long overdue."

National will:

• Review Immigration New Zealand to ensure there are clear lines of accountability.
• Ensure there is fairness and transparency in every aspect of Immigration New Zealand's processes.
• Explore the possibility of establishing a stand-alone Department of Immigration and Citizenship, combining existing resources and functions currently within Immigration New Zealand and the Department of Internal Affairs. This outcome would be acceptable only if we could be assured it could occur within existing resources and would not lead to a rise in the number of bureaucrats.

"National wants to assure potential immigrants, along with all New Zealanders and Kiwi employers, that they will be given an efficient, world-class immigration service that acts with integrity and produces the best outcomes for the widest interests of New Zealand.

"In addition, we will implement the most attractive policies to maximise the number of Kiwis worldwide who want to, again, make New Zealand their home."

For policy and background documents visit:

http://national.org.nz/files/2008/immigration%20policy%20and%20backgrounder.pdf

Aussie exodus reaches city-like proportions

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:34:00 +1200

The number of people leaving to live in Australia in the past 12 months would have almost enough numbers to start an entire city of their own, says National's Immigration spokesman, Lockwood Smith.

Dr Smith is commenting on the figures for international travel and migration for the year ended July, just released by Statistics New Zealand.

"For the year ended July, 80,872 people left New Zealand to live somewhere else. This is the highest loss for a year ended July since 1979, and the second highest loss ever.

"However, the loss of people to Australia is even more alarming.

"45,731 people left to live in Australia. This is the highest-ever loss for a year ended July in recorded history and is only 4,000 short of being enough people to constitute a city.

"Labour tries to cover up its failure to keep people in New Zealand by pointing to net migration figures. However, the net loss to Australia in the year ended July was 32,344. This is the highest-ever net loss for a year ended July and represents a staggering 27% increase from the previous year.

"Eight years ago, an incoming Helen Clark was reported as saying she was ashamed of the number of people leaving to live in Australia.

"Labour has squandered its opportunities to keep these people here. They have gone because of Labour policies that have resulted in record food and fuel prices, unaffordable homes, punitive taxation rates, and an increasingly unwanted interference in their lives.

"It is little wonder they have voted with their feet."

More murk at Immigration Service

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:35:00 +1200

Confidence in Immigration New Zealand has been damaged further with more allegations of murk, says National's Immigration spokesman, Lockwood Smith.

Dr Smith is commenting on media reports that the executive assistant to the Service International Group Manager, Kerupi Tavita, has been convicted of multiple counts of fraud totalling $30,000.

"The concern is that this latest incident is part of a wider, worrying trend of possibly questionable behaviour.

"Mr Tavita was head-hunted from the Prime Minister's Department by Mary Anne Thompson. A Buddle Findlay investigation found that soon after his appointment, he authorised a $400 gift to himself – a clear contravention of departmental policy.

"He appointed Mai Malaulau to set up the Pacific Division within the same Immigration Service, despite the pair having had interests in the same private company.

"Buddle Findlay's investigation found that despite signing Ms Malaulau up to a $1,000-a-day contract, including all expenses, Mr Tavita then authorised expense payments to Ms Lalaulau.

"Media reports suggest that Mr Tavita did not question the claims submitted by his executive assistant, including for international travel, luxury accommodation, and for a flat screen TV and DVD player.

"At best, this seems to show careless use of taxpayer money by very senior officials. All government departments must be prudent managers of the public purse.

"This is a department beset by scandal. Last year's Oughton inquiry into apparently unlawful decision-making revealed that staff were signing off applications 'as instructed by' where they considered government policy was being breached.

"Following on from the Oughton inquiry and the Mary Anne Thompson scandal, it's clear a new management culture is needed within the Immigration Service."

Going, going, gone

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:36:00 +1200

More than 80,000 people voted with their feet in the past 12 months, says National's Immigration spokesman, Lockwood Smith.

Dr Smith is commenting on the latest migration figures which continue to paint a very grim picture for the New Zealand economy.

"We have to go back as far as 1979 to find a year ended June in which more people left New Zealand for greener pastures."

Dr Smith says Australia continues to be the destination of choice, with more than 45,000 people leaving New Zealand for Australia in the year ended June.

"Completing the damning indictment of this Labour Government's failure to deliver for hard-working Kiwis is a net loss of 31,923 people to Australia in the year ended June.

"This is the highest-ever net loss to Australia for any year ended June and makes for very bad news when coupled with the highest-ever total loss to Australia for a year ended June.

"Two record losses to Australia illustrate the great divide between our countries.

"One encourages and rewards individual effort by maintaining successive annual tax cuts. The other doesn't believe in letting taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned money and wants them to feel grateful for finally promising it will cut taxes in election year.

"In times where soaring living costs are coupled with wasteful government spending to produce burgeoning interest rates, record numbers of people are showing just how much they trust this out-of-touch Labour Government."

Cunliffe knew PM's advisor was subject of probe

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:37:00 +1200

National Party Immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith says the acting Immigration Minister has confirmed today that David Cunliffe knew it was Mary Anne Thompson who was at the centre of an inquiry into illegal decision-making at the Pacific division.

"So now we know that the ambitious David Cunliffe knew that the PM's one time head of department was at the centre of the Oughton report. What we don't know, is whether Mr Cunliffe told any of his colleagues, or specifically Helen Clark – especially given her demands for 'no surprises' from ministers.

"Mr Cunliffe knew that Mary Anne Thompson was the subject of an inquiry from April 2007, but we are being expected to believe that he took no interest in the findings of that report and told no-one about it until it was finally made public in April this year.

"It is certainly hard to accept that the ambitious Mr Cunliffe could resist telling his colleagues that Mary Anne Thompson might be in hot water."

Dr Smith says Mr Cunliffe should clear up the matter.

"He should reveal precisely what he was told when he was briefed that an inquiry was about to begin. He should also lay out what he was told when that inquiry was completed, and state what he said to his colleagues in between times.

"Mr Cunliffe does not need to wait for the results of an official inquiry into the Oughton report and the illegal decision-making at Immigration. He can deal with these serious questions today."

Immigration: Anonymous letter raises red flag

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:26:19 +1200

National Party Immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith says an anonymous letter from an immigration officer raises yet more corruption concerns within the troubled department.

"Labour Ministers have tried to tell us there's been no corruption in the department since 2002/03. They know differently."

Dr Smith says the letter alleges that 'there is an ingrained culture with the managers where they are more concerned about the volume of applications that staff can finalise than they are concerned about the risk some overseas applicants pose to New Zealand'.

The letter also says the managers 'either verbally, or through emails will pressure staff to achieve higher work targets' and that it is 'far quicker and easier for staff to approve an application than it is to decline it'.

"These are allegations among the most serious ever made against a Government department. They point to a culture where Government policy is not being followed.

"These same issues were raised in the previously secret Oughton report. Ministers Clayton Cosgrove and David Cunliffe both said that report highlighted operational matters that did not concern the Minister.

"They were wrong."

Dr Smith says it beggars belief that, with such a culture of dishonesty and the string of offences that staff have been found guilty of, no Minister in nine years has noticed.

"This sort of cavalier approach to the administration of our borders is deeply troubling. Mr Cosgrove needs to say if he plans to take any more immediate action, or if he just plans to wait and see what the reviews of Immigration turn up."

Clark in denial over Oz exodus

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:22:00 +1200

Helen Clark is stretching the bounds of credibility with her claims that the exodus of people to Australia was worse under previous governments, says National's Immigration spokesman, Lockwood Smith.

"The statistics show the number of people leaving for Australia has accelerated on her watch, despite her promise to do something about it.

"Since 2000, the average net loss of people to Australia has been more than 19,800 a year. That is more than twice the number leaving for Australia in the 1990s. This is Labour's record of failure.

"In November 1999, Miss Clark said that 'people go to Australia now in terms of jobs, challenging jobs, and the real challenge to us in this country is to build a new economy which will offer that challenge'.

"She added that 'I think the real issue this election is whether we're going to build an economy that can retain our talented and skilled people because that's the only way we'll prosper'.

"Helen Clark's words have come back to haunt her.

"Instead, after nine years, Labour has failed to provide a compelling reason for our best and brightest to stay, and Kiwis are voting with their feet.

"Helen Clark is dancing on the head of a pin while remaining in complete denial."

Labour fails to stem trans-Tasman exodus

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:23:00 +1200

The exodus of people leaving for Australia continues to pick up pace under Labour, says National's Immigration spokesman, Lockwood Smith.

Dr Smith is commenting on the latest migration statistics for the year ended May 2008.

"In the past 12 months, 79,916 people left New Zealand to live somewhere else. This represents the second largest loss of people in one year since records began.

"Equally worrying is that in the year ended May 2008, 44,749 people left permanently for Australia. That compares to 37,713 for the year ended May 2007.

"The last time more people left in the space of 12 months was two decades ago, when Labour was last in government.

"When we look at the net exodus of people, the migration rate is even worse. In the past 12 months, even after factoring in the number of people coming to live here, our net loss to Australia was 31,194.

"That represents an alarming 28% increase from the year ended May 2007.

"Labour is failing to give Kiwis a decent reason to stay in New Zealand.

"They see an out of touch government that, after nine years, has not adequately dealt with the things that matter to them like law and order, health care where they need it closer to home, tax rates that provide the right incentives, and an education system that gives our kids the best opportunities."

Immigration: No checks on newcomers

nospam@example.com (admin) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:24:00 +1200

National Party Immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith has released a further document provided to him by a whistleblowing immigration officer.

"This person, who claims to be a serving immigration officer, has alleged that basic checks are not being done on potential immigrants from high-risk countries. That whistleblower has also provided evidence to prove that claim."

Dr Smith says the attached record from Immigration describes how a one-year work permit was issued to an applicant even though no evidence was produced to support the application.

Dr Smith says a handwritten note on the document from the whistleblower has been re-typed to protect that person's identity.

"These are matters that the Immigration Minister does have some control over. Instead of passing the buck to one of the four inquiries currently underway, Clayton Cosgrove needs to tell the public what he plans to do."

Dr Smith says Labour remains in denial over the snowballing problems at Immigration, and every day more and more people are being processed through that department.

"The computer record and the checks performed clearly support the claim that immigration officials are cutting corners and exposing Kiwis to greater security risks.

"The Immigration Service's own computer records show people are being allowed into New Zealand for at least a year without any checks being done to verify that the person is who they say they are, without any supporting evidence to prove they actually have a job offer, without any verification of their qualifications, or even to show that they come from the country they claim to come from.

"While Mr Cosgrove wants New Zealanders to believe that all of these issues are operational matters and beyond his control, those excuses won't wash with the public."

Click to download (PDF) Immigration Service computer record.

Immigration: Minister wrong on zero tolerance

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:25:00 +1200

National Party Immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith says Immigration Minister Clayton Cosgrove is simply wrong to claim that the service has a zero tolerance approach to misbehaving staff.

"He's wrong, because the Oughton report says he's wrong. He's wrong, because we already know that Mary Anne Thompson was warned about interfering in immigration applications involving family members, but continued to do so."

Dr Smith is commenting after Mr Cosgrove told Parliament that his department does not tolerate staff misbehaviour.

"But the statistics, and the Oughton report, tell a different story. That report lays out serious allegations that staff were being ordered by managers to approve dubious applications.

"The culture got so bad that officials started disclosing that they had been instructed to approve the application by a particular manager.

"That's why the anonymous letter from an immigration officer, released earlier today, is so relevant. It alleges policy was ignored so office quotas could be filled.

"This is the second time in as many months that this allegation has been made. I certainly hope Mr Cosgrove's defence of his department is not misplaced."

Dr Smith says Minister Cosgrove and his predecessor David Cunliffe have both confirmed in official parliamentary questions that theft, fraud and other issues of dishonesty have been identified in that department.

"Mr Cosgrove told Parliament today that the Immigration Service processes 500,000 transactions every year. How many more dubious transactions have to take place before the Minister does anything about them?"

Immigration Service shambles shameful

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:26:00 +1200

National Party Immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith is asking how successive Immigration Ministers could not have known about the shambles unfolding within the department.

"When there is one case of improper staff behaviour almost every fortnight, there is a significant problem. How come this is now such a concern for the Minister when he's staked his career on the argument that illegal decision-making within the department is none of his business?"

Dr Smith is referring to figures released by Clayton Cosgrove showing that 26 incidents, including theft, conflict of interest and misconduct, had been recorded within the Immigration Service since January 2007.

"Mr Cosgrove should explain how he's been able to provide such a lot of information about staff dishonesty, when the excuse for not knowing about the illegal decision-making within the Pacific division is that it's not his responsibility?

"Mr Cosgrove has changed his view. How much did the Minister and his predecessor know about alleged misconduct within the Pacific division?"

Dr Smith says that in parliamentary question time the Minister has denied corruption within the service, and attempted to downplay the seriousness of alleged offending within this core branch of the Government.

"While there are now a number of investigations under way, nothing can hide the fact that it took sustained pressure to get these sorts of issues put in the public arena.

"What else has been kept quiet?"

Cosgrove must come clean on immigration

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:27:00 +1200

National Party Immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith says Clayton Cosgrove should come clean about what he was told about the Oughton report into illegal decision making within the Immigration Service.

"Mr Cosgrove has never revealed what his chief executive actually said about the damning Oughton report, relating to allegations that he and his predecessor David Cunliffe knew about for months.

"The question is straight forward. What exactly was the Immigration Minister told when he was briefed about the Oughton report in December?

"Clearly, it was serious enough for his Chief Executive to have consulted Crown Law about reopening the file on Mary-Anne Thompson and wider policy issues within the Immigration Service's Pacific branch.

"Neither Mr Cosgrove nor David Cunliffe have ever revealed what they were actually told by their chief executives. It's time they did."

Dr Smith says Mr Cosgrove does not need to wait for the Auditor General's report to be released before revealing what he was told by his chief executive in December, and what he said in reply.

"In the interests of openness and transparency, Mr Cosgrove can answer for the public a simple question. What exactly was he told, and what exactly did he say?"

How could the Minister make a call on a report he knew nothing about?

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:28:00 +1200

National Party Immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith is questioning how Clayton Cosgrove could decide unlawful decisions made by the Immigration Service were an employment matter if he did not know anything about them.

"The Minister told Parliament that 'I noted that these were explicit employment matters' and he handed responsibility for them to his chief executive.

"But how could he judge that the issue was an employment matter if he knew nothing about it? Surely, in order to decide it's an employment matter, that has to be based on something. What was Mr Cosgrove told?"

Dr Smith says Ministers David Cunliffe and Clayton Cosgrove do not need to wait for an Auditor-General's report into the scandal that has engulfed the Immigration Service to tell their side of the story.

"Mr Cunliffe has been completely silent on these matters, yet he has known about issues in the Pacific division for more than a year. Neither he nor Mr Cosgrove have given any sort of real detail about what the briefings with their chief executives involved."

Dr Smith also notes that the Immigration Service chief executive was so worried by the findings of the Oughton report that he sought Crown Law advice.

"What did Crown Law say? Did Crown Law see the Oughton report and were they aware of the serious policy breaches laid out in that report?

"The more we dig into this affair, the more murky it looks."

Immigration: What about the other report?

nospam@example.com (admin) — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:30:00 +1200

National Party Immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith is continuing to question Immigration Ministers over what they knew about claims of corruption bribery and fraud within the Immigration Service.

"Was Clayton Cosgrove aware of a second inquiry by law firm Buddle Findlay into alleged corruption in the Immigration Service and, if so, did he brief the Prime Minister?

"Helen Clark claims to have been 'blindsided' by allegations involving the Immigration Service and the lack of information provided to her by Ministers.

"Yesterday, Clayton Cosgrove denied knowing about a 2005 Buddle Findlay report into a potential conflict of interest by Pacific Division head Mai Malaulau.

"So what about the other Buddle Finlay inquiry, completed in 2007?

"That inquiry revealed serious procedural issues within the Immigration Service, with one manager even admitting she would search through applications in order to find and process those applications which she thought would make her job easier. This is not in line with Government policy.

"The public will struggle to believe that two separate independent inquiries into inappropriate behaviour and misconduct were conducted in 2007 and that the Government was 'blindsided' a year later. This is either incompetence or deception."