Third World influx 'ethnic engineering' says Peters

By FRANCESCA MOLD political reporter

Winston Peters has accused the Government of "ethnic engineering" by bringing in thousands of people from Third World countries who do not fit in to New Zealand.

The New Zealand First leader cited figures showing a net inflow of 37,100 permanent and long-term migrants in the year ending last month, compared with an outflow of 1700 the previous year.

The Statistics New Zealand figures showed 14,600 migrants were from China, 6500 from India, 5900 from Britain, 3100 from South Africa, 2300 from Japan, 2200 from Fiji and 2000 were Koreans. He said the Government was changing the face and structure of New Zealand society by stealth.

"It is bringing in tens of thousands of people from countries with customs and cultures totally different to our own," he said. "We are heading down the road to social disaster."

But Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel said Mr Peters was misrepresenting the statistics and using language that was unhelpful and unnecessary.

She said New Zealand did not racially discriminate against people entering the country. The only exception was a Samoan quota and Pacific category.

The figures were collected from information supplied by people arriving at the border, said Ms Dalziel.

The permanent and long-term category was based on those people who said they intended to be in NZ for the next 12 months. Many of those in the Chinese category would be students and the figures included people entering on two-year work permits.

"I find it frustrating because Winston Peters knows this. I have explained it to him when the August figures came out and he put out a similar press release."

Ms Dalziel said the number of non-New Zealanders arriving in the country was falling.

Further reading
Feature: Immigration