‘No large increase in immigrants’

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33532, 13 May 1974, Page 14

‘No large increase in immigrants’

The Government’s revised immigration policy concerning the South Pacific announced last Tuesday did not mean that there would be significantly larger numbers of citizens of the Pacific Island countries coming to live in New Zealand, the Minister of Immigration (Mr Colman) said in Christchurch last evening.

“But it does mean that all citizens of each of these countries who seek to come here will be subject to the same criteria,” Mr Colman said.

Mr Colman was speaking at the opening of the New Zealand United Nations Association seminar held at St Bede’s College and attended by 140 senior pupils from secondary schools throughout New Zealand. The Government was now turning its attention to temporary' entry from the South Pacific, an area in which it wished to work closely with Island governments to ensure that the requirements of both were met, he said. "We do not wish to develop policies for temporary admission that would attract to New Zealand the very people the Island governments need at home to help develop their economies,” Mr Colman said. “At the same time, however, there is a very welcome opportunity in New Zealand for Island people to come here for several months to work in our industries and elsewhere, to develop some skills and to eam money to take home with which they can build better houses and pay to educate their children.” SPECIAL CONCERN New Zealand had a special concern and acknowledged a special responsibility to assist and co-operate with its South Pacific neighbours, Mr Colman said. "We can gain another dimension in our community, which is already part-Poly-nesian, through contact with these strong and culturally rich communities, and we can learn to emulate the strength of their family ties and their strong community spirit,” he said. “In return we, with our developed economy, can assist our neighbours with their urgently needed economic and social development.” Since coming into office, the Government had made it clear that its relations with i the South Pacific took priority in its policies, Mr Colman said. This had been implemented through aid—more than half New Zealand’s foreign aid resources went to the Pacific to assist with development needs—as well as by promoting regional co-operation and through immigration policies. Mr Colman outlined three main groups of islands in the Pacific and their relation to New Zealand. LARGE FAMILIES “In accordance with both countries’ traditions. Western Samoa and Tonga have fastrising populations, among the fastest rising in the world, through their beliefs in large families and in younger members caring for the old,” he said.

While this did much for strength and security in their society, it also meant that these small island countries tended to be overcrowded, with unemployment and a scarcity of money. Fiji was more developed than Western Samoa or Tonga, but it also faced serious problems of economic development, he said. “From these three territories — Western Samoa, Tonga and Fiji—many of the

citizens come to visit New Zealand, and of these, many work for several months and save money to take home,” said Mr Colman. In contrast, the people of the Cook Islands, Nuie and the Tokelau Islands were New Zealand citizens, and as such, they were free to

come and go from New Zealand as they wished, he said, “Many do come and live here permanently, attracted by the wider opportunities offered here. In fact, about half the population of all three territories already live in New Zealand,” said Mr Colman.