Ex-Immigration minister applauds Dalziel

By AUDREY YOUNG

Former Immigration Minister Aussie Malcolm, now an immigration consultant, says Lianne Dalziel is the best Immigration Minister in 15 years compared with the "idiots", "ideologues" and "weirdos" that had held the post.

"New Zealand has had some simply awful Ministers of Immigration over recent years," the former National minister said in a speech in Auckland at which Lianne Dalziel was present.

"You are streets ahead. We have had idiots who just didn't understand," he said. "We have had ideologues that had the capacity to understand but didn't care.

"We have had weirdos who thought empathy and compassion were dangerous, communicable diseases.

"You have been a refreshing return to competence."

Labour's Annette King was minister in 1989, followed by National's Sir William Birch, Roger Maxwell, and Max Bradford followed by New Zealand First-turned-independent MP Tuariki Delamere before Lianne Dalziel became minister in 1999.

While he did not agree with all her decisions, he said most of the time she understood the policy, understood the issues and got things right.

"Most importantly you have never stopped listening, you have never stopped caring and you have consistently produced immigration outcomes at both a policy and individual case level that have been good for New Zealand."

Lianne Dalziel was opening the newly formed "Hunters Club" which Mr Malcolm has set up - a job-search club to match skilled migrants from visa-free countries with employers.

Mr Malcolm was a minister in the Muldoon Government.

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Herald feature: Immigration