Lifeline offered to Zimbabweans

By ELINORE WELLWOOD

About 2500 Zimbabweans who have fled to New Zealand face an uncertain future as their permits near expiry.

Many have 11 weeks left.

But yesterday, Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel hinted that they may be allowed to stay permanently.

"If I was to give an indication, I would like to propose a work-to-residency solution," she said.

Since February, the Immigration Service has given out hundreds of one-year work permits or student visas to Zimbabweans.

Many were forced from their farms by President Robert Mugabe's land reforms, through which white farmers have lost property to landless blacks.

Many either became illegal overstayers here or tried to stay on visitors' or temporary work permits before getting the one-year reprieve.

Yesterday, Ms Dalziel said officials were working on the problem, but no proposals had yet been taken to the Cabinet.

She pledged, however, that no one would be kicked out when hisor her one-year permit expired.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said the fact that the Zimbabweans were here at all showed immigration policies were too lax.

"We've got to be the world's softest touch if 2500 people just come steaming in and can stay here. Why didn't they go to Australia? Why didn't they go to Canada or the UK?"

But Ms Dalziel said giving them work permits meant few claims for refugee status.

Many qualified to enter under existing work-permit rules and had links to New Zealand.

Allowing them to stay permanently would mean Zimbabweans could qualify to live here under the general skills category.

Automatic residency could not be granted because of security concerns.

Last year, the Government investigated claims that three black supporters of President Mugabe threatened an exiled white farmer in a queue at an Auckland Immigration Service office.

Fear of Mr Mugabe's spies in New Zealand is keeping many silent.

A black Zimbabwean who agreed to tell his story, on condition he was not named, spoke of his fears for family left at home.

In March, he fled what he claimed was a future of torture and fear. Fellow pro-democracy activists told him New Zealand was the last country in the world that would let him in without a visa, he said.

Another man, tobacco farmer Allan Bradley, arrived in Hawkes Bay with his family, and a bullet in his lung. He got out after the leader of a gang of "settlers" shot him and authorities forced him off his farm. He said the gunman then moved into his house.

He said Ms Dalziel told the family in a letter that she did not normally interfere in work-permit or residency applications.

"But in our case she made an exception and will instruct the immigration department to give us a two-year work permit."

The letter said that if the family supported themselves, stayed out of trouble and integrated into the community, they could apply for residency.

Mr Bradley is now a factory night-shift supervisor.